It was the closest finish in XTERRA’s 21-year history. After a 1.5k swim, a 17.7 mile mountain bike leg and a 10 kilometer trail run, Josiah Middaugh of the U.S. out-leaned Braden Currie of New Zealand at the finish by 7/100th of a second to win the inaugural XTERRA Pan America Championship at Ogden, Utah.
As you can see by this finish line photo, determining the difference between the winner’s 2:20:23.57 time and the runner-up’s 2:20:23.64 time was not a simple, cut-and-dried photo finish. In the pictures and videos it looks as if Currie slid his leg under the finish line and over the timing mat ahead of Middaugh. But Currie’s timing chip was on his trailing leg, which was behind Middaugh’s timing chip.
“To be honest I was coming down that hill and I had about five seconds on him when I last looked and I knew I couldn’t afford to look back and so I didn’t really know how close he was until I saw him right on my shoulder which was right on the finish,” Currie told XTERRA media. “I did everything I could, and the last thing I thought was maybe if I get something across the line before him, then I would win, but obviously that wasn’t quite right.”
“I don’t think it could have gotten any closer than that,” Middaugh told XTERRA media. The reigning XTERRA World Champion from Eagle-Vail, Colorado finished 26-seconds ahead of Currie at the USA Championship held on this same course last year.
In the women's race, Suzie Snyder and Julie Baker came out of the swim in the lead. Snyder then established a 5-minute lead on the mountain bike leg, and held off a strong run by Lizzy Orchard of New Zealand to finish in 2:51:51 with a 3 minute margin of victory.
With their wins, Middaugh and Snyder also won the inaugural XTERRA Pan Am Pro Series titles after a 10 race series that began in Costa Rica in March, and included events in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Mexico before concluding with the championship finale in Utah. The Snowbasin Resort venue was a true test which included an 18-mile mountain bike leg that climbed 3,000 feet to the top of 7,400 foot high Sardine Peak and finished with a grueling up and down 6-mile trail run.
Men
The road to the finish was a building prelude to the drama at the end. Currie emerged from the swim in Pineview Reservoir in a lead pack and then took the lead on the bike followed closely by Leon Griffin of Australia. Middaugh made up half of his 1:15 deficit after the swim with a race-best 1:21:16 bike split, but it took him all 10 kilometers of the run before he caught Currie.
“I was putting everything into the course every minute of the day and I wanted to make the catch halfway through the bike and I didn’t do that, and I didn’t make the catch at the top of the climb,” Middaugh told XTERRA media. “I got within 30-seconds going into the run. I was like ‘okay, I got to get close in this first mile,’ and I got a little bit closer and thought ‘I got to make this catch by the top of this mile,’ and I didn’t make the catch. I was 10-15 seconds behind with 2 miles to go and that last 2 miles I kept getting within 10 seconds of Currie then I would fall, because I was just like hanging it all out there and I caught my toe on some rocks, tumbled, got back up. With less than a mile to go I was just 5 seconds behind and then all of a sudden I started feeling tired and wasn’t sure if I had anything left. So I started working hard again and I came in with about 5 seconds to go and I told myself ‘Okay this is it’ one last full-on kick and see if it’s enough.”
Leon Griffin finished third, Felipe Barraza fourth and Rom Akerson fifth.
Women
Suzie Snyder wrapped up a near-perfect season that included 5 wins. Snyder and Julie Baker led the swim and Snyder charged first into the mountain bike segment and built a 5 minute lead at T2. Lizzy Orchard passed Baker and Amanda Felder by the end of the bike and was able to take back 2 minutes from Snyder on the run, but still fell 3 minutes short.
“I came off the bike and as always the first climb on the run sucked, but I just kept thinking that you can lose it here, and you are not going to win by going all out,” Snyder told XTERRA media. “Someone told me I had a minute and a half, but I really had five. With a minute and a half you can still get caught if you’re not careful so you can’t settle in too much. I didn’t want to go crazy, then I started cramping and I was like oh no! about half way I was like okay, you’re half way, you got this, just stay smooth and let it roll downhill then my legs started cramping and I was like NO! don’t eat it, you could lose it right here if you eat it, so I just tried to keep my cadence going and my feet under me and then that last half-mile I just tried to enjoy it.”
“Someone told me I was 5 minutes down at T2 and I thought ewww, that is a bit of an ask, but you never know, so I went my pace and I think I pulled back a couple of minutes,” said Orchard. “I am really excited and I am pleased with how good I felt with the cold and the altitude. I really enjoyed it.”
Baker, who upset Snyder to win XTERRA Beaver Creek in July, was happy with third place. “I can’t believe I am competing in a pro race and doing so well, it’s just awesome,” said Baker. “Lizzie and Suzie are amazing and I am super psyched to be up there with them.”
Maia Ignatz had the women’s fastest run of the day (46:06) to finish 4th, 1:17 ahead of 5th place Kara LaPoint.
XTERRA Pan America Championship
Snowbasin Resort / Ogden, Utah
September 17, 2016
S .93 mi. / MTB 17.7 mi. / TR 6.2 mi.
Results
Men
1. Josiah Middaugh (USA) 2:20:33.57
2. Braden Currie (NZL) 2:20:33.64
3. Leon Griffin (AUS) 2:24:10
4. Felipe Barraza (CHL) 2:25:50
5. Rom Akerson (CRC) 2:25:59
Women
1. Suzie Snyder (USA) 2:21:51
2. Lizzie Orchard (NZL) 2:54:51
3. Julie Baker (USA) 2:57:57
4. Maia Ignatz (USA) 3:00:26
5. Kara Lapoint (USA) 3:01:43
2016 XTERRA Pan Am Pro Series Final Standings
Men
1. Josiah Middaugh (USA) 442 points
2. Rom Akerson (CRC) 391
3. Karsten Madsen (CAN) 375
4. Branden Rakita (USA) 314
5. Kieran McPherson (NZL) 284
Women
1. Suzie Snyder (USA) 450
2. Maia Ignatz (USA) 364
3. Lara Lapoint (USA) 347
4. Myriam Guillot-Boisset (FRA) 332
5. Sabrina Gobbo (BRA) 311
