For a full list of traffic information visit ruidoso-nm.gov and for general information on event visit xterraplanet.com.
Athletes and visitors from across the world have made their way to the misty pines of Ruidoso for the 30th XTERRA World Championship.
While athletes have their hands full with five different races throughout the community, XTERRA and the Village of Ruidoso are offering activities that appeal to the average person. While all guests may not all be world-champion triathlon athletes, yoga classes and the event celebrations at Wingfield park may be more their pace.
XTERRA is an off-road triathlon, with most of its running, biking and swimming on natural trails and in lakes and was first created in 1996 in Maui, Hawaii. XTERRA has brought the world championships to the shores of the continental U.S. in Ruidoso for the race’s 30th anniversary. Previously the world championship was held in Maui for 25 years before it was moved to Molveno, Italy in 2022.
To read about a long-time racer, check out: Still Racing After All These Years
“On the 30th anniversary of it, it’s the first time it’s on the U.S. mainland. I think that’s huge,” said the Village of Ruidoso Public Information Officer Kerry Gladden.
The four-day long event will have its opening ceremony open to the public at Wingfield Park and its closing ceremony at the Ruidoso Convention Center. The opening party will be held on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 5 p.m. and the door to the closing ceremonies will open on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m.
The opening party will be held on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 5 p.m. with a $30 ticket and the door to the closing ceremonies will open on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m. with a $35 ticket. The general public can buy a ticket at xterraplanet.com/event/xterra-ruidoso under the activity they are interested in attending.
“The big thing is just get out, just interact,” said the Village of Ruidoso Office of Emergency Management Director Eric Queller. “Come out to Wingfield Park and have a good time.”
There is an additional after-party and awards ceremony on Saturday for the Full Distance Triathlon athletes that require a $50 meal ticket for the public. Another awards ceremony will be held Sunday for youth athletes and will cost $35 for the public.
The estimated more than 700 competitors will have a chance to get out and enjoy the pine-covered trails around Ruidoso.
”Just to hear (the athletes) talk about the village and how they had ‘no idea’ and ‘what a great place’ and they’ve been all over the world, and to hear them saying that about our little village is fantastic,” said Gladden.
Anyone interested can come out to Wingfield Park on Saturday, Oct. 10, to watch a live stream of the world champion full distance triathlon and on Sunday, Oct. 11 to watch the youth world champion sprint triathlon. The park will serve as the center of the event with a wide variety of services for athletes and fans. For a full break down of events go to xterraplanet.com/event/xterra-ruidoso.
“It’s just great to go up there and walk around, and there’s vendors,” said Gladden. “You don’t have to be an athlete to appreciate the vendors, so yeah, it’s very cool.”
Other visitors will have a chance to enjoy other elements of the event starting Thursday. Gladden estimated there could be around 10,000 visitors to the village but would not be able to confirm the number until following the event. She went on to estimate the economic impact to the community will likely be greater than the $16 million brought in by the IRONMAN competition in July.
“Just get out and take advantage of it,” said Gladden. “I know when XTERRA was here last year, it blew everyone away that took the time to go up to Wingfield and it was such a great community builder.”
XTERRA and the Village
XTERRA has partnered with a variety of businesses in the community to offer yoga classes, discounts at a variety of Midtown stores and restaurant menus with highlighted options to “eat like an athlete.”
“They (XTERRA) don’t want to just drop in here, take up space, and then pack up and leave,” said Gladden. “They want people that live in this community day after day to be excited about them coming.”
The morning and evening yoga classes are offered Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the Blue Lotus Day Spa & Yoga in the morning and Downshift – Riverside in the evening. Classes are aimed at all skill levels, according to the official XTERRA website.
For those with rumbling stomachs instead of aching muscles, restaurants around Midtown are offering the “eat like an athlete” menus that highlight foods that offer some benefits for athletes, such as dishes high in protein or carbohydrates.
“There are usually about nine or 10 items per (restaurant), so then we do a special menu for each of the participating restaurants that they can just slide into their menus for the week,” said Gladden.
XTERRA and Happy Hiker are offering guided family friendly hikes on the 3-mile Moon Mountain trail and the 3.7-mile Grindstone Mesa loop. The Moon Mountain hike begins on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 10 a.m. while the Grindstone Mesa loop begins at 6 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 9.
For athletes and their families a wide number of stores in Midtown are offering discounts up to 25% off when presented with a special QR code given to competitors.
Be sure to plan ahead
Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 7, and going through Sunday, Oct. 11, hotels in the community will have very little available rooms, according to Gladden. Additionally, some short-term rentals are being occupied by competitors who are planning to stay in the community for close to a month to train before the next event.
Shuttles will be open to anyone on Oct. 8, 10 and 11 running every 30 minutes from the MCM Elegante Lodge and Resort to Wingfield Park as well as from the LA Quinta Inn, Elevate Hotel and Ruidoso Mountain Inn to Wingfield Park. For those wanting to view the swimming portion of the race, there is a Grindstone Lake connector shuttle running from the park to the lake every 15 minutes.
Ticketed athletes and guests will have dedicated shuttles to and from the awards ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday, leaving from the same locations as the public shuttles.
The village recommends guests and spectators utilize the public parking lots throughout Midtown with overflow planned at the Ruidoso Convention Center during the event.
Guests also are encouraged to park at their hotels as the two parking lots at Wingfield Park have been closed since Sunday, Oct. 4, and will remain closed until Monday, Oct. 12. Parking at Grindstone Lake will be closed to the public, but guests may use designated athlete parking from Monday, Oct. 5, through Friday, Oct. 9.
“You will be able to be at the start at the lake if you wanted to, and then there’s shuttles back and forth from the lake,” said Gladden. “You can get down there on a shuttle and then get back to Wingfield, where the finish line is, and then you can keep track of the race during the race through the live stream.”
The Village will be closing Wingfield Street and Center Street, near Wingfield Park, starting on Wednesday, according to Queller. For a full list of road closures and traffic information visit ruidoso-nm.gov.
Few roads will be closed to accommodate the XTERRA racers.
“A majority of our courses require very little road closures or impact,” said Steve Andrus, Director of Americas and Global Event Strategy for XTERRA. “We won’t be shutting down roads anywhere.”
Andrus stated areas where the course runs on large portions of the roadway – such as a long stretch of Carrizo Canyon Road, Resort Drive and Grindstone Canyon Road headed toward Wingfield Park – will be monitored for racers. Cars will be delayed before being allowed through with each break in the racing line.
“They (XTERRA) are as committed to Ruidoso as we are, and so even if you just go to Wingfield and walk around for half an hour, I think you’ll see this is a big deal,” said Gladden.
