2026 XTERRA World Championship: 30 Years of Racing Leads to Ruidoso, New Mexico

Story by Ari Altun

XTERRA began in Maui in 1996 and held its World Championship there for 25 years before moving to Molveno, Italy, in 2022. After four editions beneath the Brenta Dolomites, the event returns to the United States for its 30th anniversary on a course that draws pieces from each of its previous homes.

Ruidoso will spend the second week of October welcoming athletes, families and supporters from around the world, with the first course sessions beginning several days before the World Championship, which officially runs from October 8-11. 

“Grindstone’s trails evoke Makena’s volcanic rock, the steep climbs echo Kapalua’s course, and Molveno brought lots of singletrack,” said Kirk Ermels, Technical Director of XTERRA Americas.

The current Full Distance course consists of a 1.5K swim in Grindstone Lake, 27K on the mountain bike and a 10K trail run finishing at Wingfield Park. The lake sits above 6,900 feet, while the bike course climbs towards 7,800 feet on its way to Grindstone Mesa. Riders will encounter tight and rocky singletrack, loose surfaces, switchbacks and a long climb before beginning the descent towards transition.

The bike and run courses open for practice on the Monday before the race, followed by community rides, runs, swims and mountain-bike skills sessions. Guided hikes, yoga, a 5K trail run, the Midtown Shop Hop and a Family Zone give those not competing their own ways to enjoy the week.

Ruidoso has not waited until October to prove it can welcome a major international field. The inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Ruidoso took place from July 10-12, 2026. XTERRA arrived first in August 2025, when the village held the event that introduced its off-road trails to athletes and provided an early test before Worlds.

“Our discussions focused on successfully introducing XTERRA Ruidoso to the 2025 World Tour, but that quickly blossomed into deeper conversations,” said XTERRA Americas Tour Manager Steve Andrus. Those conversations took place as the community continued its recovery from the fires and floods of 2024, with local officials, businesses and volunteers working together on an event that could grow into the world championship.

A Look at Ruidoso Before the World Arrives

Michael Pearce made the trip to Ruidoso in 2025 before the first XTERRA to inspect the town, Grindstone Lake and the lower sections of the course. He returned in August to race it himself, replacing his early impressions with first-hand knowledge of the climb, the mesa and the descent.

“In one word, wow,” Pearce said. “If there was ever a mountain town built for an XTERRA event, Ruidoso is it. It just screams outdoors, adventure, fun and wild. Although the area is famous for horse racing at Ruidoso Downs, they actually have herds of wild horses living freely in and around town.”

Pearce described Ruidoso as an all-season mountain town where athletes could spend time with the people who accompany them rather than organising the entire trip around race day. “There are an endless number of shops and places to eat downtown, and you could walk around there for hours,” he said. “It is a welcoming community that takes pride in its culture and city. There are numerous murals that show that pride and the colour of New Mexican culture.”

Racing in August allowed him to complete what he had started and understand how quickly the course changes after leaving the lake. “Be ready for a tough and sometimes steep climb after you make the turn onto the road,” Pearce said. “The altitude is above 7,000 feet and climbs near 7,800 feet. Once you’re on top of the mesa, the trail winds through a fun, curving section with small, rounded rocks you’ll have to navigate.”

“After finishing the mesa section, you begin to descend. You’ll need to stay focused because the tight singletrack has varied terrain, many switchbacks, tight turns and loose rocks. It doesn’t relent until you finish.”

Pearce completed his pre-ride in cool, clear conditions without wind or precipitation. He knows October could introduce a different version of the same trail, especially across the exposed portions of the course, but he also believes the route offers a legitimate test across a wide range of mountain-bike abilities.

“I would say there should be something on the course that fits your skills and challenges your ability, from experts to beginners,” he said. “Weather could increase the difficulty greatly, so everybody will have to be prepared for what the day brings.”

The run continues across rocky singletrack around Grindstone Lake before leaving the trails for the final approach towards Wingfield Park. “The first 75% of the run is true singletrack with many rocky sections,” he said. “It finishes through a section of the disc golf course and then comes back to the park through the neighborhood streets. From there it winds through town and finishes downhill, where there will be music and families cheering as you cross the line.”

The Bills Mafia Finds XTERRA

Pearce’s connection with fellow athlete, Daniel Leon began three years before Ruidoso, without either man planning it. Pearce had returned to regular XTERRA racing in 2023, 40 years after completing his first triathlon, and qualified for the 2023 World Championship in Molveno, Italy. Leon had been trying to reach the same event since discovering XTERRA in Puerto Rico.

Leon was born in New Jersey but moved to Puerto Rico when he was three and has lived there for most of his life. After studying at the University of Michigan, he returned to the island and spent 15 years working as a structural engineer before eventually moving into the cycling industry. He began mountain biking around 30, added triathlon several years later and carried the ambition of reaching an XTERRA World Championship for much longer than he expected.

“Ever since I did my first XTERRA, way back when, I wanted to qualify for the world championship,” Leon said. “It seemed like a possibility because I was doing triathlons and rode mountain bikes. It never happened, and I put the thought on the back burner until 2023, when the first championship qualifier in Puerto Rico took place. I won my age group and received the ticket.”

Leon travelled to Molveno with his wife, Aida, who accompanies him to nearly every event. They were walking beside the lake one day before the race when a voice called across to them.

