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Stoltz, Paterson win XTERRA Pacific Championship

Press Release / 17.05.2011

May 15, 2011 (Wilder Ranch State Park - Santa Cruz, CA) - Smiles ruled the day as Conrad Stoltz, 37, from South Africa and Lesley Paterson, 30, of Scotland won the inaugural XTERRA Pacific Championship at Wilder Ranch State Park in Santa Cruz, California this morning.

The tone was set by XTERRA great Jamie Whitmore, the most successful off-road triathlete of all-time with a world title and 37 championship wins, who was back on the bike and in her first race since 2007 after a bout with cancer that took her glute muscle, hamstring, calf and left her with no feeling in her foot. With a help of the Challenged Athletes Foundation and a brace for her leg, she raced and won the physically challenged division of the XTERRA sport race today to the heart-warming admiration and joy of the entire XTERRA community.

Combine the good vibes from Whitmore with the sexy swim start spot right on the Santa Cruz Wharf with crowds lining the pier, waves crashing on the shore, and the sun shining brightly on a cool and crisp Northern California morning and you had all the right ingredients for a fabulous event.

The victory for the “Caveman," however, didn’t come easy as his fellow countryman Dan Hugo pushed him to the extent of his resources. “I’m really happy to win here today because it’s been a tough week, a tough couple weeks actually as I’ve been sick since I got back from Spain,” said Stoltz, who won the ITU Cross Tri World Championship in Spain on April 30. “Since then I swam once and ran once. Yesterday I didn’t feel like racing, and the day before I was in bed all day, so today I just really hung in there because it was tough. Glad I won this race despite everything not going to well. That’s what the Caveman’s all about.”