Josiah Middaugh of Vail, Colorado scored a comfortable men’s victory over 4-time XTERRA World Champ Conrad Stoltz of South Africa on a rugged course at the XTERRA West Championship.
But women’s winner Lesley Paterson, the 2-time defending XTERRA women’s World Champion, made almost the entire men’s field VE-RY uncomfortable at the Lake Las Vegas course as she finished 4th overall including the men and smashed her nearest women’s competitor by 12 minutes and 56 seconds.
Middaugh, the runner-up at the most recent XTERRA World Championship in Maui last October, combined an 18th-best 22:06 swim, a sizzling, race-best 1:15:23 mountain bike leg and 2nd-best 42:48 men’s run to finish in 2:20:17 with a 3:06 margin of victory over runner-up Stoltz and 8:03 over 3rd-place finisher Branden Rakita of Durango, Colorado.
Perhaps in synch with the youthquake performance of the 14-year-old Chinese golfer at the Masters Golf Tournament this weekend, men’s 15-19 amateur champion Mauricio Mendez of Mexico City, Mexico finished 6th overall man including the pros in a time of 2:31:28. An impressive result, but the 17-year-old still got chicked by Paterson.
Amazingly, Paterson was just 9:46 behind Middaugh and outran the men’s winner by 6 seconds. Paterson’s 2nd-best 21:57 swim, dominating, race-fastest 1:25:24 bike split and crushing, 2nd-best of the day regardless of gender 42:42 run added up to a 2:30:03 finish which was 12:56 better than women’s runner-up Suzie Snyder, 15:32 better than 3rd-place woman Shonny Vanlandingham, 17:25 better than 4th place woman, multiple XTERRA World Champion Melanie McQuaid of Canada, and 18:41 better than 5th place women Danelle Kabush of Canada.
Perhaps the second most notable women’s performance of the day was put in by top amateur woman and women’s 15-19 age group winner Hannah Rae Finchamp of Altadena, California who finished 6th overall woman in a time of 2:51:24. Finchamp placed 1st overall amateur woman at the recent Escape From Alcatraz and last year won both the U.S. and World XTERRA Amateur overall women's titles.
One year ago, Paterson lost a photo finish-close sprint to the finish line to Renata Bucher of Switzerland at this race. This year, Paterson had no intention of leaving the issue in doubt.
XTERRA West Championship
Lake Las Vegas, Henderson, Nevada
April 13, 2013
S 1.5k / B 30k / R 11k
Results
Men
1. Josiah Middaugh (USA) 2:20:17
2. Conrad Stoltz (RSA) 2:23:23
3. Branden Rakita (USA) 2:28:20
4. Ryan Ignatz (USA) 2:30:31
5. Matt Lieto (USA) 2:30:52
6. Mauricio Mendez (MEX) 2:31:28 * M15-19
7. Brandon Mills (USA) 2:33:00 * M30-34
8. Craig Evans (USA) 2:33:39
9. Jason Michalak (USA) 2:35:21
10. Tommy Vonach (AUT) 2:37:31 * M40-44
Women
1. Lesley Paterson (GBR) 2:30:03
2. Suzie Snyder (USA) 2:42:59
3. Shonny Vanlandingham (USA) 2:45:35
4. Melanie McQuaid (CAN) 2:47:28
5. Danelle Kabush (CAN) 2:48:34
6. Hannah Rae Finchamp (USA) 2:51:24 *F15-19
7. Kelley Cullen (USA) 2:56:34
8. Emma Garrard (USA) 2:56:59
9. Elizabeth Gruber (USA) 2:58:57 *F20-24
10. Meghan Sheridan (USA) 3:00:27 *F30-34
