XTERRA is a series of cross triathlon races, i.e. three-sport races which include

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

, and

trail running Trail running is a type of running that takes place on outdoor trails, often in mountainous terrain, and often includes significant ascents and descents. It is similar to both mountain running, mountain and fell running (also known as hill r ...

. The XTERRA Global Tour is owned and produced by XTERRA Sports Limited. The XTERRA race series is the best-known series of cross triathlons, and is considered by most to be the ''de facto'' world championship of the sport. It began in 1996 on the Hawaiian island of

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

as the ''Aquaterra'', and was later renamed the ''XTERRA''. Japanese automaker

Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

licensed the name from the triathlon series for their own 1999-2015

sport utility vehicle A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...

— and was the race series' primary sponsor from 1998 to 2006, when the two companies parted ways.

Organization

The XTERRA has two primary divisions, professional and "age-groupers". In the professional division athletes compete for cash prizes and sponsorships. The age-group division was created for those who still want to compete but have no aspirations to become professional athletes. Both divisions compete in a points series, where athletes accumulate points by placing in the top fifteen positions of any race in which they compete. Several events known as XTERRA Championships Series offer more points due to their larger draws. In the United States, there are championships for each region of the country. These venues also offer a "sport" version of the race where contestants complete races that are typically half the distance of the full version.

Race format

As an off-road race, the distances can vary widely depending on the terrain available. The target distances are as follows: *Championship/pro: 1.5 km swim, 30 km

, 11 km trail run *Sport: 500 m swim, 15 km

, 5 km trail Run The largest difference between the XTERRA race and a regular Triathlon is in the biking section. Though less than the standard 40k distance (in a regular Triathlon), XTERRA has steeper, more aggressive inclines for a shorter distance, usually between 27-30k, over rough terrain. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

the sport distances are often used as miles yielding a 1/2 mile (805 m) swim, 15 mile (24 km) mountain bike, and a 5-mile (8-km) trail run.

References

External links

Official XTERRA Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xterra Triathlon Multisports Triathlon competitions Recurring sporting events established in 1996 Multisports in the United States

Organization

Race format

See also

References

External links