Pre-Race Snow Excites / Frustrates XTERRA USA Championship Racers

They don’t call it SNOWbasin for nothing!

Snowbasin Resort, home to the finish line of Saturday’s XTERRA USA Championship race, got its first snow of the season yesterday and put a hold on racer’s plans to pre-ride and run the trails both yesterday and today.

The bright side, however, is two-fold. Foremost, it’s absolutely gorgeous up on the mountain and second, the storm has passed and sunny weather for the weekend is in the forecast.

“There will be no problem with the weather this weekend, and no chance for any rain or snow,” said Dan Pope, the Chief Meteorologist at KTVX in Salt Lake City.  “Although it will be a bit chilly in the morning on Saturday and Sunday, daytime temperatures will warm to near 70 in the Ogden Valley Saturday (60’s at 6,000 feet), with 75 on Sunday. It will be sunny and dry both days. With the elevation difference, the upper 70’s in Ogden translates to cooler mountain temperatures. There will be a lot of sunshine, with fluffy cumulus clouds over the peaks.”

That’s good news for the hundreds of athletes from 45 states nationwide that have made their way to Ogden, Utah to race for a national crown.

For more information on the elite race download the press guide, and visit our Facebook page for the latest videos, images, and professional bios.

Here’s a look at the men’s elite start list:

No. – Name – Age, Hometown
1 – Josiah Middaugh – 36, Eagle-Vail, CO
2 – Braden Currie – 29, Wanaka, NZL
3 – Chris Ganter – 36, Boise, ID
4 – Branden Rakita – 34, Colorado Springs, CO
5 – Ryan Ignatz – 36, Boulder, CO
6 – Alex Modestou – 28, Durham, NC
8 – Brad Zoller – 37, Avon, CO
9 – Karsten Madsen – 23, Guelph, Ontario, CAN
12 – Chris Foster – 33, Redondo Beach, CA
16 – Olly Shaw – 23, Rotorua, NZL
17 – Chris Legh – 42, Melbourne, AUS
NR – Matt Lieto – 36, Bend, OR
NR – Kieran McPherson – 23, Waikato, NZL
NR – John O’Neill – 25, Edwards, CO
NR – Will Ross – 26, Anchorage, AK
NR – Andrew Russell – 35, Victoria, B.C., CAN
NR – Walter Schafer – 24, Centenniel, CO
NR – Brian Smith – 39, Gunnison, CO
NR – Todd Wells – 39, Durango, CO
NR – Noah Wright – 41, Austin, TX

Here’s a look at the women’s elite start list:

No. – Name – Age, Hometown
1 – Emma Garrard – 33, Park City, UT
2 – Suzie Snyder – 33, Fredericksburg, VA
4 – Sara Schuler – 34, Boulder, CO
5 – Maia Ignatz – 34, Boulder, CO
6 – Kara LaPoint – 28, Truckee, CA
7 – Catherine Sterling – 38, Ayer, MA
8 – Debby Sullivan – 33, Rocklin, CA
11 – Jaime Brede – 38, Breckenridge, CO
12 – Rebecca Blatt – 35, Lakewood, CO
15 – Caroline Colonna – 51, Taos, NM
NR – Jenny Fletcher – 39, Santa Monica, CA
NR – Genevieve Evans – 42, Carnelian Bay, CA

Follow the elite race live on twitter @xterraoffroad, #xterraUTAH starting at 9am MST on Sept. 19.

XTERRA NATIONALS QUICK FACTS

WHO: More than 1,000 athletes from 45 states ages 9-to-76.
WHAT: The XTERRA USA Championship triathlon and XTERRA Utah short and long course tri’s are on Saturday, plus kids races, clinics, and Ogden’s annual Harvest Moon Celebration, and the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship half-marathon and 5k, 10k fun runs are on Sunday.
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, September 18-20, 2014
The XTERRA Expo is from 10am to 6pm on Friday in Ogden
The XTERRA USA Championship race starts at 9am Saturday
The XTERRA Trail Run Nationals race starts at 9am Sunday
WHERE: Ogden on Friday and Snowbasin Resort on Sat/Sun
WHY: Both the XTERRA Tri and Trail Run National Championship races are the culmination of 70-race nationwide series, that end with a best-of-the-best showdown in Utah.
TV: XTERRA TV is producing an hour-long, nationally broadcast television show on the USA Championship, highlighting Northern Utah as a mecca for outdoor adventure recreation. Watch highlights from last year: https://vimeo.com/106709346

WEBSITE: www.xterrautah.com
PRESS GUIDE: http://www.xterraplanet.com/uploadedfiles/2015XTERRANationalsGuide.pdf

Follow the elite race live on twitter @xterraoffroad, #xterraUTAH starting at 9am MST on Sept. 19.

The 2015 XTERRA Nationals weekend is presented by the Utah Sports Commission, Paul Mitchell, and XTERRA Travel. Sponsors include Outrigger Resorts, the GOAL Foundation, Gatorade Endurance, PowerBar, ENVE, Utah Media Group, the U.S. Forest Service, XTERRA Wetsuits, Snowbasin Resort, Muscle Milk, XTERRA Fitness, LifeProof, Optic Nerve Sunglasses, Greenlayer, Salming, and XTERRA ??Boards.

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