XTERRA Winter, baby! (with slideshow & video)

A surprise snowstorm the morning of the XTERRA Winter World Championships provided a challenging element to what was already going to be a difficult race: competing in mountain biking, snowshoeing, running and randonee skiing back to back to back back.

The inaugural event took place Saturday at Snowbasin Resort in the Wasatch Mountains outside of Ogden, Utah — the site of the 2002 Olympic downhill ski races. The backdrop was unreal — giant rocky peaks covered in snow and surrounded by aspen and pine trees. And the best part, even on a Saturday, the resort seemed empty.

Although I entered the race as a pro, I did not feel any additional pressure as it was a new event and even the most experienced racers were trying the sport for the first time. The field was a mixed bag of talented athletes from all different backgrounds, including triathlon, mountaineering, Nordic skiing, adventure racing and running. Very few had been training specifically for the event.

After a successful transition set-up at the base of Snowbasin, I noticed there was one accessory I was missing — a baby, but more on this later. We lined up at the top of a hill to start the mountain bike leg. What was a firm-packed 10-kilometer course the day before was now slushy from warmer temperatures and approximately four inches of fresh snow.

Race on

Snow was sticking to the bottom of my cleats, making clicking into my pedals challenging. It was almost impossible for these experienced riders to make it down the first hill without fishtailing or crashing. Because caution won out, I was at the back of the pack and far behind the lead women to start the race. But it got better, and soon I was able to pedal on the outside of the trail, which was not tracked out. This definitely brought new meaning to fresh tracks.

The sensation of riding in deep snow is similar to sand, so I felt like my experience riding up Tunnel Creek in mid summer paid off. Soon, I was riding beside Patty Jo Struve of Kings Beach, who was telling me about how much mountain biking she did in Truckee preparing for the Ididasport 100-mile mountain bike race in the Alaskan winter. I followed her lead.

After two loops on slushy Nordic trails, we headed back to the transition area and switched to snowshoes with my Inov-8 Roclites already attached. This leg was on a singletrack, weaving through aspens with some descents steep enough to glide. This was one of the most enjoyable sections of the race. By the time I got to the trail, it was packed from the racers in front of me. I managed to catch a few before heading back to the transition for the run.

I slipped into a pair of old cross-country spikes that ironically still had mud on them from my last college race in Ogden in 2004.

The spikes worked great in the snow; they felt light and also able to grip. The run was an out-and-back on groomed trails with several long climbs, giving me the opportunity to watch the top men run in the opposite direction. Back in transition for the third time, I put on a pair of Dynafit backcountry boots, grabbed my skis, already with the skins attached, and headed out for the randonee.

Although my equipment was somewhat light for the backcountry, it felt like lead weights on my feet after my running shoes. The course led up Wildcat Bowl, a steep grade that featured 1,300 feet of elevation gain. Once I reached the top, I had to take my skis and skins off, adjust my bindings and put my skis back on for the downhill.

This was tricky due to my lack of experience with Dynafit bindings — a light-weight binding that attaches to ski boots with two pins at the front of the binding that allow you to release the heel to climb. Experienced randonee skiers were able to take their skins off without removing skis and poles. Once I reached the bottom of the descent, I had to put my skins back on for another climb — twice. I wasn’t the only one struggling with the equipment. I passed female pro Keri Nelson, and this was enough to put me in fifth place.

For the last short climb, I even opted to hike and carry my skis. The final two downhills were through giant slalom gates, but this was fun and gave me something else to think about rather than how tired my legs were.

I crossed the line exhausted and relieved, but already thinking about next year’s race. I was the fifth pro finisher with a time of 2:58:15, trailing adventure racer Sari Anderson of Glenwood Springs, Colo., Olympic Nordic skier Rebecca Dussault of Gunnison, Colo., and pro-triathletes Lisa Isom of Vail, Colo., and Jenny Tobin of Boise, Idaho.

The top four women all gave birth in the last year and a half, so I felt like a first-place finish in the non-mom category wasn’t bad.

Brian Smith of Gunnison, Colo., won the overall men’s race in 1:58:29.92, one second faster than Josiah Middaugh of Vail, Colo. In third was Nicolas Lebrun of France.

Local competition

I was not the only competitor from the Tahoe area. Ross McMahan of Incline Village placed second in the men’s 25-29 age group with a time of 2:51:30.14, and won the amateur “Fire and Ice Award” for having the best combined time from the XTERRA World Championships in Maui and the XTERRA Winter World Championships.

Drew Casselberry, also from Incline Village but currently living in Ogden, placed second overall in amateurs with a time of 2:21:23.16.

Other athletes opted to compete in other events, including Sarah McMahan of Incline Village, who won the Snowboard Dash-for-Cash on Friday and placed 10th overall with a time of 1:08:37.32 in the PowerSox U.S. National Snowshoe Championships on Sunday.

Ross McMahan also placed 15th overall in the men’s 10-kilometer race with a time of 56:03.98.

Struve, who did not finish Saturday’s race, placed 23rd overall with a time of 1:24:28.72 in the women’s 10-kilometer race.

Jim Meskimen of Truckee placed 48th overall with a time of 1:27:42.22 in men’s race.

<i>Emma Garrard is a photographer at the Sierra Sun. She may be reached at egarrard@sierrasun.com.</i>

Check it out

For complete results go to www.xterraplanet.com, and for video highlights from the race, check out the video below the slideshow (or visit http://youtube.com/watch?v=sUqz5HHynC0).