http://www.xterrasnowvalley.com/
If you don’t already know, Xterra Triathlons are my favorite triathlons. They are very challenging and lots of fun. They are still small grass roots style and you can still sign up the morning of the race. People are super cool and are more laid back than the crowd at some of the road tri’s. They are more fun, trust me!! If you have ever thought about trying an Xterra, the Snow Valley race is a great one. The bike is hilly and challenging but nothing too technical, so great for all of you roadies.
Kasia and I have done two out of our three planned Xterra Races this summer.
We first did the Xterra West Championship in Las Vegas. It was so much fun to race in the desert in early spring. We had beautiful weather and super fun courses. Desert style!
http://joshuadinen.blogspot.com/2011/04/xterra-west-championship-race-2011.html
Next it was Xterra Tahoe City in Lake Tahoe. I love Tahoe and to race there is even better. I want to ride my road bike around that lake some day. Kasia is definitely getting better at Mountain Biking. The crew at B&L San Diego set her up with the Specialized “Command Post”. It totally changed mountain biking for her. Snow was still on the course and the water was 52 degrees. Fun times!
http://joshuadinen.blogspot.com/2011/07/xterra-tahoe-city.html
Last, we have Xterra Snow Valley in the San Bernardino Mountains. If you have ever thought of doing an Xterra this is the one. It is the closest Xterra Race to San Diego this year. The race is located on the ski resort of Snow Valley. Where else in So Cal can you race on a ski resort? Big Bear Resorts or Snow Valley will not allow you to ride on the ski runs anymore. Closest other place is Mammoth and that is sort of a downhill course. Not that you could not race on it but there is no Xterra in Mammoth.
The first Xterra that Kasia and I did was Xterra Snow Valley on August 5th, 2007. We spent the night in Big Bear and headed down to Snow Valley the morning of the race.
You park at the bottom of the resort race morning then ride your bike up to a small lake located about half way up the mountain. You set up T2 at the bottom of the resort before riding up to the start. You setup T1 mid-mountain at the lake.
The water was low in the lake this year so the water was not clear and it was tough to see anything in the water. The swim was two loops and we ran on the sand between the loops. Getting in and out of the water your feet sank in the mud so it was tough to walk….but it was true Xterra style! After the swim, you get on the bike and head up the mountain to the very top then go all the way back down. After you hit the bottom you go back up to the top and do it again. Then into T2 for some fun hills on the run. The run is up and down the mountain a few times which makes for a great challenging run. So much fun!
It was a great race and we are back again for another year! This year the course is: Swim 1000 yards, Bike is 10 miles and Run is 4 miles. It’s shorter than the normal Xterra Championship course length and great for anyone wanting to try an Xterra. So if you want to have some serious fun, challenge yourself and try something new. Kasia and I will be up there next weekend representing. Hope to see some familiar faces in the mountains this upcoming weekend. It is going to be epic!!!!!
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