The 2023 XTERRA World Championship off-road triathlon will return to Trentino, Italy for the second straight year on Saturday, September 23, at Lake Molveno.
The new date, one week earlier than in 2022, comes almost exactly a month after the XTERRA USA Championship, where 58 slots will be available for the 2023 World Championship race in Molveno.
"The team is already hard at work and have some great improvements in the pipeline for the second edition of the World Championship in Molveno,” said J-D Cousens, XTERRA VP of Operations & Global Marketing. “Our return to Molveno also means we'll have the pleasure of enjoying the incredible hospitality that our local partners from Trentino and Dolomiti Paganella provide for our athletes, their families, and the spectators."
2022 was the first year XTERRA Worlds had been held outside the Hawaiian island of Maui, and the event was lauded by competitors as one of the most epic of all-time.
“It’s beautiful, magical, and has everything XTERRA needs - a crystal clear lake, vast mountains with smooth tracks, and a forest with incredible trails to run in,” exclaimed Georgia Grobler, who won the women’s 25-29 division.
“Plus, the food and coffee are incredible, the Italians are friendly and happy to have us, and you can take the bike lifts up the Dolomites and ride the single tracks down. I had the best time.”
While Grobler and her fellow age group XTERRA World Champions earned the right to return to defend their titles in Trentino last October, all others will need to qualify anew. Luckily, there are 40 events in 20 countries across the 2023 XTERRA World Tour offering qualifying spots to the top amateurs in each division.
The season starts at XTERRA South Africa on January 21, one of several new or returning events to the XTERRA Global event landscape in 2023. Other new or refreshed races include XTERRA Australia in Dunsborough, XTERRA Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, XTERRA Weston Park in the UK, XTERRA New Jersey just an hour outside of New York City, and XTERRA Oak Mountain in Shelby County, Alabama.
To see the the full list of qualifying races, visit the 2023 World Tour page.