'24 Xterra South Africa Race Recap

 

Friday was a chill morning for me. I spent a good amount of time foam rolling and loosening out and Karel went out for a 25 min, 3.2 mile shake out run. Around 12:30pm we loaded our rental car with our bike gear and drove to Elgin Valley Country Club (race venue) for one last recon ride. Karel planned a great route for us so that we could ride on a few key sections of the course, while taking jeep roads in between. I had struggled with my body position and gear selection in a few areas and this ride was the perfect confidence booster for me as I didn't have any stumbles and took some mental notes on which line I wanted to take for each of those sections. The main areas that concerned me where the very tight turns on sand - some where steep uphills and some where steep downhills. I needed to get my body position and momentum just right for going up and then body position and knowing when to brake (and release the front brake at the right time) for the downhills. Conrad Stoltz (Xterra legend) designed the course and did some work in the rock garden to make it a bit more flowy. There were some tough sections between and over rocks and tight turns but I found the rock garden to be a lot of fun. Karel waited for me after each key section so that he could do his own thing and I could focus on myself. I was a little worried that my legs would be tired as I had ~25 running miles (and 12 hours of training) in my legs over the past 5 days but my legs felt surprisingly good. My biggest improvements with mountain biking have come from being able to do things faster - like going over features, going downhills and taking turns. Some of these areas do require a lot of power and strength but the most important skill is body position. Faster turns was an area that I really wanted to work on after Xterra South Africa last January (2023) and although I know I still have a lot more room for improvement, I am really happy with my progress. 

Karel gained a lot of confidence and new skills after participating in the 6-stage Breck Epic in August 2023. That course was so technical with big loose rocks. Karel was able to ride much faster in the technical areas. Although on race day he got caught behind some slower athletes at times, which slowed him down - but that is all part of Xterra racing. 

After our 10 mile, 70 minute ride, we went down to the water to check it out and then picked up our race packet. In our packet we received a bike plate with our number, a bib number for the run, a chip for our ankle and a shirt. We also got an Xterra South Africa Silicone swim cap from 2XU.

After a stop at the corner market/restaurant, we made another stop at our nearby grocery (WoolWorths) to get some food for the next 24 hours. We made pasta when we returned home around 3:30pm. It was delicious. I got all my gear together for the event and then around 8:30pm we laid down for bed. We didn't bring our wetsuits as last year in January it was non wetsuit legal so we took a chance that it wouldn't be wetsuit legal this year in February. According to Xterra rules (similar to ITU) when it's non wetsuit legal you can not wear anything over your kit. Whatever you wear in the water you have to wear for the entire race. Our tri kits are not designed for this style of racing so they do provide a little drag in the water. 

The alarm went off at 5am. I hardly slept at night. I could feel my heart pumping as I was trying to fall asleep the night prior. I was in and out of sleep all night. Thankfully I have been sleeping great since we arrived so after I laid in bed until 5:30am, I felt fine getting up (not sleepy or tired). I was just frustrated that I couldn't sleep. Karel was not nervous at all. I did feel nervous for the unknowns of the event and I still worry about getting in the way of more skillful riders. Thankfully in my 5 previous off road triathlon events, everyone has been really nice and anytime someone is behind me, I always let them go when there is a good place to pass. I was just more worried about making a mistake and causing someone else to not be able to continue riding past me. Thankfully, I had a mistake-free race and conquered everything to the best of my ability on the day. 

We arrived to the venue around 7am after leaving our house at 6:30am. The transition area was rather large so we had plenty of room to lay out our bikes and gear. There were around 200-300 athletes in the full distance and the racks were not crowded. As we were laying out our gear we heard the announcement that it was not wetsuit legal. We could hear the moans throughout the transition area but we were happy with this news. 

Karel was in the rack in front of me and we both had our bikes facing the direction of the Bike Out sign. I put all my run gear in my hat for a quick transition so that all I needed to do was put on my trail shoes. I kept room on my towel to quickly wipe my feet after running on the sand and grass before putting on my Silca socks. I had my sunglasses on my helmet so that I could put those on as I was riding. 

Here are some professional pictures from the race.

As for the race, we gave a full recap in a video discussion a few hours after the race when the feelings, emotions and memories were fresh. You can hear more about all the details from the race - and the difficulty of the run course (with 2 deep water crossings!) - in our YouTube Video. 

Karel won his age group. He was a little dissapointed in his run as he got passed by a few athletes and couldn't find any spring in his legs (which is hard when you are running on loose rocks and sand, with soaking wet shoes). I was 2nd in my age group but because 1st place is an Elite, I also won my age group. I was 5th overall. The first 3 ladies are Elite/professionals and I'm not sure about #4 so I think I was 2nd female amateur. I was really happy with my race as I was able to ride with some other ladies and keep up with them and I even ran away from the overall 6th place lady (which running away from someone is something that rarely happens for me). 

There were several food trucks at the venue so Karel got a burger with a tower of salty potato slices on top. He also got a flat white from the coffee truck. We went back out on our bikes around 1pm for a spin before the awards at 2pm. 

Here is our race recap if you'd like to listen. 

