The event took place just outside Ogden at the Snowbasin ski resort. The venue has held numerous X-Terra events and was the clear choice again this year. John Harrington and I decided to attent this event simply because it's the premier race just before the big one in Tahoe. We ran into Jay Watson, a member of the LV tri club and better half of Kim. Jay will be competing in his first off-road event after having competed in numerous triathlons for the last few years.
Having done several of these events, John Harrington and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to compete against the finest athletes in the region, with the chance of qualifying for the nationals. With that in mind, we programmed the GPS to guide us to the northern parasise of the Wasatch mountains, 7 hours, 450+ miles later, we arrived in heaven! At the registration booth, we were greeted with a big smile by Jennifer Marsh and Ann Mickey. These ladies are employed by X-Terra, travel around the country organizing these events and I must tell you, they do a superb job making sure that everything goes smoothly. Jen and Ann had us down and all we had to was sign at the dotted line, how's that for service!!!
The roster was loaded with top pros. Starting with 3-time world champion Conrad Stoltz, Josiah Middaugh, defending champion Seth Whealer and many others, the men's pro field was stacked with the finest. On the women's side, Shonny Vanlandingham, canadians Melanie McQuaid and Danelle Kabush, Lisa Leib and many others promised to keep the course 'en fuego'.
The course called for two transition areas. The swim portion was held down from the mountain at the Pine View reservoir, a 1500 meter splash was scheduled. From there, it was an uphill battle for 12 miles up to the ski lodge. Another loop around the ski runs covered the other 6 miles with a gorgeous section of single track, fast decends and countless tight switchbacks all the way to T-2. The run took us up several steep ski runs with the middle section covering two-plus miles of shaded single track, a few more climbs and a fast decend to the finish line. The weather was just superb, with temps ranging from 68 to 82 degrees, slight breeze and a few puffy clouds.
The water temp was 73 degrees. The pros were not allowed to wear wetsuits, the age groupers had the option, I wore mine so did John and Jay. After the smoke cleared, Conrad Stoltz emerged as the winner by a scant 30+ seconds. The top five pros were separated by less than 60 seconds, very close and exciting for the many fans which crowded the finish line. The women's winner was Melanie McQuaid with Shonny Vanlandingham a very close second by less than a minute. Danelle Kabush finished in the top ten. This second place finish places Shonny in a perfect position for the championship event to be held in Hawaii. Shonny crossed over from mountain biking to X-Terra after being a 5-time national champion which includes 3 cross country titles along with a short track and a marathon (50 miles race). Shonny resides and trains in Durango, many athletes from the southwestern Colorado town participated and came up with some shiny hardware. We had the pleasure of meeting Coloradans Ashley Angel, an up and coming triathlete who promises to rise rapidly along with age grouper Dave and his lovely wife Bobbi. We sat with Dave and Bobbi at their table and shared some stories, Ashley acompanied us to the local ice cream parlor for some after hours treat.
The field included several challenged athletes but one that comes to mind is Megan. Megan lost her left leg just below the knee and that hasn't stopped her from living life. In fact Megan competed in the challenged division and did quite well. Unfortunately, an over zealous rider tried to pass her on a tight section of single track and slightly bumped her and she lost control. She ended up in a ditch with a tree stump pressed against her right side, a nasty gash on her left ankle and two dislocated fingers. Just before the accident, John Harrington was trading places with Megan on the wide, steep climbs preceeding the single track. Megan went on ahead and John followed about a hundred yards behind. John entered the single track and heard a rider in distress. Unselfishly, John rendered assistance jeopardizing his eventual result. He pulled her out of the ditch and proceeded with assesing the injuries. She seemed OK dispite a some blood around her ankle, John calmed her down and she went on with the rest of the race. She eventually finished and headed to the ER for a quick check-up and several stitches. Megan showed her mettle and John his sportsmanship and unselfish determination. I tip my helmet to both athletes for showing what it takes to compete. That's what makes X-Terra events so great, the spirit and dedication no matter the situation.
The awards presentation was held at the downtown Amphitheater with many local restaurants displaying their finest dishes. The live band cranked out some of the finest southern rock, everyone had a great time! At the party we ran into 'Kalei'. Kalei is the announcer and voice of X-Terra. You can find her behind a mic at every event blurting out instructions and announcing everyone's names as they cross the finish line. We met her back in May at the Temecula X-Terra, her voice clear and smooth as ever! She gave us a bit of billing as we stumbled across the line, mentioning Las Vegas and our club. We also ran across Brogg Sterret and his right-hand-man, sister Aubriann, they designed this year's swim course. Brogg is the promoter for some of the finest events in the southwest region such as Rage in the Sage, St. George, Kokopelli and Pumpkinman triathlons. Brogg is know for promoting the finest events on the planet with safety being number one on the list. This year's Pumpkinman event will include a half, olympic and sprint distance as well as club nationals. If you havn't done this one, sign up, you'll llove it!!!
This year's Ogden X-Terra was dedicated by Conrad Stoltz to pro triathlete Jamie Whitmore. Jamie endured a major operation to remove a tumor from her leg, she's doing fine but might have to go through another procedure. We hope to see Jamie racing again soon in the pro circuit doing what she does best, winning!!! The entire triathlete community including the Las Vegas Tri Club wishes Jamie a speedy recovery, we keep her in our minds and prayers. Oh, by the way, if you would like to see complete results, log on to http://www.jtltiming.com/. Time to log off, have a wonderful evening and remember, pain is temporary, glory is forever.............
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