Everything Happening in the 2024 XTERRA Season

Starting with the fastest of them all, XTERRA’s Elite World Cup Series is set to return once again to showcase exactly what full-gas looks like on the professional off-road triathlon circuit. The recently announced 2024 schedule for the 7-stop, 11-race series includes 2 new locations for those at the top of the sport to conquer, and 5 free livestream races for fans to tune into from around the world. 

‍

The points-based series is designed to push the limit of what is possible in off-road tri by pitting more pro athletes in head-to-head battles through as many races as possible, with increased competition raising the speed and intensity at the top end of XTERRA Racing. 7 Full Distance races and 4 made-for-TV Short Track races complete the series, with the all-important series points up for grabs in each race making the fight for not only 1st place, but all the way down to 30th, a tooth-and-nail battle. The pace is fast, and with a $340,000+ prize purse on the line, the stakes are high.

The biggest change this year comes in the form of the ‘all races count’ rule and the simplified scoring system. No more jokers, no more predictive calculations – it’s simply 100 points for a Full Distance win, 75 for a Short Track win, and every race in the series counts towards the leaderboard. Those following the series from last year will not miss the mathematical gymnastics of trying to calculate who had raced what, how many jokers they had left, and who realistically was still in with a shot. However, at the same time, mechanicals and injuries will have a very real impact under the new rules.

‍

The increased Short Track points, from 20 to 75 this year, will also significantly speed up what is already XTERRA’s fastest format. Last year the 20 points that came with a Short Track win were an added bonus but not quite enough to shake up the leaderboard, whereas this year the ST specialists will look to capitalise. This combines with tougher competition as the number of athletes set to step up to the start line of the 4 qualification-only Short Track races increases from 25 to 30.

‍

The opening race in Taiwan is 1 of 5 livestream races available for free on XTERRA Live. Get everything you need to know about the 2024 XTERRA World Cup here, and check the livestream schedule to get between the tape at the first race of XTERRA’s pro series on March 23.

‍

The heart, soul and backbone of XTERRA racing is also set for another big year as 2 new locations and 1 returning location puts new terrains in front of a cross-triathlon community that is no doubt ready to get the season started. 

‍

The EMEA Tour kicks off the entire XTERRA triathlon season with a triplet of “new” races as South Africa returns for a second run through the trails of Grabouw with the legendary Conrad Stoltz at the helm. Morocco makes its all-time debut on the circuit, and Oman takes us back to the towering mountains, rugged cliffs and crystal clear turquoise waters of Musandam for its debut follow-up. 

‍

From there the tour features a long string of well-established races, including Greece, Garda (Italy), Germany and the European Championship in Czech just to name a few, where triathletes with a penchant for mud, sweat, and tears can get their fix, claim championship slots, and battle it out to get their names on the EMEA Tour Champions list.

The APAC Tour opens down under with the Wellington Festival before heading straight into the biggest race of the tour at the APAC Championship in Kenting, Taiwan. The championship race will serve as the opening race of the World Cup, setting the stage for the next set of APAC Champions to take the title in front of a global audience with the entire race being livestreamed for free on XTERRA Live. 

‍

From Taiwan the tour heads back down under with Rotorua showing off some of the best trails on the circuit and Australia taking the racing action back to Dunsborough for just a second time. Japan brings up the penultimate race on the APAC Tour before Tahiti has the final say on who ends the season with the right to call themselves an APAC Tour Champion.

The last of the new and returning races to be added to the 2024 World Tour will make their appearance on the Americas Tour, with XTERRA Colombia making its all-time debut in May and XTERRA Costa Rica returning to the tour with an entirely new course in August. 

‍

In total, the Americas Tour includes no less than 23 stops, From Canada, through the USA, down to Chile, as those out west look to claim their championship slots and Americas Tour Champion titles. The biggest race of the region however, will return to the world-class trails of Alabama, where Oak Mountain will not only serve as Stop #3 of the XTERRA World Cup, but also decide the first-ever class of North American Champions. 

Check the 2024 World Tour for dates, locations, and World Championship slots available at each race.

‍

In 2024, Italy hosts its final XTERRA World Championship and in 2025, the biggest race of all will have a new home for only the second time in history. 

