K-Bob’s Steakhouse doesn’t get $50,000 catering orders every weekend.
But with hundreds of XTERRA athletes in town looking for a hearty meal, general manager Brian Sullivan said this weekend is special.
K-Bob’s was hired by XTERRA to provide catering for athletes, and they aren’t the only ones to benefit from this weekend’s race. Business owners across town have reported higher foot traffic than usual.
While Best Western booked between two and seven rooms a day last week, they booked more than 19 each day this week, front desk attendant Karissa Rossiter said.
It’s the same story at Elevate Hotel, owner Dhruv Bhakta said. His business hosted most of XTERRA’s corporate staff and will be at capacity this weekend.
Bhakta said events like the XTERRA World Championship could attract new kinds of visitors to Ruidoso now that the quarter horse Triple Crown races have left Ruidoso Downs.
“To a certain degree, we can definitely replace the track,” he said. “We can advertise ourselves as a world-class outdoor destination for biking, hiking, running, and swimming. We’re just starting to realize Ruidoso’s full potential.”
Bhakta said that Elevate Hotel has seen more guests interested in Ruidoso’s outdoor recreation activities over the past six months.
“Some people have been coming up weekly from El Paso to train for these kinds of events,” he said. “I would say we’re seeing more families.
“Outdoor activities in general are more family oriented. When we relied on horse racing, it was just husbands and wives getting away.”
In Midtown, businesses reported increased sales from XTERRA athletes, their families, and their fans.
“It was way busier than we expected,” Downshift Brewing Company partner J-Me Rupley said. “The whole week’s been extra busy.”
Rupley said all Downshift staff members would be on hand this weekend to meet increased demand.
On Friday evening, Downshift hosted a free yoga session with an instructor paid by XTERRA, Rupley said.
XTERRA also paid for complimentary line dancing classes at Win Place and Show Bar & Package Store on Wednesday.
Bar owner Denni Chancy said athletes from around the world came in with their families to learn the traditional American dancing style.
“That was fun; they had a good time,” Chancy said. “I think that anytime we get people in town, we’re going to be blessed for that.”
Not all business owners in Midtown said they had benefited from XTERRA, however. Juan Oates, owner of Hot Spot, said he hadn’t seen much more traffic than usual as of Friday afternoon.
“I think these kinds of events pull people away from main street,” Oates said.
He also called XTERRA a “disloyal competition” because they brought vendors from other cities to Wingfield Park.
“We have to compete with those vendors, and it’s not fair,” Oates said.
Still, employees at Books Etcetera, Galleria West, Noisy Water Winery, and The Greenery Room all said they had seen sales and traffic increases.
Greenery Room manager Cameron Reed said he was initially surprised to find XTERRA athletes visiting a cannabis store.
“Turns out the XTERRA people were a little chiller than the IRONMAN people,” Reed said, referring to July’s IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon in Ruidoso.
Back at K-Bob’s Steakhouse, Sullivan said any event that brought people to town was positive.
“We’re going to need something,” Sullivan said, “because without the racetrack, I think anytime we can bring money into the businesses, it’s going to be helpful.”
He said that, besides just the money visitors spend today, their visit could have positive long-term economic effects.
“You never know what comes out of people being here,” Sullivan said. “With all the XTERRA people here, you could wind up selling a house to one or two people. You never know what comes out of that. The future impact on the economy could be just as strong as the impact this weekend.”
One XTERRA competitor, Pietro Bellemo, 17, of Padua, Italy, was out shopping on main street Friday afternoon. It is his first time in America.
“It was a long trip, but it was worth,” he said. “We love it here.”
