RUBEN RUZAFA - TWICE XTERRA WORLD CHAMPION!! (with video)

The Athlete:
Back in 2008, as a professional mountain biker, unknown to the triathlon community, Rubén Ruzafa surprised the entire world by becoming the XTERRA World Champion. Now, five years later, Rubén has returned to Maui as a professional triathlete to consolidate his status as the world’s best: the new XTERRA World Champion! 

The Spaniard (31) is the youngest ever XTERRA World Champion who has never finished an XTERRA event off the podium. Having made his come-back in the XTERRA Spain National Championships in June this year, he was one of the main contenders for this year’s title.

The Race:
Ruzafa came out of water nearly three minutes behind the top swimmers, a reasonable time difference to make up on his strongest discipline, the mountain bike segment. He completed the 32 km MTB course in barely one and a half hours and entered T2 45” ahead of the chasers. It was a matter of keeping the advantage during the 9,5 km run but not happy with this, Ruzafa showed his amazing talent and opened a bigger difference (1’38”) to Alan, Chacón, Stolz and Asa Shaw. He crossed the mythical Hawaiian finish line in first position (2h34’34”), exhausted, smiling and pointing both arms up to the sky in tribute to his former team mate and friend Iñaki Lejarreta (killed last winter while training) and his father (who passed away due to cancer two years ago).

Becoming the Champion: (Rubén his own words):
“Everything turned out perfect, without problems. I really have had a smooth race in all segments. During the swim I stayed in a group, losing the expected time. I felt really good on the bike, powerful and not taking risks. After I passed Allen and Chacón, the last long downhill still remained but I managed to reach the transition alone. However, the run had been really tough; I set short goals and tried to keep my stride. I only really felt I was winning when reaching the beach, from there onwards it was a about enjoying it!” 

“I cannot describe my feelings when I reached the finish line. I have been dreaming of a new victory in the XTTERRA World Championship since 2008. During the last years my performance hasn’t been as expected, together with some bad moments that life brings you. To me this victory is a great reward but it isn’t only mine, it’s also all of those of you who helped and supported me at the low point. Thanks to each one of you who have helped to push me to the finish line”. 

A Sensational Season:
Ruzafa has had a sensational season, having won XTERRA Spain, XTERRA Berga and XTERRA Germany, second in XTERRA France and third in XTERRA USA. He has also secured more podiums by being the ITU Cross Triathlon runner-up and Spanish Cross Triathlon champion, as well as third place in the middle distance national championship.

XTERRA SPAIN CONGRATULATES RUBEN RUZAFA –YOU ARE THE PRIDE OF SPAIN AND A TRUE CHAMPION

WE SALUTE YOU!

THIS IS XTERRA!
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XTERRA World Championship 2013: Elite Women favourites:

Lesley Paterson, 33, (GBR): 

 Lesley is the two time defending Champion on the same route as this year. She is currently on a 14 wins from 14 starts winning streak in XTERRA events. It was only Erbanova at the ITU cross triathlon championship that caused Lesley her only loss in the past 17 months. 

Barbara Riveros, 30, (CHI): 

A fast ITU athlete that has crossed over to XTERRA. She was second to Paterson at Maui last year and at the XTERRA USA Championship last month. 

Helena Erbenova, 34, (CZE): 

Helena is the ITU cross tri world champion and XTERRA Europe Tour champion for 2013. This is the first year that Helena arrives at Maui without injury. 

Melanie McQuaid, 40, (CAN): 

In 2011 (on the same route) Melanie had a 10 minute lead off the bike, but heat exhaustion and dehydration caused her to collapse unconscious 80m from the finish line. Melanie’s chance will be in creating a large enough gap on the bike ahead of the three fast runners . 

Jacqui Slack, 30, (GBR): 

Jacqui is a top swimmer and I expect her to lead into T1 with Riveros. Will her lead from Patterson, Erbenova and McQuaid be big enough and will she drop Riveros quickly? That question will be answered on Sunday.

Julie Dibens, 38, (GBR):

Julie won XTERRA Maui in 2007; 2008 and 2009. She then switched to 70.3 and Iron distance racing with great success before severe foot injuries cut into three seasons. This is her comeback year with good results, but a bike crash took her out of the Kona IM two weeks ago.

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TIPS ON RACING MAUI FOR THE FIRST TIME

XTERRA Spain asked Dave Nicholas, CEO XTERRA Hawaii, to send some advice on racing XTERRA Maui.

Here is the advice from the Big Boss himself:

“For those of you who are making your first trip to the XTERRA World Championship - hang on, it is an exciting experience.

First and foremost, Hawaii is visually stunning. The blue ocean, the high, green mountains and the friendly people are all of what make Hawaii a paradise. Maui is among the most beautiful islands of the State.

