XTERRA is a series of cross triathlon races, i.e. three-sport races which include swimming, mountain biking, and trail running. The XTERRA Global Tour is owned and produced by TEAM Unlimited. The XTERRA race series is the best-known series of cross triathlons, and is considered by most to be the de facto world championship of the sport.[citation needed]
It began in 1996 on the Hawaiian island of Maui as the Aquaterra, and was later renamed the XTERRA. The Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Company named their popular sport utility vehicle (the Nissan Xterra) in 1999 after the race and was the race series' primary sponsor from 1998 to 2006, when the two companies parted ways.
Race format
As an off-road race, the distances can vary widely depending on the terrain available. The target distances are as follows:
Championship/pro: 1.5 km swim, 30 km mountain biking, 11 km trail run
Sport: 500 m swim, 15 km mountain biking, 5 km trail Run
In the United States the sport distances are often used as miles yielding a 1/2 mile (805 m) swim, 15 mile (24 km) mountain bike, and a 5-mile (8-km) trail run.
World Champions in men's Xterra Triathlon
Jimmy Riccitello (1996)
Mike Pigg (1998)
Michael Tobin (2000)
Conrad Stoltz (2001-02)
Eneko Llanos (2003-04)
Nicolas Lebrun (2005)
Hamish Carter (2006)
Conrad Stoltz (2007)
Ruben Ruzafa (2008)
Eneko Llanos (2009)
Conrad Stoltz (2010)
Michael Weiss (2011)
Javier Gómez (2012)
Rubén Ruzafa (2013-14)
Josiah Middaugh (2015)
Mauricio Mendez (2016)
Bradley Weiss (2017)
