XTERRA Global Tour - Australia

The Sunday after the Sydney trip I ran in Victoria's largest fun run, the 14.2km Run For The Kids. Did it with Clem last year. The run takes you on a very scenic course up Bolte Bridge and the freeway and the city. It was awesome. I had a sore throat after the fun-filled hectic Sydney trip so I just ran moderately, finishing in roughly 66min 30s.

Had brunch with the Melb Uni Aths Club at The Observatory cafe after that...delicious muffins and chai...haha.

Anyway, on Saturday 5 April, I took part in my first ever off-road triathlon race!!! The XTERRA Global Tour, also the Australian XTERRA National Championships 2008. It was held at Daylesford and was a qualifying race for the XTERRA World Championships in Maui, Hawaii.

XTERRA is the world’s most popular adventure series and features Global Tour events in North America, South America, Europe, Japan, New Zealand and XTERRA World Championships in Hawaii each year.

The finish banner

I was so unprepared for the race! I didn't even know the start time, race course, etc. And I'd NEVER MOUNTAIN BIKED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! I was using a really old Giant mountain bike Wilson borrowed for me. I borrowed old mountain bike shoes from Jas and an Orca wetsuit from Maddy. On Tuesday and Thursday I had taken the bike out to Yarra Bend Park and ridden on the ROAD. I decided I needed a taste of the trails so i cycled about 500m on the gravel path next to the road. And then i told Clem that it was scary coz the bike skidded on the gravel.

During the race, i felt extremely stupid for thinking riding on gravel was scary or tough, coz that was gonna be the easiest bit of the race...

On Saturday, Wilson came by to pick me up at 9.30am, and we drove almost 2hrs to Daylesford. The weather wasn't looking good. It rained. We got there, registered, picked up my UBER COOL BLACK 2XU DRI-FIT TOP WHICH SAYS XTERRA GLOBAL TOUR-AUSTRALIA ON IT. But alas!! It was kinda big for me, DAMNIT!! Nothing fits here! S, XS, XXS are all too big still!! ARGHHHHHHHH.

Wilson's bike on top, my borrowed bike at bottom

Anyway, while setting up transition, Wilson kept trying to make me bring spare tubes and tools for the bike, and i casually turned him down saying if im so unlucky to get a flat, i'd just DNF. But little did i know, that there is no DNF in the race. It's either you cycle out or die and rot in the mountain n no one will find you. And I saw 2 or 3 ppl with flats along the way. I was extremely lucky the bike held out. The bike course was just INSANE!!! INSANE!!!

Wilson and I in transition pre-race--me still looking so happy, ignorant to what i was abt to get myself into

So the race format was as follows:

1km Swim – Lake Daylesford

30km Mountain Bike – The single loop course follows a scenic path south west along the famous Great Dividing Trail with hills and technical sections, double track, creek crossings, single track, waterfalls, dams, a disused railway line and spectacular Australian bushland.

11km Trail Run – The challenging course follows west Town Bridges and underneath the highway and follows the Great Dividing Trail on the south side of Sailors Creek with a creek crossing before returning back on the north side of the creek.

I looked around before the start and everyone looked really pro with all their pro mtb gear and stuff. I bet I was the only dumb noob around there. Some days ago, I told Sophie I was doing this race and she did not hesitate to tell me I was CRAZY and I'd DIE riding 30km mtb. Oh wells...

Got my wetsuit on, and prepared for the water start in Lake Daylesford. the water was FREEEEZZZING!! To think I din want to borrow a wetsuit initially coz i tot 1km only, just bear with the cold. But there were competitors in diving hoods even coz the water was a freezing 14degrees!!! It was maddness. the moment i started swimming, i knew this was much much much colder than my previous tri races in the sea. My entire face was numb and my hands and feet were painful--frost bitten. I couldn't breathe properly coz of the cold. I cldn't even feel water seeping into my mouth. haha. Anyway, the course was longer than 1km for sure.

In T1, my head was spinning coz of the cold and i struggled to get my wetsuit off. Then I slowly put on cycling gloves and socks and started the mtb. the first 1km was on road, then it was a sharp turn into the lonely trails...where you'd see 1 or 2 marshalls only once every 8km...20m into the trail we hit a really steep uphill and i had to come off n push coz i din change my gears in time. Another guy came off and pushed as well and i chatted with him and told him this is the first time im ever riding a mtb, and this hill was crazy.