As you leave the airport you will drive through a typical American business area with shopping malls full of stores of every kind. Soon you will leave the city and find yourselves crossing the island and rolling along the steep, brown hills of West Maui. Maui's windmill farm with giant windmills comes next. We generate about 10% of the Island's electricity by wind power.

The Maui Aquarium is next with some shops and restaurants. When you go past them, you are just over half way to Kapalua. The ride from here is spectacular - keep your eyes on the road if you can - the island of Lanai is only a few miles across the bright blue ocean.

Entry to this race is about 800 athletes. They come from 30 nations around the world and almost all the States in America. You will hear every language you know and many you have never heard. One thing is certain; everyone is like you! The competition will be fierce as all will want to be the World Champion, but your closest competitor will always help you, always smile. It is the XTERRA lifestyle.

The course itself will be open on the Wednesday before the race and we strongly recommend you pre ride the bike course to become familiar with it. The heat in Maui is always a problem for Europeans - you can expect temperatures to be about 30 C or more. The course is very tight and technical in some places and very open and fast in others. On practice day you may want to bring a small camera as the sights high on the volcano are spectacular. Look for pineapples growing in some of the fields! We also recommend you practice at the swim beach. This side of Maui is famous for surf and you can expect there to be waves on race morning. It is only smart to practice swimming in these conditions and becoming accustomed to the waves. Water temperature will be very warm - about 26 C or 80 F so no wetsuits are allowed. The water is warm, clean and salty.

The run is tough but enjoyable. You will climb and climb for the first part (which is also the first 3 miles of the bike) and then come back down the last 3 miles. Through young forests, through old forests, around a lake once used to irrigate the golf course and back down even taking you through an old Hawaiian gulch with huge rocks.

There are two spectacular dinners at the Ritz hotel, free clinic from the professionals on swimming, biking, running and the Art of XTERRA. These are on Friday and Saturday and you should come and learn from the best. Saturday we have our Champions forum with many XTERRA World Champions on the panel. Greg Welch and Dave Nicholas are the moderators and the action does get funny. Saturday after the forum is the race briefing and then the "Night of Champions" dinner. Fabulous food and entertainment.

The final finale is the awards dinner Sunday eve followed by the most outrageous Halloween party on earth. Some say this is the best triathlon party of the year and we won't argue. Everyone is in costume - who can you recognize? Is it Conrad Stoltz or an age grouper from Spain?

We welcome you to the XTERRA World Championship and look forward to hosting you to one of the best experiences of your life.” 
 

XTERRA SPAIN IS VERY PROUD OF ALL OF THE ATHLETES FROM SPAIN
GIVE THE RACE YOUR BEST, BUT REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN
GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL

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CIEZA BOYS CHASE XTERRA TITLES (VIDEO)

When they first heard the name, XTERRA, they did not think much of it. But when XTERRA came to their home town, everything changed for the three young athletes from Cieza. Today, their enthusiasm for XTERRA knows no bounds. When they have a minute to spare, Jesús, Angel and José, find themselves out on their mountain bikes, exploring the many different routes around the Atalya just outside of town.

Jesús was the first to have experienced XTERRA when he raced the XTERRA Lite here in Cieza earlier this year. Not only did he win his age group (20-24), but he went on to inspire both his younger brother and close friend, Angel, to join him in XTERRA Berga two weeks later. After XTERRA Berga, both Jesús and Jose walked away as winners of the Spain Tour for their respective age groups. Angél finished third in his age group (20-24).

Now the three talented youngsters have found their passion! They are determined to race all the XTERRA events on the XTERRA Spain Tour calendar in 2014. And nothing is stopping them now! See for yourself….

* Jesús, Angel and José are members of the A.D. Rumbo Fijo, the local Cieza triathlon club.

XTERRA SPAIN IS PROUD OF JESUS, ANGEL AND JOSE

WELCOME TO THE XTERRA-FAMILY! 
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ENTER YOUR TEAM AND JOIN IN THE XTERRA-FUN

James Cunnama (winner of Challenge Roth 2012), had an extremely tough but brilliant race in the Ironman World championships in Kona this past weekend.

The South African showed his mettle when he fought back hard from 7th position in the last 3km of the race to finish in 4th place behind Sebastian Kienle (GER).

But James is more than a champion and a fearsome opponent; he also knows how to just have fun. This was when he and Jodie Swallow (70.3 World Champion 2010), combined their strengths to form part of a charity team. We asked them to tell us more about their first race as a team.

James and Jodie, you are both pro-Ironman athletes in your own right. You are used to running your own race. Last year, however, you found yourself being part of a team participating in the in the XTERRA South Africa Charity race. What made you decide to do it?
Neither of us could have done the Xterra event ourselves – our mountain bike skills leave a lot to be desired! For us it was a way to join the fun and support some of the local talent.

