Asia-Pacific Championship week returned to Dunsborough, Western Australia, bringing athletes, families, and friends together for community course sessions and activities ahead of the main events on March 28–29. The program covered youth, age group, trail run, and elite regional championships, alongside shorter distances and the opening round of the 2026 XTERRA World Cup.
First held in Australia more than a decade ago, the Asia-Pacific Championship has also been hosted in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan since its inception in 2014. The off-road meetup at Meelup Regional Park drew hundreds of participants and supporters to celebrate XTERRA’s 30th anniversary of adventures in the wild.
Saturday, March 28, brought 18°C air and water temperatures in Geographe Bay, with steady rain and choppy conditions in the swim following the passage of tropical cyclone Narelle further north. Sunday, March 29, moved onto the trails for the Asia-Pacific Trail Run Championship, where Marathon and Half Marathon races delivered new and returning champions. What follows is how youth, age group, and elite athletes experienced the weekend across off-road tri and trail.
Youth Perspectives
Youth events on Saturday featured Super Sprint and Sprint formats, with Asia-Pacific titles and Youth World Championship qualification on the line across Youth A, Youth B, and Junior divisions for 14–19 year olds. In Youth A, a strong Australian showing saw Tori Stancombe and Tate Jahn take the wins. “It was muddy and hard, but it gave me energy to keep going,” said Stancombe. “Everyone’s supportive and they all care. My grandparents inspire me. They were always good runners and I want to be like them,” said Jahn. “It feels like we’re all one big family. Everyone’s cheering and it’s just really fun,” said Georgina Anderson who finished in 3rd. Full results here.
In Youth B and Junior, that same presence carried through with Monty Lloyd Jones and Zara Penter taking the wins, Billie Mincham and Jarvis Madlener winning the Junior races. “I’m here with my dad and some friends from New South Wales. We’ve done a bit of exploring as well, so it turned into a bit of a holiday,” said Lloyd Jones. “It’s very social, a great feeling and nice to try new things,” said Sophie Van Kan who finished second in Youth B, with her father also racing across the weekend.
“That was my first ever open water swim, so I’m not used to water like that at all. It’s incredible here. Great vibe, really great set up. My mate Ryan Abeleira told me I should come out, so I did, and here I am,” said Madlener. “No matter how you go it’s like you did a good job. I’m going to uni, so it’s a lot of early mornings and late nights training. It’s not a sacrifice at all because I love it,” said Mincham. Sprint results here.
Age Group Triumphs
The Full Distance Triathlon covered a 1.5K swim in Geographe Bay, a 30.2K mountain bike through Meelup Regional Park, and a 10.5K trail run across coastal terrain, where Asia-Pacific champions were crowned alongside Sunday’s 38K Trail Marathon and 21K Half Marathon.
Anna Lorimer shared, “The motivation is the adventure that you get to experience just by mountain biking and running on the trails.” Darcie Richards, who traveled from Esperance with a group of friends, said, “We drove eight hours to get here. The girls raced the half marathon and I did the triathlon. It’s not just for the race, we live this lifestyle.” Alex Evans, based in Sydney and originally from England, added, “I came over because I’ve got mates here who are doing it as well. If you like mountain biking, it’s super well put together.” Paul Tilbrook kept it simple, saying, “I suppose it’s about fighting off getting too old. Just rock up and take it on.”
Dean MacGregor described how “you make friends over the years doing these races, so it’s a bit of a reunion too. Keiji Matsuba from Japan added, “XTERRA brings people together with similar viewpoints. Poppy Crouch, who took the women’s overall win, said, “My partner Jake motivates me because he’s always in front, so I’m trying to chase him,” while Jake Udell added, ““People are happy to be out there. It’s not even just a nod, you have a full conversation while racing.” Bryce Dunlop spoke about family, saying, “My children motivate me. I want to lead by example and show that I can still do these things.” Full Distance Triathlon results here.
Speaking as Asia-Pacific Trail Marathon age group champions, Petra Jerejian said, “It’s fun, it’s hard, it’s technical, and I love the people. Sometimes it’s about dancing and taking photos, not just focusing on racing and pace.” Kate Forrest added, “The course was stunning and there were heaps of people to run with.” In the Trail Half Marathon, champion David Lowe said, “I just love being out in the bush and clearing the head. It’s therapeutic and a great way to be out,” while under 19 champion Adayna Fozdar shared, “My mum also did the half marathon. It’s just good to do something active together.” Debbie Donald of New Zealand as the fastest woman in the Trail Half Marathon from the region added, “Every turn was different. I really enjoyed the course, it was amazing.” Trail run results can be accessed through the event page.
World Cup and Elite APAC Champions
The opening round of the 2026 XTERRA World Cup played out across the Full Distance course, where Marta Menditto of Italy and Arthur Forissier of France took the wins. “I think the connection between people and nature are the most important things that we have,” said Menditto. “It’s a process to become stronger and stronger in off-road adventure, with friends and in nice places,” said Forissier. View the World Cup recap here.
Maeve Kennedy of New Zealand and home soil hero Tom Fisher were crowned Asia-Pacific champions. Fisher also returned on Sunday as the fastest overall in the Trail Half Marathon.
“I’m stoked and honoured. There are so many talented women across Australia, New Zealand, and the Asia-Pacific. As long as I keep progressing, I’m in love with it,” said Kennedy, born in Australia and representing New Zealand. “This is my first APAC win, and I’ve been chasing that for a long time. It feels like it’s my turn now. There’s so much enthusiasm around the sport. It was raining, but everyone was still out there cheering and having a great time,” said Fisher on home soil. Detailed results are located here.
Collective Appreciation
The weekend would not have been possible without the efforts of Rapid Ascent, the Government of Western Australia, the City of Busselton, the Noongar people as the Traditional Owners of the south-west, along with the team at Dunsborough Country Club led by Stuart Herbage. Their support over the years, together with the many volunteers who give their time, creates an atmosphere that extends well beyond the course. People come together in all conditions and stay to share the experience through cheering for kids races, the 10K trail run, the afterparty on Saturday evening, and staying on until Sunday afternoon to enjoy the sunshine in WA’s slice of paradise.
XTERRA Asia-Pacific and XTERRA Trail Run on Instagram will continue to share the memories.
