When my good friend and professional Xterra athlete Will Kelsay started pushing feelers about this race I knew I had to be there. Not because I have a man crush on this awesome dude (or do I?). It's because I knew that having Mr. Kelsay at a race, whether as a racer or an organizer means that the race will be a great one!
The race was held on the same weekend with Xterra Mexico so I calculated that the best of the best in the Panam series would be racing in Tapalpa. I was, luckily for me, right about this one.
Will helped me arrange a last-minute homestay with a family. Nikki and Doug made me feel home. Doug is an avid and active cyclist in the area and even helped me clean my bike the night before the race.
The bike course was a one-lap not-too-technical course. It reminded me of the course over good old Harmon Lake in Mandan, ND. Fast, windy, short punchy hills, heaps of sand and brush to end up in. The faster you go the more difficult it gets.
Race day came and I was ready for this. Or so I thought. My last Xterra was back in 2016 in Canada. Since then I'd had my fair share of injuries and bad lucks. This race was to shake the rust off and get motivated for the remainder of the season.
When the gun went off we all splashed into the water. I say I had a pretty decent swim, came out of the water in front of former world champion Lesley Paterson — that was a booster for me.
On the bike I had to pedal hard to fight off Lesley's continued attacks to pass me on the single track. At that point I still wasn't up to full speed. When I finally found my biking legs I was able to pull away and ride my own rhythm.
After getting off the bike I put my fears up on that shelf and I blew out of T2. I kept at it and passed back a few guys who got ahead of me on the bike. I ran the first lap reserved and picked up the tempo for the second lap.
Placing 5th in the pro division was a great feeling but completing the course without any injuries was even better.
The race concluded with a huge slip n slide at the finish line that was probably the highlight of the entire race. Organization-wise the race was top-notch.
Thanks again to Will, Doug and Nikki, and all the friends and family of other Xterra racers who clapped, yelled, and supported as I ran/biked past — even if you didn't mean to cheer me on — it felt great!