Middaugh, Riou Win XTERRA Dominican Republic

Press Release / 17.08.2017

Reigning XTERRA Pan America Tour Champion Josiah Middaugh from Colorado and Morgane Riou from France won the 2nd annual XTERRA Dominican Republic Championship race elite titles on a clear, sunny day at the Casa Bonita Tropical Lodge in Barahona this morning.

It's the fifth straight win of the season for Middaugh, and the 29th major victory of his storied career. For Riou, it's her first XTERRA World Tour win as an elite.

In the men's race two-time Olympian Leonardo Chacon from Costa Rica took the early lead with a swim that was two-minutes faster than the rest of the field, but Middaugh turned in the fastest bike of the day to take a two-minute lead of his own into the bike-to-run transition then posted the fastest run of the day to take the tape in 2:25:55, more than two minutes in front of runner-up Kieran McPherson. "This race is the closest representation to the Maui course we have on the Pan American circuit, so it was good for me to come to this amazing location and test myself on a challenging tropical course against great competition like Kieran and Leonardo," said Middaugh.

McPherson said, "I was happy to get out of the water with Branden and Josiah, as I knew Josiah would be riding up to the front of the race.  I managed to stay close on the first long lap with a small gap at the top of the first major climb, however it was extended on the second loop.  I was happy to share a similar run spit to Josiah.  I will be the first to commit to next year's race here."

Chacon, still recovering from a stress fracture suffered early in the season, finished third followed by Pan Am Pro Series points leader Branden Rakita in fourth, and Julien Buffe from France in fifth.
 
Pos     Name, NAT     Time     Points
1     Josiah Middaugh, USA     2:25:55     75
2     Kieran McPherson, NZL     2:28:24     67
3     Leonardo Chacon, CRC     2:33:46     61
4     Branden Rakita, USA     2:47:23     56
5     Julien Buffe, FRA     2:47:47     51

In the women's race Jessie Koltz led out of the water, roughly two-minutes ahead of Riou and Genevieve Evans. By the mid-way point on the first big climb Riou took the lead, followed next by Kara LaPoint about 15-seconds back, with Evans in third. From there the young French stand-out extended her lead to three-minutes at the bike-to-run transition and then she did what she does best … run.  Her run time was nearly three minutes faster than LaPoint, who came in second-place about six-minutes later.

Evans was third, with Laura Mira Dias from Brazil in fourth, and Koltz in fifth.

"I really went for it today" said LaPoint. "I was going for the win. Having not yet won an XTERRA major, I was really hopeful I could make my first one happen here in the DR, which is a very special place for me. I knew it would take a truly stellar day, as Morgane is in such great form right now. After getting out of the water a little behind, I fought hard to pull back time on the bike, and got within about 15 seconds near the top of the climb on the first lap, but I made a few critical mistakes that set me back, and I lost contact. In the end, Morgane was just too strong today, and she left no room for error out there. She really had an amazing race, and I am very happy for her on taking her first win here – I know she wanted it bad as well! While I didn't quite get the result I wanted, I am happy with my day. I gave it everything, I felt strong out there, and I am very pleased with 2nd today. All the women turned in a super strong showing, which was cool to see. It was another amazing experience here at Casa Bonita, the host hotel. This venue is fantastic, and truly one of my very favorite races!"

Evans, who is back in the pro ranks after spending a brief stint back in the amateur field, added "XTERRA DR was my second international XTERRA experience and it was truly an adventure. I enjoy doing races that are out of my norm and this was certainly the case. Swimming in the Caribbean Sea as the sun rose and exchanging greetings with other racers on the out and back run course along the river were some of the highlights.  The volunteers, other racers, and locals were supportive and put on a good race."
 
Pos     Name, NAT      Time     Points
1     Morgane Riou, FRA     3:00:05     75
2     Kara LaPoint, USA     3:06:46     67
3     Genevieve Evans, USA     3:19:54     61
4     Laura Mira, BRA     3:25:13     56
5     Jessie Koltz, USA     3:34:01     51