As professional athletes it is impossible to hold back – you go out there to win the race. How is participating in a team event – especially when the event is for charity - different from running your own race?
We both went out hard and did our best, it our nature after all! The events of the day turned into something of a personal challenge rather than a head-to-head race with other teams though.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your team experience?
It is important to give back and be a part of your community. I think that it took very little from us, and was great fun. However, it meant a lot to the youngsters dreaming of being pro’s one day. Even the guys who weren’t racing were inspired by the day!

What would your advice be to any team who enter a race?
Primarily the team race is about having fun. A bit of competitiveness is also fun though! I would say that all teams should set their own goals first, and worry about racing other teams second.

Will you do it again should the opportunity arise?
Definitely! It was a lot of fun, and perhaps without technical problems we could have a winning team!

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? ENTER YOUR TEAM NOW AND JOIN THE FUN!

THIS IS XTERRA

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RECOVERY AFTER TRAINING

Rest and recovery is an essential part of any workout routine. After exercise, a sound recovery routine makes a big impact on your fitness gains and sports performance. When properly rested, you’ll train much more effectively. Unfortunately, most athletes don't have an after exercise recovery plan.

Today, we look at three things you can do to speed up recovery after training:

1. Stretch: After a tough workout, do some gentle stretching. This is a simple and fast way to help your muscles recover.

2. Take an Ice Bath: Use ice baths, ice massage or cold water therapy (alternating hot and cold showers) to recover faster, reduce muscle soreness and prevent injury. Cold water therapy could delay or reduce the onset of muscle soreness and stiffness.

3. Eat Properly: After depleting your energy stores with exercise, you need to refuel if you expect your body to recover, repair tissues, get stronger and be ready for the next challenge. Ideally, try to eat within 60 minutes of the end of your workout. Make sure you include some high-quality protein and complex carbohydrate.

Next week, we’ll give some more recovery tips which will help you to train more effectively.

BE STRONG, TRAIN SMART

This week’s recommended product: 226ERS RECOVERY DRINK

This product has a 1/1 ratio of Proteins to Carbohydrates. El hidrato de carbono es exclusivamente amilopectina de última generación , lo mismo ocurre con las proteínas ultra-filtradas utilizadas, ambos ingredientes son de alta calidad y rápida absorción . The carbohydrate, amylopectin, is combined with ultra-filtered proteins. Both these ingredients are high quality and rapidly absorbed by the body.
RECOVERY DRINK is FREE of SUGAR, and contains NO GLUTEN.

To be taken immediately after exercise.



For more information: visit:
http://www.226ers.com/recuperadores/27-recovery-drink-chocolate-1000gr.html

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GERMAN IRONMAN TURNS INTO XTERRA FANATIC

Stefan Marinari (50+) is a seasoned Ironman. He has completed seven Ironman races (three Full Ironman and four Half Ironman, including Ironman Lanzarote). Actually, his passion for Ironman has taken him halfway around the world already – from Germany to Malaysia and finally ended up with him racing Ironman 70.3 South Africa in 2008.

But earlier this year, everything changed for the German athlete when he discovered XTERRA.

Now he is simply hooked on the race and a total XTERRA convert!

Tell us more about racing your first XTERRA?
I raced my first XTERRA here in Cieza earlier this year. It was an amazing experience! XTERRA is definitely my first love now. Next year, I am back in Cieza for my second XTERRA! I have already signed up for XTERRA Spain 2014!

How is training for XTERRA different from training for Ironman?
The training for XTERRA is not so boring. It is much more action, more fun, definitely harder, but shorter and this is the experience for me.

What is your goal for XTERRA Spain 2014?
Of course, next year I want to go faster! This year, I trained hard, but fell ill three weeks before the race. I feel I didn’t do as well as I wanted to. I finished, but nothing more. I finished in 4h15 min, but I’m positive that I can go faster and cross the finish line in 3h50 min. Well, that’s what I’m going to aim for!

Give your overall impression of XTERRA Spain circuit?
XTERRA Cieza is the toughest race I have ever done, but one of the best in the world. So hilly, so hard - a fantastic swim leg, a fantastic bike leg, but the running course ----- simply incredible!!!! Fantastic views! I love this race! What’s more, it’s only 65 km from the place where I live. Directly in the neighbourhood for me!

What about the future?
For sure, in future I want to race more XTERRA. I like the idea of racing XTERRA Italy and also XTERRA Guam/USA. However, my dream is to get a slot for Maui, but I think I am too slow for this idea!! Because I like red wine, Scotch whisky, German beer and Spanish Tapas, that’s my problem!

XTERRA Spain WELCOMES STEPHEN MARINARI TO THE XTERRA FAMILY

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