What do Lori Bowden, Peter Reid, Simon Whitfield, Danelle Kabush, Brent McMahon, and Melanie McQuaid all have in common?

If you guessed that they are all amazing triathletes, you would be right. They are also all natives of Victoria, British Columbia, the site of XTERRA Victoria, on July 8th.

Known as the “California of Canada,” XTERRA Victoria features a 1500 meter swim in the crisp waters of Durrance Lake, a 24k mountain bike ride on world-class trails, and a challenging 9k run.

“I love this race,” said former Olympian and 2015 XTERRA Victoria Champ Brent McMahon. “It’s a great community race and it’s fun to get out there and hit the trails I play on in the winter.”

McMahon admits that the field gets tougher each year.

“This year we have some exciting athletes,” said race director, Monique Moore. “You can expect to see top notch performances from defending champs Karsten Madsen and Katie Button as well as challengers Zoe Dawson Squamish, Suzie Snyder, Heather Zimchek-Dunn, Kara Lapoint, Debby Sullivan, Morgane Riou, and Ladina Buss.”

Zoe Dawson Sqaumish is the 2015 XTERRA Victoria Champ, and Suzie Snyder is currently ranked first in the XTERRA Pan Am Series Standings. Morgane Riou, from France, is also having a great season and finished third at XTERRA Switzerland last weekend.

In last year’s race, Madsen was the master over the big rocks, roots, and steep descents.

“Last year, my race plan was pretty simple,” he said. “I wanted to swim hard, ride really controlled, and then go hard on the double track. On the run it was the same thing.”

His plan paid off, and he finished in 2:10:51, just over two minutes ahead of Paul Tichelaar, who came through in 2:13:19. New Zealand’s Kieran McPherson was third in 2:16:02. Also in the top ten were Brent McMahon, 2016 XTERRA Pan Am Champs Nate Youngs and Lewis Ryan. Carl Cote was 11th.

Katie Button remains the one to beat on the women’s side. Last year, she finished just over a minute ahead of Zoe Dawson Squamish in a close race. She was 2:37:43 to fellow pro, Dawson Squamish’s 2:38:53.

“I decided to go as hard as I could for as long as I could and I kept waiting for her to catch me,” said Button about last year’s race. “It wasn’t until I got to the last downhill section that I was like, I don’t think she’s going to catch me. OK. Keep sprinting.”

In addition to a world-class race, XTERRA Victoria is a perfect summer getaway.

“It’s such a beautiful place that many athletes come early and explore the area,” said Moore. “It’s a great mid-summer vacation spot.”

Watch last year’s race highlights on YouTube:

For more information and to register for XTERRA Victoria, visit www.xterravictoria.ca. 

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