“Somebody yelled, ‘Go Bills,’ and I thought, ‘What the heck?’” Leon recalled. “My wife is a huge Buffalo Bills fan and always wears something to represent. That afternoon she was wearing a Bills sweatshirt. Bills Mafia always recognize each other with the ‘Go Bills’ anthem.”

The voice belonged to Pearce, who was visiting from Wyoming with his wife, Becky. Aida and Becky exchanged contact information, and the two couples went on with their world championship week. Leon did not expect the same people to appear several thousand miles away seven months later.

“I was back at XTERRA Puerto Rico, this time in Cabo Rojo, and I saw an athlete who looked like Mike after the gravel race,” Leon said. “I wasn’t sure, so I mentioned it to Aida. She wrote to Becky and asked where she was. Becky had completely forgotten we were from Puerto Rico, but they were there. Aida was so happy to meet her again, this time in Puerto Rico.”

A brief meeting beside Lake Molveno had led Pearce and Becky to the Caribbean, and now the four of them will be reunited in Ruidoso. Leon sees their friendship as representative of the difference he found after moving from road racing into XTERRA.

“The community is totally different and more laid-back,” he said. “It is competitive, don’t get me wrong, but it’s the way people are. You go to road triathlons, and most people have the highest-end equipment. You go off-road, and you see more normal mountain bikes. People still want to compete, but they also know how to enjoy themselves.”

“Once you find a good group, they help each other and motivate each other. My wife goes with me to all the events, so it’s pretty nice to have her there with me.”

Leon generally avoids returning to international races he has already completed. He prefers travelling somewhere new and using the next entry on his calendar as a reason to continue training. The move from Molveno to New Mexico gave him the new experience he needed.

“When they changed the venue for the world championship, I said, ‘I want to go to New Mexico now,’” he said. “That raised my interest. I started training a little harder and being a little more competitive. Otherwise, I was using events as a reason to keep in shape and keep myself going. You have something coming up, and you need to be able to finish it, so you need to train. My rule is always to sign up for something to keep yourself going.”

Leon and Pearce arrive in Ruidoso from different parts of the United States and different starting points in the sport. What connects them is not a result or an age division, but a friendship that began when their wives recognised each other through the football team they both supported. It is the kind of story that fits XTERRA’s Beyond the Finish Lineseries. 

Familiar Names on New Ground

The Ruidoso course will be new to much of the field, but several returning athletes have already competed at elevation and across the technical terrain expected in October. Elizabeth Haney travelled from Colorado Springs with her husband, two children and parents for the 2025 race, won the women’s 45-49 division and will return to compete for a world title.

Before her first visit, Haney said she was drawn to “the challenge that a different geographical location brings with it,” as well as the chance to make the trip with her family. Having already won on the course, she now returns with direct experience of Grindstone Lake and the trails above town.

The elite men’s field is expected to include three-time World Champion Arthur Serrières and Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen, who have each stood on the World Championship podium. Sullivan Middaugh brings a different path into the race. The 22-year-old American competes across XTERRA while training with USA Triathlon’s Project Podium program, which is directed towards developing Olympic-level draft-legal athletes. His progression and Olympic ambitions are covered in the USA Triathlon feature Chasing the Podium.

Middaugh won the 2024 XTERRA World Championship Short Track title and has continued moving between road and off-road racing in 2026. His victory at XTERRA Costa Rica placed him among the leading contenders for Ruidoso, while his upbringing in Colorado has given him years of racing and training at altitude. He is also the son of 2015 XTERRA World Champion Josiah Middaugh, creating another American storyline as the championship returns to the country where the sport began.

A Week to Get Ready in Ruidoso

The first XTERRA Ruidoso showed how the competition could move through the village rather than remain isolated at Grindstone Lake. The 2026 schedule expands that approach across the championship week, with athletes and local residents sharing the course sessions, guided hikes, yoga, Friday’s trail run, the Family Zone and the public welcome celebration.

The welcome ceremony and buffet on Thursday evening will be followed by a free concert from the Phil Hamilton Band, while Saturday concludes with the Full Distance awards and after-party. Sunday belongs to the Youth A, Youth B and Junior World Championships, alongside an Open Sprint Triathlon for athletes who want to race without qualifying for a world championship.

The Midtown Shop Hop will run throughout the event, with participating restaurants, breweries, wineries, galleries, outdoor outfitters and locally owned stores offering benefits to registered world championship athletes. The program leaves enough space for families to explore Ruidoso while the athletes complete registration, course practice and race preparation.

Pearce believes the town, the program and the course should be experienced together, which is why his recommendation extends to the people standing beside the athletes throughout the year.

“Make a full weekend of it and bring your family and friends,” he said. “There will be plenty of things for everyone to do and experience.”

Pearce has carried the words “Respect all. Fear none” since his earliest years in triathlon, even painting them on the bikes he raced during the 1980s. The first half speaks to the people around him, including the competitors, officials and volunteers who make participation possible. The second reflects how he intends to approach another international field after more than four decades in the sport.

“I expect Ruidoso to be a challenge,” he said. “I plan to have a great time, give my very best effort and overcome whatever the day brings. That’s why we do what we do in the world of XTERRA.”

Ari Altun is head of communications for XTERRA.

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