Xterra South Africa Race Recap

 

We had a really great night of sleep. There was something special about this race course that had us both really excited to race. With this being only my third Xterra event (previously Xterra Czech in August and Xterra World Championship in Molveno in October), I continue to feel a little nervous about the start of the bike and I worry about holding up other riders behind me on single track. But I'm learning to just focus on my own race. The biggest confidence booster was knowing that we had ridden the entire bike course and I was able to safely get through everything. It was not overly hilly (~2000 feet) and it flowed really well. There was a legit rock garden and several fun obstacles to go over. The race director gave the option for those who didn't feel comfortable in the rock garden could go the "chicken" route which was around 4K longer. 

After we ate our pre-race meal, we double checked our gear, loaded the car and left our Airbnb around 6:15am and arrived to the venue around 6:45am. We parked in a grassy field and rode our bikes to the Elgin Valley Country Club. 

The air was much cooler than the past few days (in the upper 60s) and there was a bit of mist. We were thankful it wasn't raining as we wanted to really enjoy the course and all of the technical elements. The race field was relatively small but with the full and sprint distance along with relays, there was a lot of good energy. 

Shortly after we arrived we got word that the swim would be non wetsuit legal. I made the mistake of having my calf sleeves on (as I expected it to be wetsuit legal) so after setting up my transition area, I needed to go back and take off my calf sleeves and put my compression socks by my shoes. I had prepared for both scenarios before packing my transition bag. I hung my helmet on my bars but in future races, I will put it on the ground so that I put it on first before putting on my shoes. Karel and I both used our USWE hydration packs. I used 3 scoops Berry C30 from Never Second and Karel used 1 packet C90 (citrus). 

The race started at 8am. After the pre-race briefing, we lined up near the front. It was a mass start and a two loop swim with a short run between each loop. The water was the perfect temperature around 73 degrees. Xterra uses World Triathlon rules so with this race being a 1500 meter swim, it's considered "short course" so the water temp is different compared to long course. 

I wore my light tint Roka goggles since the water was dark and the sky was cloudy. I found myself near the back of the front group and swam alongside another girl for the entire swim. There weren't a lot of ladies so I wasn't sure how the competition would be but my focus was on giving myself and being as competitive as I could. I'm still learning how to race Xterra and I know my off road skills are still a work in progress. At least in the water I am comfortable. 

I swam the 1500 meter course (~1731 yards per my Garmin) in 25:45 minutes. Karel swam 27:01 (he had 1622 yards on his watch). I felt like I had a good transition and made my way out on the bike, excited for the ride. With 80% single track I was really looking forward to the bike course. 

Karel loved the bike course. It was exactly what he likes when riding off road. He felt really strong and he was able to ride really well, feeling competitive throughout the 28K course. The course was broken into two segments - a long loop and a short loop. The long loop had the rock garden. I was passed by Karel in the first climb (switchbacks) and I passed the girl that I swam with but she later passed me and I never saw her again. I wasn't passed by any other females. I made a few mistakes throughout the course which caused me to unclip and stop but they were more because I was tired. Although riding on the sand is still new for me and I'm still working on my tight turns. There was a little rain near the end of the bike but it felt really refreshing. The weather was absolutely perfect in the low 70s. The nice thing about this course is that even the Jeep trails were technical so it kept us engaged the entire time. It was so much fun and I didn't want the bike course to end. 
Karel rode the 17.8 miles in 1:32 and I finished in 1:51.27. 

After putting on my Hoka trail shoes and putting my Nathan 10 ounce flask in my trikit pocket (we each had 1 x 10 ounce flask with 1 scoop C30 from NeverSecond), I grabbed my hat and sunglasses and headed out on the run. I usually don't wear sunglasses when I run on the trails but I grabbed them just in case as I wasn't sure what the run course would be like. 

The 6.3 mile run course had ~1000 feet of elevation gain and it was everything that I could have dreamed of in a run course. We ran in sand, up and down rocky trails, crossed over wooden bridges and even "ran" in a creek. 

As you can see from the pic, the creek was about waist high in certain sections. I opted to "swim" through the creek. It was fresh and clean. It was so much fun. After we exited the run, we went through a beautiful forest that felt like a jungle. I was able to run really well and stay really strong throughout the run. I wasn't sure what place I was in but I wanted to give my best all the way to the finish line. 

This course was everything that I imagined Xterra racing would be. To be honest, we have been a bit dissapointed in the past Xterra races that we've experienced in that a lot of the bike courses are steep and on Jeep trails with just a little single track. This was a legit bike course and the run was true trail running. I couldn't stop smiling. Karel ran the 6.3 miles in 48:17 and he was able to pass one guy near the end, who he had been battling with throughout the run. I ran 56:49. As I was nearing the finish, I heard that I was the 4th female. A bit bummed to miss out on the overall podium but really proud of my finish. I felt like I was really racing and I had so much fun. 

Marni: 4th overall female, 1st age group - 3:18.5
Karel: 7th overall male, 1st age group - 2:50.45
Full results HERE.

As we were waiting for the awards, we had a nice meal. There was no food after the race, just water and a sport drink in cups. You could buy beer or water and there were several food trucks. We also ran into Richard Murray and Rachel Klamer - two triathlon Olympians and the nicest people. We talked for a while and enjoyed their company. 

Karel had a burger and I had a delicious vegan wrap. I was surprised to see so many vegetarian/vegan food options. Although I would have been just fine with some french fries and pizza ;) 

Karel and I both won our age groups and qualified for the 2023 Xterra World Championship in Molveno, Italy but we turned down our slots since we planned other events in August/September. 

We highly recommend Xterra South Africa. We loved the nature, the scenery, the food, the people and the course. Everyone was so friendly and nice.