After a 10 year absence, the Xterra Canadian Championships returned to Whistler Saturday, and by all accounts the event was a bruiser - maybe the toughest Xterra event in the world. Some rain overnight made things even tougher, especially on some rooty sections of the bike leg.
Josiah Middaugh of Vail, Colorado and Mike Vine of Edmonton (North Vancouver until last year) duked it out on the course, which included a 1.5 km swim on Alta Lake, a 30 km bike on Whistler's west side and a 9 km run on technical trails with a lot of climbing.
Middaugh took the win after passing Vine on the run, but it wasn't easy.
"It's a lot different than a lot of races we do. There were some really technical sections," said Middaugh. "But it's got a good mix of everything, so you can use your fitness whenever you can and just hope you have the technical skills for the other parts.
Middaugh crossed the finish line in two hours, nine minutes and 30 seconds, with Vine less than a minute back in 2:10:22.
Vine was faster in the water by 35 seconds and just one second faster on the bike. Middaugh's run time was the difference, 1:25 minutes faster than Vine.
"Mike really had my number on the bike. He was just whaling all the downhills and he would put about 40 seconds on me on the downhill in a lap. I would catch him on the climb, but just barely - I'd get back on his wheel and he'd be gone again. I had a couple of fumbles on the roots where I was just sliding around and he was just ripping through that stuff. I don't know what he was doing but it was impressive."
While Middaugh had the legs for the run, he also paid a price and said his legs were like rubber by the finish.
For his part, Vine was glad to be in the mix.
"Last year I was in North Van and I was up in Whistler all the time riding the trails. But I moved to Edmonton this year and shifted gears from full-time racer to working full-time in a physical trade. It's been a tough summer working my butt off and then trying to fit in a little bit of training where I could... so for me to be in the mix and slugging it out, I'm totally pumped about that."
Vine also gave the course high marks.
"This is a national level event and all the Xterra pros want to see a challenging course like this," he said. "Some of the races down in the U.S. aren't as rigorous or technical... and a lot of guys prefer this. And I think those are even some of the tamer trails around Whistler."
Branden Rakita of Colorado placed third overall in 2:17:37.
Xterra world champion Melanie McQuaid placed ninth overall and was the first women in elite in 2:29:28. Her closest competitor was Ontario's Christine Jeffrey in 2:45:48, followed by Danelle Kabush in 2:0:29.
McQuaid called it a course that is true to B.C.
"The course is really fun, and you might as well show off the good singletrack we have in B.C. and make it a race that people can be proud of doing and finishing. It was a phenomenal first-year event."
McQuaid said the course was also a good opportunity to train for the upcoming Xterra world championships in Maui in October.
"It's a hard race with a lot of climbing, with some technical stuff to keep us on the game with our skills. The run was also very difficult and in Maui it's a difficult run, so it's a good tune-up."
Adam Ward of Whistler was the top Sea to Sky athlete, placing 18 th overall and first in the men's 20 to 24 race in 2:35:08.
Trevor Hopkins was sixth in men's 35 to 39 in 2:54:30.
Joanna Harrington was fourth in pro women in 2:59:09.
Kevin Hodder was 15 th in men's 40 to 44 in 3:15:24.
Craig Johnson was 10 th in men's 35 to 39 in 3:26:17.
Greg Sandkuhl was second in men's 55-plus in 3:28:09.
Caroline Lamont was second in women's 45 to 49 in 3:50:57.
Several Whistler teams also took part, although complete results weren't available.
In the sport distance - 750 metre swim, 15 km bike and 4.5 km run - Whistler's J.P Boulais was second overall and first in the men's 20 to 24 group in 1:41:01; 16 seconds behind American athlete Glenn Hartrick. Bart Ross was fourth overall and first in the men's 40 to 49 race.
Tristan Underhill was the only junior male in the race, and although he had a crash at the bottom of Danimal he enjoyed it.
"My bike coach said he wanted a few of the guys to go into it and I said okay, I'll try it," he said. "I'm not good on the swim. I was almost last out of the water on the swim, but by the time I did the transition from the bike to running I was in third."
Underhill is a fast mountain biker and didn't lose much time in the crash. In the meantime he managed to pick off riders on the climb and on the descent.
"I'd probably do it again, just train more," he said.
There was also a duathlon category, although just four athletes took part. Whistler's Mike Conway was second, doing the bike and run legs in 2:27:20.
Complete results are posted online at www.raceheadquarters.com.