Not long later, there was a sign which said "CAUTION DESCENT". I looked down, were we trying to cycle down a waterfall?!?! It was so friggin steep and bumpy--longs, branches, holes, rocks, stones everywhere. I got off my bike and half slid half inched my way down, clinging onto my mtb. I felt quite dumb coz ppl were flying down past me.

Anyway, the course was friggin crazy. It was so bumpy and so damn dangerous. And you hardly see a soul out there. The course was marked out with ribbons tied onto trees and arrows drawn on tree trunks. Some of the uphills were so steep I pedaled with all my might yet the bike was skidding backward, then the front wheel wld lift off contact with the ground and the bike'd tip backward. I reckon some of the uphills were so close to vertical it's impossible to ride up. On one uphill, I was kinda climbing on all fours trying to drag the bike up. haha.

But I must say, I was quite please with myself coz i rode up the crazy hills pretty well, and would overtake many ppl on the hills but of coz they'd zoom past me every descend coz i'd be going really slowly. Some parts are insane, if u lose ur balance or fall, goodbye to you, u'd fly off a cliff or break your collarbone on some rock.

The single track sections were bad...some areas I could not see the ground even, so its dangerous coz u're bumping and getting thrown all over the place. I almost fell many times, and it's a wonder i didn't fall coz i was certain i'd fall and break sth before the end of the 35km...at one point, I was so close to flying over the handlebars and cracking some ribs. Coz the bike hit a really large hole with a log at the end.

Some sections had to dismount and carry the bike over fallen trees. haha. I was gonna chide Wilson for not warning me. I watched mtb races in s'pore and assumed it'd be sth like that. But no, this is nothing like any trail in s'pore! Wilson, who has been mtb alot in s'pore and aust says this is definitely tougher than Bukit Timah hill. DUH!

Anyway the bike course was so long! it was 35km! The mtb shoes i borrowed din quite fit the pedals too well and it kept coming out while i was riding. Overall I was more tired from being scared than anything else. haha. but i was really having quite a fun time. I want to do mtbing, it makes u strong and have good handling.

Ok finally i finished the bike and went onto the 2 loop run course. 3km into the run, i twisted my ankle on a rocky descend. But i'd already endure swimming in a freezing lake and 2 over hours of mental torture on the mtb, surely i cannot DNF now!!! Even if i have to, i'm gonna crawl to the finish line. But anyway, i just continued running. The run was tough. There was a section we had to walk across a dried up river...all rocks, boulders and stones. then there were some really steep narrow and rocky paths...but it was scenic.


AH! Finally I finished the race like over 3.5hrs!! haha. it was funny. I wasnt pushing hard or anything, just wanted to complete it. My legs were quite tired from the many challenging and impossible uphills. Anyway, I walked outta the finish chute and a guy rushed up to me and said "you're my idol!!" i was like "HUH?!" he was the guy i was talking to on the first uphill when we both came off the push our bikes. haha. he said he couldn't believe i'd never mtb before and yet he couldnt even keep up with me. haha.

I do think it's an immense achievement to have completed the XTERRA, esp to have completed it without ever having ridden a mtb. but i think, this is not recommended. Some training and familiarization pre-race is definitely a must!


WAYYYY COOL! haha i came in 3rd in 3hrs 53min! what a shitty time! But apparently, I get powerbar hamper! Altho I haven't got it yet coz i din attend the prize presentation (you have to pay to attend) and i dunno if or how i'll get it. haha. I was just glad i completed it and did not come in last. Wasn't near last, and my mtb time wasn't amongst the slowest either. haha. unbelievable.

Chris Legh WON the race in 2.19!? How cool is that. yea you shd've figured out when he finished the race, i was still mtbing.

Anyway, I'd be hunting for a cheap 2nd hand mtb to go mtbing. It's like buying a ticket to break some bones. I think it's inevitable if u mtb here. But its so exciting coz I have a huge margin for improvement in XTERRA. haha. oh wells.

Anyway, it was loads of fun. And for more fun this weekend, i'd be going up to Mt Buller with the Melb Uni Athletics Club for a fun training camp. We're carpooling and driving up. Hope it's fun! Unfortunately it's not winter yet and no snow yet i think...so won't get to ski/snowboard.

But other than that, it's been busy with assignments. So back to work...