Four time XTERRA World Champion Conrad Stoltz of South Africa won an emotion-filled victory in honor of his father Gert, who died Monday, and Renata Bucher of Switzerland won an adrenaline-charged sprint to the tape with XTERRA World Champion Lesley Paterson to win the titles at the XTERRA West Championship at Lake Las Vegas, Nevada Saturday.
“I thought about my Dad a lot, and Liezel [his wife], and our faith that has carried us through this,” Stoltz told XTERRA media after pointing to the heavens as he crossed the finish line with a solid margin of victory over runner-up Josiah Middaugh. “This one is for my Dad. Tomorrow, we’ll go home for his funeral.”
Stoltz built up an early lead with a good swim and a race-best bike split to withstand Middaugh’s race-best run and cross the line in 2:08:22 with 1 minute 40 seconds in hand. Stoltz’s fellow South African Dan Hugo was another 3:05 back of Middaugh to take third.
Richard Stannard from the United Kingdom led the swim in 18:11, followed by Hugo (-24), Branden Rakita (-35), Craig Evans (-44), and Stoltz (-58 seconds).
“I lost a bit of time on the swim and I felt good on the bike and made it up,” Stoltz told XTERRA media. Caveman then reeled in all four men early on the rugged bike course and started to build his lead. “My bike was set-up perfect for this course. I was happy to make three minutes on Dan and more than four on Josiah. You need at least four because Josiah makes a minute up on each hill.”
Middaugh had the fastest run of the day –37:18 -- and caught Hugo, but couldn’t reel in the Caveman, who held firm with a 40:04 run after his masterful 1:09:09 bike.
It’s the fourth straight year Stoltz and Middaugh have finished first and second at this race. Stoltz now leads the rivalry 3-to-1.
But the race of the day – and the closest margin of victory in the 17-year-history of XTERRA – came down to the last yards in the women’s contest.
The back and forth struggle between Bucher and Peterson was a perfectly balanced setup for the final sprint.
Bucher, coming off three straight XTERRA wins in Guam, the Philippines and Saipan last month, overcame Paterson’s 62-second advantage after the swim with a race-best 1:20:19 bike which gave her a 2 minutes 43 seconds lead over Paterson starting the final leg.
Using every ounce of her dominating run power, Paterson arrived on Bucher’s shoulder with 200 yards to go but slightly out of gas. And then the Swiss star refused to melt under the heat of the Scotswoman’s charge.
“We ran the last 200 yards like that together,” Paterson told XTERRA media. ”I tried to pass real quickly but she held on and sat on my tail. My thighs were burning and I was dying, then I went for the sprint and it was downhill - and I’m really good at that and thought I had it.”
As they exploded down a precipitous downhill to the finish chute, they were both on the edge of control. A step before the line, Paterson stumbled and fell to the dirt as Bucher broke the tape just 3/10s of a second ahead in a time of 2:27:24.18.
After an XTERRA course official helped an exhausted Paterson to her feet, the two rivals who had created such a dramatic moment hugged in mutual appreciation.
“It was so hard, oh my goodness,” said Bucher. “I left everything I had on that course, and I ran my heart out. What a great race. Lesley made me work so hard. I wish we hadn’t sprinted like that, though. It really hurt.”
“Renata is incredible, she’s going really well right now,” Paterson told XTERRA media. “I thought I might just get her at the end but she held on like a trooper. If anybody should’ve won it’s her.”
Behind the emotional finish were notable performances. Emma Garrard matched her career-best XTERRA finish with a third place, 7 minutes and 10 seconds behind the duel for the win, Near the end of the run, Danelle Bush passed fellow Canadian Melanie McQuaid, who came to the race sick and sub-par after big win at Ironman 70.3 California. At the line, Calgary’s Kabush topped Victoria, B.C.'s McQuaid by 29 seconds for 4th place. Ironman star Kate Major, in her second XTERRA race, took 7th, 3:28 behind sixth place Suzie Snyder.
XTERRA West Championship
Lake Las Vegas – Henderson, Nevada
April 14, 2012
S 1.5k / MTB 30k / TR 10k
Results
Men
1. Conrad Stoltz (RSA) 2:08:22
2. Josiah Middaugh (USA) 2:10:02
3. Dan Hugo (RSA) 2:13:07
4. Chris Legh (AUS) 2:13:35
5. Branden Rakita (USA) 2:15:18
6. David Henestrosa (USA) 2:16:11
7. Craig Evans (USA) 2:16:47
8. Doug Hall (GBR) 2:18:03
9. Ryan Petry (USA ) 2:20:07 * M20-24
10. Lewis Elliot (USA) 2:20:39
Women
1. Renata Bucher (SUI) 2:27:24
2. Lesley Paterson (GBR) 2:27:24
3. Emma Garrard (USA) 2:34:42
4. Danelle Kabush (CAN) 2:36:41
5. Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 2:37:10
6. Suzie Snyder (USA) 2:37:19
7. Kate Major (AUS) 2:40:47
8. Beth Walsh (USA) 2:41:26
9. Hannah Finchamp (USA) 2:45:38 * F15-19
10. Sara Tarkington (USA) 2:45:48
