Middaugh, Paterson break through at XTERRA USA Championships
Press Release / 27.09.2012
MEN’S RACE
Middaugh, 34, has been the top-ranked American male in the XTERRA Series for seven of the past eight years, but until today, had never placed higher than third at the USA Championship. He finished with a winning time of 2:26:34.
“Finally,” said Middaugh, who resides in Eagle-Vail, Colorado. “More relief than anything. This is a really special win for me to pull this off for the first time.” He did it in impressive fashion, finishing nearly two minutes ahead of runner-up Ben Allen of Australia. Middaugh’s lead was large enough for him to grab his two children in his arms just before he crossed the finish line. “It was just a special day for me,” he said. “I felt good, my training has been good for the last three months and it showed today.” Middaugh is regarded as one of the fastest runners on the XTERRA circuit, so when he took the lead midway through the bike course, it was a matter of him staying upright the rest of the way.
“I caught the leaders early, about mile 6 or 7,” he said. “That first downhill Conrad (Stoltz) got back ahead of me, and it wasn’t until about mile 9 that I passed him again for the second time. But I was so tentative on the downhill, I was just so worried about flatting, or having something ruining a good performance. I knew my fitness was good, I just had to be careful everywhere. I was a little bit too nervous, but it worked out.”
Allen placed second in 2:28:46 for his best showing at the USA Championship. He was the first out of the swim, and stayed with the lead pack throughout the bike. “On the bike, I just tried to stay in a nice rhythm,” Allen said. “Last year, that’s sort of where I lost it, so I was really determined to bounce back from last year and have a strong ride.” Despite a crash on one of the downhills, Allen still managed to enter the run in third place, behind Middaugh and Stoltz. “I caught Conrad (on the run) and I was trying to catch Josiah, but he was too strong today,” Allen said.
France’s Nico Lebrun, who won the XTERRA USA Championship race last year, also passed Stoltz during the run to take third place in 2:29:02. “I felt more of the altitude, I don’t know why,” Lebrun said. “I was not feeling really good (on the bike) and then on the run I felt better again.”
Stoltz finished fourth (2:30:47), which was enough to edge Middaugh for the U.S. Series title. If Stoltz had placed fifth, Middaugh would have won the series. “I’ve been racing XTERRA for 12 years now, so being able to win 10 series titles means a lot to me. It’s been an amazing journey.” Middaugh entered the race with a full beard on his face – part of his strategy a few months ago to stop shaving until he won a race (he shaved immediately after the race). It prompted Stoltz to say: “All I can say is I think I’m going to grow a beard for Maui.”
The XTERRA World Championship will take place at Kapalua, Maui, next month.
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