‍

It seems like just yesterday that Trentino, Italy, was announced as the first European host of XTERRA Worlds in the history of the sport, and the first ever to be hosted outside of Maui. The announcement came with XTERRA’s commitment to rotate the championship every 2-3 years, and this year will mark the end of what has been an incredible trilogy in Trentino.

‍

The second-ever XTERRA Worlds location has been a stark contrast to the summer scenes of Maui, with the chilly waters of Lake Molveno and the ominous morning mist rolling down the jagged edges of the Brenta Dolomites perfectly capturing the nerves that have stood waiting on the starting line for the past 2 championships. Arthur Serrières has taken the title on both occasions, as has Solenne Billouin, and surely the French athletes will have their sights set on the perfect hat trick when the season culminates in Trentino on September 28.

43 World Tour races between February and August this year will offer qualifying slots to the final World Championship in Italy, with those looking for a place on the start line having to earn it the hard way. It’s a long season ahead, but when the curtain closes on the Italian trilogy, it will be honoured by a race for the ages when the best of the best take to the trails of the Brenta Dolomites one final time.

‍

Probably the biggest news to come out of XTERRA HQ last year was the announcement that 2024 would see the debut of the Youth Tour. It’s been a long time coming and the potential that the tour holds, with the talent it could one day produce, is immense. 

‍

The Youth Tour caters to athletes aged 14-19, and is designed to give XTERRA’s young guns a clear path to rise up within the ranks of off-road triathlon before entering the world of elite racing. Much like the renowned World Tour, the Youth Tour has standardised and connected Sprint and Super Sprint races at over 30 events across the APAC, EMEA, and Americas regions, where XTERRA’s future stars will compete for slots to the first-ever XTERRA Youth World Championship set to be held alongside XTERRA Worlds in Italy this September.

‍

Following the standards set by World Triathlon and the majority of national federations, Youth A (aged 14-15) will compete in Super Sprint races while the Youth B (16-17) and Junior (18-19) divisions will compete using the Sprint Distance.

Those who qualify for slots in each of the 3 divisions will share the stage with the biggest names in the game as the first-ever XTERRA Youth Champions are crowned beneath the Brenta Dolomites at the 2024 XTERRA World Championship.

‍

Read here for everything you need to know about the Youth Tour, or check the Youth Tour page for the full schedule of 2024 races. The tour officially begins with the first Youth Races at XTERRA South Africa on Feb 17, and the road to the first Youth World Champs begins. 

‍

Last year the TRWS made a lot of noise when it set out to unify the entire XTERRA Trail Run Community in a single series and announced the first-ever, qualification-only Trail Run World Championship in XTERRA history. The series spanned five continents, including 38 qualifying events across 18 countries where runners took to the trails to earn their place on the starting line at the series finale in Maine, USA. It was here in Maine that the 2023 Full Marathon and Half Marathon Champions were crowned, and it will be here again that they will defend their titles as the Trail Run World Champs heads back to Sugarloaf Mountain to build on the success of its Maine debut. 

The trail back to Sugarloaf Mountain for the 2024 TR Champs will again wind through many of the best trail run destinations in the world, with Kenting, Taiwan, set to host the APAC TR Championship in March and Arinsal, Andorra, officially tapped as the host of the European TR Champs. 

‍

The biggest shake up in the series for 2024 comes in the form of weighted championship slots for each race. While last year offered a standardised amount of slots for all races on the series, this year will see a tiered system applied to reflect the size and competition within a particular race. Larger, tougher, and more competitive races (only Half and Full Marathons) will have 116 qualifying slots spread across all age divisions, while smaller races will have 58 slots at stake for top age division runners. The XTERRA Pass system, another new initiative within the series this year, will allow growing local races to award up to 28 championship slots to top performers. The system has been introduced to help local races grow their events, while also providing more opportunities for those looking to be a part of the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship experience. 

Check the Trail Run World Series page for the full schedule of qualifying races in 2024, including XTERRA Pass races, and map your route to the biggest XTERRA trail run event of the year in Maine, USA, on September 1st, 2024. 

‍