The XTERRA Nation Gathers in Utah

The XTERRA USA Championship off-road triathlon on Saturday (Sept. 26) graces the Wasatch Range in Northern Utah for the first time, bringing a whole new dynamic to the event which had been held in Lake Tahoe, NV for the past eight seasons.  This year’s title race, the final stop on the XTERRA America Tour, is the culmination of 60 qualifying events in 32 states.

The concept of the Series, dreamt up by race director “Kahuna Dave” Nicholas and initiated in 2001, was to provide amateur athletes with a bona-fide championship to compete for.  First qualify by finishing as one of the top points scorers in the region, then race against the top performers from every other region in the country.  The idea worked.  As proof, more than 300 racers from 41 states across the nation and from every walk of life have qualified and traveled to Utah in search of the national championship.

From 15-year-old high school students to a tough-as-nails 72-year-old, you’ll find architects, teachers, doctors, lawyers, pilots, and engineers from every corner of the U.S.

XTERRA put out a question to its "Tribe", do you know of any inspirational XTERRA athletes?  The answer, from 40-year-old Dave Cloninger of Bend, Oregon read:  “Yes, All of them.  Especially the challenged ones, the young ones, the old ones and the ones in between, the fast ones and the slow ones. I am amazed at how fast Conrad can cover a course and at the same time I am equally impressed with the person who was on the course for 4 or 5 hours!  Everyone has their personal challenges and some have it easier than others, it’s like we’re not just going to sit around and live, we’re going to LIVE MORE.

With that, here are some competitors of note:

Michael Stone.  This 41-year-old from Boulder, Colorado (pictured here) is legally blind and will compete with the help of a guide – his friend and fellow XTERRA racer Ivy Koger who yells out warnings and directions. Five years ago Stone was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease called cone/rod dystrophy, which impairs the light receptors in his retina.  Instead of living in darkness, like many people imagine blindness to be like, Stone’s world keeps getting painfully brighter.  He often can’t see contrast, and his vision is dotted with blind spots. “It’s like someone is shining a couple of flashlights in your eyes.”  Stone was inspired to compete while working on a book, which is set for release this fall, about a collection of people who despite dealing with blindness have gone on to live extraordinary lives.  He races to raise money for the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

Craig Vogstberger.  This 34-year-old from Kalamazoo, Michigan is visually impaired and partially paralyzed.   He won the XTERRA USA Championship in the PC division last year, and then went on to XTERRA Worlds where a crash during the mountain bike portion broke his hand and forced his withdrawal.  In 2001 while serving in the Army National Guard, Craig was crushed between two Humvees. He suffered a TBI, spinal trauma, is visually impaired, and partially paralyzed on the upper left side and totally on the left lower extremity, and has had numerous other injuries. This year Craig won his division at three XTERRAs.

Andy May.  This 36-year-old from Dublin, California is a below-knee amputee.  On Dec. 16, 2000 Andy lost his left leg below the knee in a motorcycle accident.  He was riding through an intersection and was struck by a red light runner.  “At the time I was a Mountain Bike and Cyclocross racer,” said Andy.  “After losing my leg I did not know what life had in store for me in the future.  I was scared that I would never ride/race my bicycle again.  After losing my leg, my Shock Sponsor for Mtn. Biking (Fox Racing), called a company on my behalf called Ohio Willow Wood Company.  They used their suspension shocks to make prosthetic legs.  This was the turning point in my life and I didn’t even know it.   I took a big leap of faith and made that trip to Ohio with my wife Jen.  After I made this trip the thoughts of not being able to ride/race again quickly diminished. Today I ride/race more than I did with two legs.  The difference between before and after my accident are huge.  Not to the obvious fact of missing one limb but also my attitude towards riding and racing.  I enjoy each and everyday that I am able to ride my bike and compete.  With heart and determination you can do anything you set your mind to doing.  The motto I live by “always ride forward never backwards” hopefully shows people how you can rise above the dysfunctions and disabilities we all have in our lives.”

Megan Fisher. This 26-year-old above knee amputee from Missoula, Montana (pictured) became the first solo female challenged athlete to complete an XTERRA last July, then went on to win the XTERRA USA and World Championships.  She recently won her division at the ITU road triathlon championships in Australia.

Lesley Paterson.  This 28-year-old from San Diego (via Scotland) is not only one of XTERRA’s fastest female pros, she’s also a film writer/producer. Her chief ambition is to “win an Oscar and podium at XTERRA Worlds in the same year”.   Last year Lesley produced her first feature film in San Diego. You can see the trailer for the film, titled “Something Blue” at interglacialromance.com.

Peter Bronski.  This 30-year-old from Boulder, CO is writing a book – about XTERRA no less, and “The Hardest Year” will culminate with his participation in the XTERRA USA Championship in Utah.  Bronski also races to promote awareness about gluten-free issues.  In early 2007, he was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine. There's no cure, and the only "treatment" is strict adherence to a lifelong gluten-free diet. (Gluten is a family of proteins found in wheat, barley and rye...and hence in bread, pasta, cookies, cake, pizza, beer, bagels, etc.) He had to drastically re-learn race nutrition (which he has written about on his gluten-free blog, No Gluten, No Problem). People go gluten-free for many reasons. Some have Celiac Disease and it is a medical necessity (about 1 in 133 Americans is estimated to have Celiac, or roughly 2.5 million people). Some have gluten intolerance or wheat allergies. Some elite competitive athletes (like pro triathlete Desiree Ficker and cyclist Christian Van DeVelde) are voluntarily adopting the gluten-free diet for its anti-inflammatory properties. Peter is the spokesperson for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness as one of the organization's "Athletes for Awareness."

Jamie Whitmore.  XTERRA’s all-time winningest athlete was diagnosed with cancer last year and has been in a battle for her life ever since.  Read jamiewhitmore.com.  Things have turned around in ’09 and she’s getting better everyday, and even got pregnant with twins!  “J-Dawg” will help add some color to the USA Championship while helping out the public address announcers.

Locals.  Here are a few of the guys and gals from Utah that qualified to race at Nationals:

- Michael Raemisch (40-44) North Salt Lake
Orthopedic Surgeon
- Michael Muhlestein (20-24) North Salt Lake
Project Manager
- Tricia Davis (35-39) Ogden
Physical Therapist
- Cori Spangenberg (35-39) Salt Lake City
Police Officer
- Will King (45-49) Hurricane
Snowbasin Ski Patrol
- Jason Delight (25-29) South Ogden
Finish Carpenter

Also of note, Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey is one of several hundred racers competing in the open division XTERRA Utah Off-Road Tri that combines a 750m swim, 19km mountain bike, and 5km trail run.

And finally, let's hear it for the Moms out there!  Shayna Nabaum and Mylissa Graham from Heber City have four kids a piece, but upon learning of the “Wasatch Women’s Challenge” both took the plunge and entered and will compete in their first XTERRA on Saturday, right alongside the Mayor.