XTERRA Weston Park returns to Staffordshire from May 1-3 for its fourth year with off-road challenges and festivities on the 1,000-acre grounds of a country estate built in the 1670s. The weekend brings newcomers from around the world together with the XTERRA community for lake swimming, open parkland riding, and a venue with centuries of countryside heritage.
As Stop 3 of the XTERRA World Cup, Weston Park follows the pros after the opening rounds in Australia and Greece with added attention on this year’s debut of the fast-paced Short Track Triathlon. The event also welcomes Youth A, Youth B, Junior, and age group athletes with a chance to qualify for the XTERRA Youth World Championship and the 30th XTERRA World Championship in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
The weekend begins Friday with community camping, swim and mountain bike community sessions, before Saturday turns toward youth racing, shorter-distance triathlon, and the elite Short Track Triathlon. Sunday brings the Full Distance Triathlon, Full Distance Duathlon, and kids races, giving the youngest athletes a loud, fun, and memorable part of the weekend.
The following preview brings in a few of the people who know Weston Park best, from the course itself to the atmosphere that forms around it.
Course and Country
Doug Hall, a UK off-road athlete and a key XTERRA crew leader behind Weston Park, sees the estate as a place that gives the event its own personality:
“The vibe at XTERRA Weston Park is something special. This green space is an oasis of calm, only 20K away from Birmingham. The expo village moving lakeside for 2026, provides an opportunity for spectators to enjoy a leisurely stroll alongside the course as athletes navigate their way around the kidney bean-shaped swim leg.
Walking every inch of the estate, scoping out the best lines and locations that everyone can enjoy, regardless of how deep your mountain bike skill set gives the bike course a special place in my heart. The run course adds some elevation for 2026, still fairly flat and manageable as you head around an anticlockwise lap of the lake before hitting a maze of trails through the woodlands and orchards that will have you forget you’re still racing until you pop out of the trees and back into the beating heart of the finish line.
The schedule is pretty chill so there will be plenty of time to kick back and relax, grab a bite to eat and enjoy the event in its entirety.”
Youth Pathways
Saturday puts the spotlight on the XTERRA Youth Tour first, with the Sprint Triathlon and Super Sprint Triathlon opening the action. Open across age categories, Youth A, Youth B, and Junior athletes race within their own divisions, giving 14 to 19-year-olds a clear pathway into the XTERRA Youth World Championship qualification process.
Finlay Goodman (GBR), who won on the Weston Park course in 2025, describes a route that rewards speed but still asks athletes to stay sharp: “It’s the kind of course where you can put the power down, but you still have to react. It’s fast, but then you have those little technical corners that slow you down a bit. Last year I tripped because there are a couple of ditches you have to jump, but I really love small features like that. It makes you think, which is fun.”
Daisy Gildea (GBR), who finished second at Weston Park last year, left with a broader view of what the sport could offer: “It opened my eyes to what else could be done with triathlon. It showed me there could be another path in this. It feels really different, but I really enjoyed it.”
World Cup Energy
Kerri-Ann Upham (GBR), third in Greece, returns to a home race with confidence. “I’m really looking forward to racing at Weston Park, especially coming in off the back of a strong performance last weekend. It’s given me a lot of confidence, and I’m excited to carry that momentum into my home race. The Short Track is always intense and a slightly different challenge for me.”
Isla Hedley (GBR), third at Weston Park last year, is also back in front of a home crowd. “I’m feeling excited to line up again with the other girls after XTERRA Greece last weekend. I’m aiming to execute a solid performance and looking forward to racing with home crowds!”
Reigning World Cup champion Marta Menditto (ITA), second in Greece, with Emma Ducreux (FRA) winning, keep the front of the women’s field tight. “I have another chance this weekend to show all the work I did in the offseason,” says Menditto. Ducreux adds, “I arrive with a little more pressure following my victory last weekend, but I am always delighted to take part, and launching the opening of the Short Track is also very exciting.”
For the men, points leader Arthur and his reigning World Cup champion brother Felix Forissier (FRA) at the front of the conversation, with Felix looking to respond after a tire puncture kept him off the podium in Greece. Nicolas Duré (FRA) will try to carry momentum from second place last weekend, while Michele Bonacina (ITA) and Federico Spinazzè (ITA) remain dangerous early if the Italian pair can use the swim to open up both races.
Sharing The Movement
From New Zealand and Brazil to Japan, the USA, and across Europe, age group athletes come to Weston Park with something to prove for themselves, or simply to enjoy time with each other. Old friendships pick up again, new ones start, youth athletes race with intent, and the kids races bring the weekend home with plenty of noise and fun around them. That mix is what makes XTERRA Weston Park memorable, with full highlights to follow on Instagram at @xterraeurope.
