XTERRA Weston Park’s fourth year in Staffordshire turned the historic 1,000-acre estate into a friends and family festival from May 1-3. Across three days, athletes raced from the lake to the open parkland trails, surrounded by the grounds of a country estate built in the 17th century.
It was also Stop 3 of the XTERRA World Cup as Felix Forissier of France and Isla Hedley of Great Britain both won Saturday’s Short Track Triathlon, and Sunday’s Full Distance Triathlon, completing a two-day sweep for maximum points. The rest of the names leading the weekend results came from Great Britain, with Felix Wernham and Libby Smith fastest among the age group athletes.
The XTERRA Youth Tour saw Finlay Goodman and Bonita Waddams leading the Junior divisions, Ben Allen and Imogen Hammond winning Youth B, and Eli Clayton and Flavia Hitchings taking Youth A.
The Weekend, In Their Words
Andy Brodziak captured the returning athlete's feeling: “Fourth year in a row, and this year my partner decided to do it so we had so much fun.” Samantha Cain, 60 years young, kept it simple: “You don’t need any special stuff. I’ve just got a hardtail mountain bike. Just give it a go. There was no pressure to race fast. It’s really inclusive, and it’s just good fun.” Mick Skivington, first in the 70-74 Full Distance division, made a full weekend of it: “It’s suitable for novice triathletes as well as experienced triathletes. I arrived Friday for the bike clinic and swim clinic, volunteered Saturday, then raced Sunday. I really enjoyed marshalling as much as I enjoyed racing.”
Imogen Hammond, after winning the Youth B Sprint, said, “This is quite a unique course, so looking at it the day before was really helpful. It gave me a better lay of the land, time to sleep on it, and just as much preparation as possible.” Flavia Hitchings, after winning Youth A, said, “It’s quite adventurous, and you have a sense of adrenaline. My mum also does it, so it’s sort of a bonding thing between us. We go out and just have fun together.”
Eli Clayton brought the first-timer view after winning Youth A: “I’d never done this before. It’s my first one.” With friends already part of the event, he added, “Why not give XTERRA a try? The vibe here has been really nice, everyone has been so welcoming, and it’s been a nice atmosphere.” Adam Brown, after completing the Full Distance Triathlon, summed up the wider event feel: “It’s got to be one of the friendliest but also most competitive races to do, and it’s such a joy. The marshals were amazing, and with the pre-race swims, Short Track, and everything going on, you almost get a sense of family around the event.”
XTERRA World Cup Sweeps Through the UK
The Short Track Triathlon debut on Saturday saw Felix Forissier and Isla Hedley taking the wins before returning Sunday to win the Full Distance Triathlon as well. Full Short Track highlights are available on XTERRA Europe’s Instagram, with separate race clips for the men and women.
Sunday’s Full Distance Triathlon brought a full French sweep in the men’s race, with Forissier winning ahead of Maxim Chané and Arthur Forissier in second and third. Hedley completed her own two-day sweep in the women’s race, coming out of the water first in 16°C water, then holding the lead through cool 15°C air temperatures to finish ahead of Italy’s Marta Menditto, who remains the World Cup points leader, and Romy Spoelder of the Netherlands in third. The full standings, splits, news and results are available on the XTERRA Weston Park World Cup page.
“This weekend was insane,” Hedley said. “It’s so different racing on home ground because I just had people cheering all the way around, both on the Short Track and for the Full Distance.” She said the wet conditions suited her on Sunday, and that the updated course “mixed it up and made it more of a challenge for everybody.” Beyond the result, Hedley added, “It’s such a good vibe, such a good community around here, and it’s really special to have it not just in other countries within the World Cup but to actually have it as a home race. That’s really special, and hopefully inspiring other younger British triathletes to come and see what it’s all about.”
Start Line to Sidelines
Friday opened with camping, swim and mountain bike community sessions, Saturday brought youth racing and shorter-distance formats into the spotlight, and Sunday closed with the Full Distance Triathlon, Full Distance Duathlon, and kids races.
Full highlights will follow on Instagram at @xterraeurope, with complete results available through the XTERRA results page for everyone who took part. A major thanks also goes to the families, friends, marshals, volunteers, and support teams who showed up across the weekend and helped give Weston Park its heartbeat from start to finish.
