Ian Gray and Wil Smith are two keen XTERRA enthusiasts who made it their goal to race XTERRA this year. The two Canadians, both rookies, are prepared to travel halfway across the globe to line up for XTERRA Spain (Cieza) in May. Even the extreme weather conditions that have been sweeping across the North Western parts of America are not enough to deter the two friends from their XTERRA goal. To Ian and Wil venturing out into knee-deep snow for some training is just part and parcel of their great XTERRA adventure.
Tell us more about your triathlon career, and in particular, your XTERRA experience.
When and where did you race your first XTERRA?
Ian: I began racing triathlons over a decade ago, competing at all distances up to Ironman. I missed my last Ironman start due to the early birth of my son six years ago. Since then I have taken an extended break from racing. However, the one thing missing from his race portfolio was an XTERRA event, but the possibility of racing in sunny Spain (and wonderful Maui) was enough to entice me to dust off my bike and get back to training. Spain will be my very first XTERRA event, and what a great way to start!
Wil: I’m new to triathlons, coming from a background of orienteering and mountain biking. But on turning 40, I realized that somehow I had never learned how to swim. Oops! I gave myself a week to learn, and then registered for an XTERRA-type triathlon. Despite making tons of rookie mistakes (and nearly drowning along the way!), I was instantly hooked by the challenges of trying to cycle past people on tricky singletrack and navigating slippery, muddy running trails. I loved it so much that I immediately went out and bought a ticket for Maui, registering as an at-large competitor. The results sure weren’t pretty (rough open-ocean swims are tough on rookies…), but I was determined to earn an entry and face the challenge again.
What makes XTERRA different from other triathlon races?
XTERRA is an incredibly fun format that carries you away from the concrete jungle and instead brings you to wild places that you might never have the chance to visit otherwise. While other triathlons might bore you to death (or perhaps injury) with endless paved roads, XTERRA instead challenges you with some of the world’s most amazing natural obstacle courses. Think your road triathlon has technical biking sections? Think that paved hill is super steep? Think again – you haven’t seen technical or steep until you’ve raced an XTERRA…
Why XTERRA Spain – it’s a long way to travel after all!
First of all – it’s Spain, and who wouldn’t want to experience the magic of sunny southern Europe. Also, the course in Spain is quite similar to Maui, in terms of the heat, dust, and climbing profiles. We both would really love to qualify for Maui. Coming to Spain is to race for one of those coveted World Championship slots. Plus, it’s really hard to find a good Rioja wine in Canada!
XTERRA Spain (Cieza) is different from most XTERRA circuits because the heat and the dust.
How will you prepare for this tough race - the first of the season?
Our part of Canada has snow on the ground for six months of the year therefore it’s pretty tough to train for a summer event! But instead of hiding indoors all winter, we have taken the chance to embrace the outdoors and make the best of the situation as is. You have to be prepared for anything, and in this case, we are really hoping for climate change to bring snow to southern Spain sometime in late May…who knows!
Seriously, we will probably need to move our bike trainers into the sauna to properly prepare for the heat. Of course, we’ll be running and biking up every single hill we can find. XTERRA Spain will be tough, and we know it…but come 24th of May and we’ll be there, for sure!
ENTER NOW AND MAKE SURE YOU JOIN IAN AND WIL IN THE BIG XTERRA SPAIN ADVENTURE
