This year's Nissan Xterra World Championship, the culmination of a national and international series of 46 qualifying events, will include AFCEA member Matthew Thompson, an information technology specialist for the Army at Program Executive Office, Enterprise Information Systems.
AFCEA International and the AFCEA Fort Belvoir Chapter are sponsoring Thompson, who is one of 400 athletes who will participate in the event October 26, 2003, in Wailea, Hawaii, on the island of Maui.
"My goal is a top 3 age group finish," stresses Thompson, who was the only qualifier from Richmond in the 20-24 age group invited to race at the 8th annual Nissan Xterra World Championships this year.
In the United States, 38 Points Series races pave the way to the World Championship. Events in Canada, Australia, Holland, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Saipan and Germany bring athletes from the Xterra Global Tour to compete at the world level. "Finding time to train 10 to 15 hours per week can be hard," said Thompson, after the qualifying race. "I split it up between swimming or running in the mornings and biking after work, either on base or close to home." He explains that the world championship course is known for its treacherous terrain, "so, probably, it will take about three hours to complete."
The Xterra race begins with a 1.5-kilometer rough water swim, then shifts gears to a 30-kilometer mountain bike (trail) ride and finishes off with an 11-kilometer trail run.
The rough water swim is two laps of a 750-meter triangular course, with a 150-meter beach sprint between laps.
Two-thirds of the total race time is the point-to-point mountain bike race on the slopes of the dormant Haleakala volcano. With more than 3,000 feet from sea level to the peak elevation of 1,420 feet, the Maui course has a brutal reputation.
More than a dozen different surfaces and some of Maui's most stunning oceanfront scenery make up the trail run. From the bike transition, participants will run a trail to a mile-long section of soft, white sand at Makena and duck off the beach to an obstacle-ridden trail. At the trail end, the athletes will continue their run on black sand, and then move on to the ankle-twisting, cobblestone path at Maui Prince.
Thompson's triathlon interest was spurred in college when he joined the James Madison University Triathlon Club. He thought the swimming and running in conjunction with cycling would accelerate his mountain bike racing. But he discovered an enjoyment for combining the three disciplines into one event.
He competed in his first triathlon the following year and fell in love with the sport. In 2001, he entered his first Xterra triathlon. "I remember feeling so relieved it was over when I crossed the finish line, placing 5th in the 20-24 age group. But then the feeling of accomplishment surfaced, and I was eager to compete the following year," he relates.
Thompson has also competed in a Half-Ironman, consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13.1-mile run, which he finished in 4 hours and 42 minutes. His racing has also included the Richmond, Virginia Xterra race in 2002 and 2003, placing first and second, respectively.
Race updates will be provided in real time at
http://www.xterraplanet.com/race/championship_world.html. Xterra's television crew will film the event, which will air on CBS Superbowl Saturday.
