The weather and the action were equally hot at the 18th XTERRA World Championship held at the Kapalua Resort on the island of Maui. Ruben Ruzafa of Spain won his second XTERRA World Championship after a four year hiatus to pursue World Cup mountain biking. Women's winner Nicky Samuels of New Zealand said she was persuaded by a favorite auntie to do a race the whole family could take in during a Hawaiian holiday.

All photos © Timothy Carlson/Slowtwitch

Josiah Middaugh passes Richard Murray at Mile 5 of the bike. Middaugh went on to 4th place, Murray, who said his tank was empty this day, faded to 12th.

Carla Van Huyssteen of South Africa and Heather Jackson of the USA mug for the camera before the swim start.

Katie Button of Canada looks confident before the start.

Women's amateur swim wave start.

Women's amateur swim wave charges into the surf.

Men's amateur swim wave.

Professionals heading back to shore after the first loop of the swim.

Nicky Samuels chases after women's elite swim leader Flora Duffy. Samuels' 19:50 swim put 1:46 on runner-up Lesley Paterson - a large part of her 2:26 margin of victory.

Runner-up Asa Shaw used his strength to post a 1:36:37 bike split - 3:26 behind winner Ruben Ruzafa - and it did not slow down his race-best 39:24 run.

Josiah Middaugh on the bike, hard at work making up for his swim deficit.

Barbara Riveros of Chile rode a 2nd-best 1:53:53 women's bike split on her way to 4th place.

Ben Allen rode a 3rd-best 1:36:00 bike split that brought him to T2 30 seconds behind leader Ruben Ruzafa.

Nicky Samuels opened a big lead after this long downhill.

Leonardo Chacon rode hard for a 1:37:48 bike split on his way to a 9th place finish.

Ruben Ruzafa was ecstatic with his second XTERRA World Championship victory - his first XTERRA world title was in 2008.

Josiah Middaugh carries a US flag and his 3-year-old daughter down the finish chute,

Conrad Stoltz added a 6th place finish to his excellent, 4-win resume at Maui.

The stalking - Flora Duffy was running 2nd when she ran out of gas on DT Fleming Beach just a quarter mile from the finish line. Lesley Paterson looms ever larger in the rear view mirror.

Duffy struggles valiantly, but it's hard to maintain form when you are fighting total exhaustion.

Lesley Paterson gathers all her energy for a pass on Flora Duffy just 100 yards from the finish.