WHY I TRI

Alot of people ask me this, so here it is. My first taste of Xterra came in June of 2006. After being out of the water for almost 6 months, I hesitantly agreed to do the swim leg of a relay race at the Xterra Sport Race in Pelham Alabama. Halfway through the 750 meter lake swim, my arms fatigued so much, that I turned over and started doing backstroke. Even with the fatigue, I still emerged from the water with over a minute lead on the main field of swimmers. It was so exhilarating that I was ready to keep going on the bike. I was hooked at this point. The adrenaline rush from that race was enough to re-awaken the competitive spirit from my earlier swimming career. With the encouragement from local Xterra veterans, I decided to get in better overall condition to tackle a full Xterra triathlon. Similar to many swimmers, I avoided races longer than 200 meters like the plague. However, I’ve found that a strange thing occurs when cycling and running are added to the equation; a one mile swim suddenly becomes the least of concern. With the thrill of the mass swim start, the rollercoaster effect of mountain biking, and the amazing scenary and terrain varieties found trail running, its hard not to get a thrill out of Xterra triathlons.