THIS WEEK: XTERRA stars Seth Wealing and Conrad Stoltz ready for races on opposite ends of the Globe, the upcoming XTERRA West Championship heats up with training clinics and a strong-willed trail run promoter, XTERRA Gear gets spring fever, and the USA Championship show hits markets in Pennsylvania and Montana.

UPCOMING RACES:
4/14 – XTERRA New Zealand Championship (Rotorua)
4/14 – XTERRA South Africa Championship (Western Cape)
4/14 – XTERRA Merrimack River Trail Run (Andover, MA)
4/21 – XTERRA Arizona Xtreme (Mesa, AZ)
4/21 – XTERRA Belly of the Beast Trail Run (Knoxville, TN)
4/28 – XTERRA Ft. Yargo (Winder, GA)
4/28 – XTERRA Gator Terra (Ruston, LA)
4/29 – XTERRA Castaic (Castaic, CA)
5/20 – XTERRA West Championship (Temecula, CA)

WALK 4 A CURE: Thanks to a “Mom on a Mission,” the beneficiary for the XTERRA Vail Lake Trail Run/Walk will be the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – Inland Empire Chapter. Laura Morales, whose 3-year-old daughter has Type 1 diabetes, went from an outgoing volunteer after her daughter was diagnosed with diabetes at age one, to an all-star special events coordinator for the JDRF. This last September Morales helped organize the local chapter’s annual Walk to Find a Cure, which raised $300,000 for research. The Colton, California resident is taking that same passion towards raising funds at the XTERRA West Championship benefit walk/run on May 19th at Vail Lake Resort in Temecula, CA. To learn more about diabetes or the JDRF visit www.jdrf.org or call 866.645-0101. To sign-up for the Saturday morning 5k trail run/walk or 10k trail run go to www.xterraplanet.com.

TEMECULA PRE-RIDE: XTERRA Ambassadors and LA Tri club members Todd Gottfried and Gina Detolve will host a pre-ride of the XTERRA West Championship bike & run course on Sun May 13th at 9am at the race site at Vail Lake Resort in Temecula. All abilities are welcome. Todd and Gina will have two free Temecula race entries to raffle off as well as some nice swag to distribute. If you’d like to attend, RSVP to Gina greenbean1111@yahoo.com so she can make appropriate arrangements with the resort.

WEALING IN NEW ZEALAND: Reigning XTERRA USA Champion Seth Wealing (28, Boulder, CO) is in Rotorua to tackle the XTERRA New Zealand Championship on Saturday. Wealing picked up his first career XTERRA win last year when he traveled to the XTERRA UK Championship. He finished the 2007 season with a brilliant 3rd place finish at the XTERRA World Championship in Maui (behind Kiwi Hamish Carter and Swiss legend Olivier Marceau).

Carter will be racing as part of a team to raise money for the Haemophilia Foundation of New Zealand, so won’t be defending his NZ individual title but there are strong local multisport athletes lined-up to carry the flag, led by 2007 Coast to Coast Champion Gordon Walker.

“Gordon Walker is certainly one of the best multisport athletes in the world and is in great form as displayed by his dominating performance at the 2007 Coast to Coast. Walker’s greatest challenge will be overcoming American Seth Wealing, who finished an agonizing 90 seconds behind Carter at the 2006 World Championships. He was also the clear winner of the 2006 XTERRA USA Tour and has traveled to New Zealand for one reason and that’s to win,” said local organizer Roger Mortimer.

Other pro men on the start list include Maui veterans Peter Gardner (GBR), Mark Leishman (AUS), and Yu Yumoto from Japan, as well as John Cornish, Greig Staples, Phil Stucki, and Tim Wilding.

On the women’s side 2006 XTERRA NZ Champ Gina Ferguson is back to defend her title while 2004-05 NZ Champ Sonia Hill looks to reclaim that crown. Other contenders include Kim Beckinsale, Catherine Dunn, Eloise Fry, Meagan Stewart and Nina Trass.

“The womens race will be a fascinating battle between 2007 Triathlon National Series Winner Gina Ferguson and two time XTERRA New Zealand winner, Sonia Foote. Ferguson and Foote have battled each other all summer during the National Series and it will undoubtedly come down to a battle between Foote’s biking and Ferguson’s running,” said Mortimer.

The international off road triathlon series is raced over a 1km lake swim, 30 km mountain bike and 11km trail run. The New Zealand course held in Rotorua’s stunning Blue Lake has been heralded as the most stunning course on the world circuit and up to 3,000 people are expected to participate in the festival’s various events.

Full Event Details www.xterranz.com

STOLTZ’ SOUTH AFRICA: Conrad “the Caveman” Stoltz gets back in action on Saturday in his hometown race. He’ll be challenging fellow countryman Lieuwe Boonstra, Dan Hugo, Iain Don-Wauchope and Kent Horner. The reigning XTERRA SA women's champion Michelle Lombardi will offer Hanlie Booyens and Carla Germishuys tough competition.

Full Event Details http://www.xterrasa.com/

XTERRA GEAR SALE: Athletes and those just into some cool gear and apparel looking to sharpen up their wardrobe before the racing season starts should check out XTERRA Gear’s spring sale. Go to www.xterragear.com and enter the discount code “spring” to get 30% off all products.

XTERRA TV: The 2006 XTERRA USA Championship show is on NBC affiliated in the following markets this Saturday, April 14th: Erie, PA @ 1:30pm; Missoula, MT @ 11:30am; and Butte, MT @ 11:30am.