Xterra Tiger Off-Road Tri Race Report

I am really excited to finally experience an Xterra off-road triathlon in the SouthEast! Coming from the road triathlon scene, I was really disappointed to realize how few racing options are available for off-road triathlons compared to the road triathlons! I would say that the Xterra Tiger is a great welcoming race to make this gap a little smaller!

Located at the Chewacla State Park in Auburn, AL, the Xterra Tiger is a sprint off-road triathlon race that has it all: excellent timing for a first tri of the year (right at the beginning of the season), easy drive to the venue (from AL or GA), plenty of parking space and friendly people! The race itself consisted of a refreshing 1/2mi swim (I really think it was a little longer than 1/2mi though), and a truly amazing 10mi mountain bike loop that is fast and flow-y, quite rocky and with sharp turns but not particularly technical. The trails are fast and furious packed with a lot of fun! The 5k run (also a little longer than 5k) is around the same park but on different trails than the mountain bike portion. It goes up and down little hills around the lake making it a scenic and pleasant final stretch to the finish.

After taking a two-year break from the triathlon races in order to treat a chronic pain due to a musculoskeletal and pulmonary imbalance, the Xterra Tiger doubled as my first tri race and my first off-road triathlon race! These past two years, I had been focusing mainly on my swim technique and on the bike because running was aggravating my pain. My husband, who is also my coach, uses the majority of these races as preparatory tests and hard training days leading up to major goal-races of the year (usually two). 

I knew I was getting into the race tired but I tried to do my best. I felt great on the swim and came out of the water near the tail of the first pack, almost with a 3min lead in the female field. My long mountain bike training days in the GA mountains the past week though had made my legs feel flat on the bike, I pushed it as much as I could but I was not feeling strong. The second female, Christine Grant, was able to catch me on the last mi of the 10mi loop and we got out of T2 at the same time! I knew my running was not up to speed as I had only been running for 3 months but I tried to stay with her during the first mi. Then I lost her and with her I lost the overall win by 2min. It was fantastic to race with good competition and be able to push even on a difficult day!

After the awards, my husband and I utilized the race as a great training day and extended our visit at the park, swam more and paddled at the lake. I was able to put in some extra miles in preparation for the Nationals and I felt happy. We then got to spend a fantastic afternoon at Auburn – the friendly college town that is just 3mi away from the park. We walked around the stunning AU campus, had great tacos and fresh-squeezed lemonade at the famous Toomer’s Drugstore!

We will definitely come back next year!

Till then, train hard, race tired, race harder and rest before the Nationals!

Xterra Tiger in 1min!