2010 XTERRA Caloosahatchee Race Report

From Ross McMahan (Incline Village, NV)  2006 XTERRA National Champ in 35-39 division

It rained the entire race which was great for the temperature.  I was talking to a local that was in the race and asked him if there were alligators in the water, since we were swimming in a Florida river.  He said he hunts alligators in that river, but to worry more about the sharks that swim upstream from the gulf looking for food.  The water was the shade of a Pepsi from the tanins in it, and getting out of the water you had to make your way through a thick stretch of lilly pads.

The bike was fun and fast with 90 degree turns every 50-yards, long trex bridges and ladder rides over swamps. The mud would cake between your brakes and tires so thick you had to stop and clean it out so you could ride again.  The mud made every turn like riding on ice, and people were going down right and left.  The trex bridges were crazy slick as well, and people slid off into the swamp.

The run went out the way the bike came in so there was a lot of dodging bikes, especially on the bridges.  The run also had a 75-yard section that took you out into the river we swam in.  I saw one guy in the river trying to wash the mud off his bike to get it ride-able again.  The run also took you through knee deep mud holes 30-yards long.  All that said, it was one of the most fun XTERRA races I have ever done, a true survival race.  All the stories after the race were the same and everyone loved it, however, our bikes will never be the same.

After my second time on the bike this year and three hours of sleep the night before, I was happy with my race.  I ended up 6th overall and 1st in the age group.

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