NOTE: Click HERE for a full list of traffic control points along the XTERRA race courses.
More than a year of preparation and anticipation becomes reality this weekend, as Ruidoso welcomes international athletes for this year’s XTERRA World Championships.
The event consists of two races on Saturday – one for age-group amateur athletes, and one for the elite professionals competing for prize money. This year’s purse is $100,000, with $20,000 going to the top male and female finishers.
There are also three races on Sunday – two youth sprint triathlons and an open sprint triathlon. There’s also a community 5K trail race on Thursday. For a full schedule, visit xterraplanet.com/event/xterra-ruidoso.
More than 700 athletes are expected to compete in the five triathlons. Each participant had to earn a qualifying slot through competing in qualifying events across the world.
Race courses
Steve Andrus, Director of Americas and Global Event Strategy for XTERRA, said last year’s XTERRA Gold event in Ruidoso was a dry run for this weekend.
“It was a test run for the championships,” Andrus said. “We’ve fine-tuned the bike and running courses to a much higher caliber.”
Each triathlon begins at Grindstone Lake with the swimming leg. Athletes then transition to the bike portion which eventually heads to the parking lot across from Wingfield Park to transition to running, and end back at Wingfield Park.
XTERRA and Ruidoso village officials were busy over the past week laying out the courses. Part of the full triathlon course runs on Wingfield Drive, Resort Drive, and Carrizo Canyon and Grindstone Canyon roads, but the goal is to at least run the course parallel to roadways on off-road areas until diverting onto off-road trails.
Unlike other triathlon events such as the IRONMAN 70.3 race held in Ruidoso in July, XTERRA is focused on bike and running trails in undeveloped areas, minimizing impact on traffic.
“A majority of our courses require very little road closures or impact,” Andrus said. “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.
There are also several monitored crossings along each route. Click HERE for a full list of traffic control points.
Another concern facing the village was ongoing paving along Grindstone Road and Resort Drive, right along the full triathlon’s bike path.
Kerry Gladden, Ruidoso Village Public Information Officer, said the work was supposed to be completed Oct. 2, and still is not finished. The village has laud enough asphalt down in the affected area to get through the race, and Gladden said there will be no road closures for the weekend.
Shuttles for the public
As there is limited parking at Wingfield and Center streets, shuttles will be open Oct. 8, 10 and 11, running every 30 minutes from the MCM Elegante Lodge and Resort to Wingfield Park. There are also shuttles running from La Quinta Inn, Elevate Hotel and Ruidoso Mountain Inn. 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.
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,” Gladden said. “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.”
Top athletes to perform
Several of the world’s best triathletes are already in town training for the World Championships, including Arthuer Serrieres of France. He’s a three-time world champion and finished in the top 10 last season. He’s currently ranked third in the world, having won every qualifying meet he’s competed in this year.
Also expected to compete is France’s Felix Forissier, XTERRA’s top-ranked elite male triathlete in the world and second in the XTERRA European Championship. Fellow countryman Chane Maxim is ranked fourth and the reigning North American Champion, while second-ranked Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen comes in from Denmark.
Top women making the trip to the Sacramento Mountains this year include Alizee Paties of France, ranked second in the world and winner of every full distance triathlon she’s been in this year, including the XTERRA European Championships.
Top 20 female triathletes in Ruidoso include Hannah Lee Young of Australia and Italy’s Marta Menditto.
United States triathletes include Reed Legg, who finished second at the North American championship and won last year’s XTERRA Ruidoso race. Sullivan Middaugh, ranked fifth in the world and winner of this year’s XTERRA Costa Rica, has the potential to make the podium.
XTERRA Village
Workers at Wingfield Park were busy all week putting the final touches on XTERRA Village, where all races end and the public is encouraged to visit. The weekend festivities begin Oct. 8, with a welcome party featuring live entertainment, cultural performances, and presentations about the athletes and a recap of the XTERRA season.
Andrus said the festivities are meant to bring the community together with competing athletes to celebrate the World Championships coming to Ruidoso.
“Residents living along the courses have embraced the events and excitement coming to their town,” Andrus said. “For us, this is more than a racing event, it’s an experience. It’s a party at Wingfield Park and throughout the community.”
Todd Fuqua is Sports Editor for the Ruidoso News and can be reached at 575-937-0344.
