XTERRA Snow Valley Race Report

I’ve finally had a chance to sit down and write a race report for XTERRA Snow Valley, which I raced on July 29^th.  A few hours after the race, I headed to the airport for a 5 ½ hour cross-country flight to meet my extended family for a week-long vacation in the Outer Banks, NC.  Since then, I’ve been on a weight loss, cheap beer detox, sunburned skin repair, and fitness spree which have left me completely exhausted until today.  Vacations are great—but there’s a price to pay when you get home.

My son (the photographer) and I at the base of the mountain

 So here you go.  I’ll start by saying this was an awesome event!  I’ve done it before and it is a blast—very challenging and not too far from my home—at least for XTERRA races.  I arrived at the race site on Friday afternoon with my son/photographer so we could camp overnight 50m from the transition area.  It beats getting up so early to drive, plus I enjoy time with my boy.  It was raining when we arrived, but we got the tent up pretty quickly next to a ski lift and got our gear out of the downpour.  I got out on the course for a pre-ride as the rain settled while my son sat in the tent wondering what he’d gotten himself into.  After a lap of the course, my son joined me for a second lap and impressively, he made it the whole way without getting off his bike.

I woke up after a fair night sleep and got my gear ready in T2, a few steps away.  Then I made some decent coffee and started to pack the car while my son was still in his bag in the tent.  The race start was 9:00, so there was plenty of time to get things done.  One good thing about XTERRA is that the start times don’t need to be at sun up because there are no traffic concerns on the trails.  T1 was 2/3 of the way up the hill at a small lake, so I got on my bike and put it in a light gear for a decent climb to the start.

Getting ready to set up T1 up the hill.  I look beat up, but actually slept okay

The swim was 2 laps for a total of about 1,000m.  There was a mass start for a well spread out group, although there was a convergence after about 100m.  Lots of banging and bumping early on, but it didn’t have a major impact on me.  My focus was on breathing, as the altitude was about 7,200 feet and air was a little tougher to get.  I did okay on the swim—still far from where I would like to be.  Out of the water, I got on the bike and headed uphill.

 

Passing T2 after the first descent

The bike course was 2 ½ laps: since T1 was already half way up the mountain, we didn’t need to climb the mountain three full times.  I felt okay on the bike during the initial ascent to the top of the mountain and had a clean descent to T2, where we’d start two more laps of climbing 2mi then descending 2mi with some flat stuff every so often.  The descents were a bit dangerous since you could easily get out of your comfort zone with the downhill speeds.  I wasn’t going to win on the descent, so I stayed in my comfort zone and avoided crashing—it was tempting to try and catch my buddy Todd who was screaming past me on the final descent.  I think most of my time gains over other competitors during the bike portion were on the ascents.  I wound-up with the 5^th fastest bike split on the day, but more importantly, I was in good shape for the run. 

 

Going up the mountain on lap 2

Off the bike, I had an okay transition to the run.  The course consisted of two laps—each with four hills.  Since the race was on a ski slope, the hills were very steep and long.  Eight hills total, with the first being immediately after T2.  It was an exceptionally tough run where you had to red line a few times—especially on Mt Diablo, named after the dude who dresses as a devil on the hill and cheers competitors.  My thinking while going up the hills was to keep it steady and strong and recover on the downhills to prepare for the next one.   I didn’t know where I was placed during the race because there were a lot of competitors spread out throughout the course; there was a Sprint Race going at the same time, combined with the fact that it’s hard to keep track of other racers on a two lap course.  I crossed the line and saw Nielson Powless, the race winner, at the finish.  I didn’t realize until we chatted that I was the third racer to cross the line.

 

Going up Mt Diablo, which is incredibly steep

Going down Mt Diablo.  My buddy who passed me on the bike is coming up the hill.

Snow Valley podium.  That is a fast 17 year old who won!

 

In true XTERRA fashion, and due to a great race director, there was a great post-race meal and award ceremony.  The awards were all hand made by one of the competitors, so they are pretty unique.  After the awards, I drove two hours home, got my gear out of the car, showered, and then quickly headed for the airport.  I forgot my compression socks, which was a major mistake on my part—tough flight it was…

 

I had to shake the Race Directors hand--well done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just signed up for XTERRA Nationals in Ogden, UT during September.  That race is my focus now as I enter the final phase of my competition year—championships.  The World Championships in Maui on October 27^th will be my final race of the season.