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Source: Conrad Stoltz
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Behold my lovely 2006 cycling kit. World Champion stripes on the sleeves and all. Thanks Carrie from Saucony for hours and hours (and hundreds of emails) spent on my nice kit. Also have a cool race kit. (Have been too fast for the cameras so far, will have to wait)

BACK ON TRACK:
It is nice to be back at the races. What makes Xterra so special is that people were really happy to see me wearing race kit. (Instead of wearing a cast. Or bandages) Everyone was smiling, the organizing folk at Team Unlimited, supporters, and yes, even the athletes. (As far as I could tell anyway)

TRAINING:
Training was an after-thought following months and months of hair raising injuries. 90% were trauma related- broken hand, cracked ribs, almost cracked patella, lifted toe nail and torn Achilles. All separate incidents. Check out www.conradstoltz.com for "The Arm", "Owwww, why I'm not racing Xterra Temecula. Rated PG 13 VL" and "Injury treatment kit" for nightmare stories.

Since getting ready for Worlds in October, I haven't followed a training program for more than 3 weeks at a time. Cant wait to get cracking on Libby's training programs, but so far I have been coached by doctors, physios, and pain levels. Imagine training programs like: "OK, wear this cast for 6 weeks and don't consider any training for 4 weeks, thereafter you may wiggle your fingers a few minutes a day"* or after 2 weeks of no running or cycling and hundreds of acupuncture needles in my Achilles: "try to jog 20 minutes on a firm surface, and we see how it goes. If all is well you can try to cycle 20 minutes on the trainer the following day" That was 3 weeks ago, so needless to say I was stoked just to be on the start line, fairly confident that nothing will break or tear before the finish.

* Take with pinch of salt

THE RACE:

Hang on, lets call it:
THE EXPERIMENT:
Alabama is a hot and steamy place with lukewarm, swampy bodies of water. No wetsuits. Pacing was crucial with fitness levels like that, so I gave up the usual 1.15 to the leaders.

The bike course is certainly one of the best I have ever ridden. 100% forest trails. Mostly tight, twisty singletrack with rocks and roots, but also some fire roads. (one has to drink ones Clif Electrolyte drink somewhere)

The highlight of the bike course was Blood Rock. Spectators loved it and so did I.

Blood Rock. Note fully compressed Reba World Cup fork.

Rolling a big gear, I was really motoring the flats, but on the climbs the lack of fitness and the butt the size of Texas showed*.

Fastest bike of the day and started the run with a 1.30 lead.

From what I had heard the 2nd half of the run course is nothing but up and down. Sketchy footing on the steep down hills. Considering the fragile nature of my Achilles, I decided the run course should remain a mystery until race day. Racing in training shoes would complete the "I did all I could- short of staying home" argument. Felt pretty good on the flats, but then I hit the first cliff. It was long and it was nasty. And it went straight up. And up, and up.

The down was straight down, the only way to slow down involved grabbing onto a tree, or trees.

Brent came chugging past up the 2nd hill, and offered words of encouragement. (Told you Xterra folks are cool) I asked "how many hills to go?" Answer: "4".

Boy, sure was pretty out there. Lush, green forest, moss covered rocks, the sweet music of a mountain stream, trickling though fern dotted ravines. Too bad my legs were on fire, my head wanted to explode, it was 97 degrees, and Seth was running like a rabid dog. Instinct urged me to cling to life, so I power walked the 2nd and the 3rd and the 4th hills**. I counted a few more, but maybe they were hallucinations. Can't remember.

I could hear the finish and was sitting in 3rd. Not bad for a fat guy. Points was what I wanted. Just one last downhill. "CRACK!, CRASH!, BOOM!, RUMBLE!", I looked around and Andrew Noble was freefalling through the forest. Branches broke, rocks rolled, vegetation flew everywhere and Andy was foaming at the mouth. Guess he wanted 3rd real bad. We hit the last 300m, which is flat (!?) I was on his heels and we started a mad dash for the line. He took 3rd , behind Brent McMahon (1st) and Seth Wealing in 2nd. The Guy with the Smile took 4th.

Achilles were fine, I was fine.

I am fine.

Feels good.

Stay tuned for Xterra Richmond this Sunday. My last out-of-shape-race before the ripping-legs-off season opens.

*Burned off a few more acres, and now its probably the size of the Kruger National Park. Which is bigger than Holland.
** Yes the hills were that steep.

Conrad Stoltz
They call me "the Caveman." I am: 6ft 3, weigh 85kg, 32 years old. Professional triathlete for the past 14 years. I am an African. (Gets me funny looks in America). I am also: Two time Olympian, two time Xterra World Champion, (off road triathlon) 5 time All Africa Triathlon Champion and 5 time South African Triathlon Champion... Learn more about Conrad at ConradStoltz.com