Middaugh and Patiès Take 30th Anniversary XTERRA World Champs in Ruidoso, New Mexico

While much of the triathlon world was focused on the events in Kona on the weekend, American Sullivan Middaugh topped the men’s field (with his father, Josiah, finishing sixth and brother Porter taking seventh), at this year’s XTERRA World Championship event in Ruidoso, New Mexico on the weekend. The women’s race was won by France’s Alizée Patiès.

Here’s the official press release from XTERRA (written by Ari Altun) on the day’s racing:

Middaugh Wins with Family on the Course

Middaugh won in 2:06:50, finishing five minutes and 56 seconds ahead of Spain’s Nacho Gálvez. Denmark’s Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen took third.

Gálvez led out of Grindstone Lake in 18:21, followed closely by Sullivan and Porter Middaugh. Sullivan felt comfortable in the water and wanted to reach the singletrack first, knowing Sloth Nielsen would be chasing from behind.

Both leaders described falls early on the bike. Gálvez crashed on the first corner, while Middaugh fell on the third and lost his bike computer.

“I think it was maybe a blessing in disguise not to have power data,” Middaugh said. “I just rode how I was feeling and rode as hard as I could the whole time.”

His 1:07:18 bike split was the fastest in the elite men’s field. He carried his advantage into the run and added another leading split of 39:00.

“I knew that at altitude I could run uphill just as fast as anyone else,” he said. “So I pushed every climb, let it roll on every descent, and just gave it everything I could.”

Gálvez kept chasing after his fall and held second through the run. “But I never lost faith,” he said. “On the run, I gave everything I had, and I was able to finish second. I’m super happy.”

Sloth Nielsen worked forward from thirteenth at bike start to complete the podium, crediting the preparation of the two athletes ahead of him. “Sullivan and Nacho must have just prepared better,” he said. “They’ve been at altitude for longer.”

Arthur Serrières finished fourth, followed by Maxim Chané. Josiah Middaugh placed sixth and Porter seventh, putting all three Middaughs inside the top ten.

“Just a proud day,” Josiah said. “Really happy for Sullivan. Start to finish, he just put it together.”

Porter finished after a heavy bike crash and described racing alongside his father as both inspiring and helpful in getting him through the course.

XTERRA had been part of childhood for the Middaugh brothers before it became a championship ambition.

“It means everything. It’s how we grew up, watching our dad and going to races with him,” Sullivan said.

He also remembered Arthur Serrières encouraging him after his first Worlds in Maui in 2021. “I remember Arthur telling me at the dinner afterwards to stick with it,” he said. “At that point, he was already a world champion, so that meant a lot.”

Patiès Takes Her First Title

Patiès finished in 2:36:19, six minutes and 14 seconds ahead of Italy’s Marta Menditto, with Australia’s Maeve Kennedy completing the podium.

Costa Rica’s Raquel Solis led the women out of the water, with France’s Emma Ducreux recording the same swim time of 20:38. Ducreux moved ahead through transition, while Patiès began the bike in third.

“The swim was quite difficult for me,” Patiès said. “I struggled to start the way I normally do, so I preferred to let the lead group go ahead and settle into my own pace. I knew the race wasn’t going to be decided in the swim.”

Patiès reached the opening bike checkpoint in front and continued to extend her advantage. Her bike split of 1:20:45 was the fastest in the elite women’s field, giving her room to manage a difficult run.

“The run was really hard, especially the second lap, because I was hurting everywhere,” she said. “I think I had pushed really hard on the bike. I really gave everything. I never gave up.”

Behind her, Menditto began the run in third and passed Ducreux on the second lap. Her 50:42 was the fastest elite women’s run split. Kennedy also moved past Ducreux later on that lap to secure third.

Menditto had spent several weeks training in New Mexico and found a run course she enjoyed despite its difficulty. “It’s fun. It’s hard, but it’s technical too, so you can enjoy it,” she said.

Kennedy, who lives in Wānaka, New Zealand, described a long journey and a race in which she struggled to find the power and running legs she expected.

“It takes a family and it takes a community to get someone to achieve their goals like this,” she said, thanking her husband, family, training friends and the people at home who kept checking in.

“It’s a lifelong dream. It’s a little difficult to take it all in right now,” Patiès said. “I held on and kept believing. Now I’ve done it, so I’m super happy.”

2026 XTERRA World Championship

Ruidoso, New Mexico • October 10, 2026 • 1.5K swim / 27K MTB / 10K trail run

Top-10 Men

Top-10 Women

Age Group Titles and Journeys

France’s Simon Gourgues and Inès de Sousa recorded the fastest men’s and women’s age-group times, respectively. Both led their 20–24 divisions. Brazil’s Maria Paula Mesquita Rodarte won women’s 30–34, with her family following from home in Minas Gerais. She hoped to return to Ruidoso with them, but her reason for racing went beyond the title. “XTERRA changed my life,” she said. “Because I love to train. I train every day, and this is good for my whole life.”

Sharon McDowell-Larsen of Grand Junction, Colorado, won women’s 65–69, while Caroline Colonna of Taos, New Mexico, won 60–64 after qualifying in Portland and beginning her preparation in August. McDowell-Larsen’s first visit to Ruidoso surprised her with its high mountains, pine forests and lakes. Asked what XTERRA meant to her, she spoke about the atmosphere that keeps her coming back: “It means a very close-knit community. It’s just a little bit chill and relaxed. It’s so much less stress.”

In women’s 40–44, Wānaka’s Arna Craig finished second after New Caledonia’s Caroline Favier passed her on the second run lap. Craig was delighted with her race and grateful to the people who made the trip possible. “My family believed in me. They gave me the chance to come,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without the support at home.” Each race had given her another reason to return: “The XTERRA family just keeps growing and growing, and it keeps drawing me in more and more. I mean, there’s no better place.”

Tahiti’s Thomas Lubin placed second in men’s 35–39, balancing training with family life and his work as a sports physiotherapist. “For me, it’s about being in nature and experiencing beautiful, natural places around the world,” he said. “Traveling like this is an unbelievable experience.”

Namibia’s Mark Spath, ninth in men’s 45–49, had come back after a difficult Worlds experience in 2025 and loved what he found in Ruidoso. “The people are incredible here. Super friendly. I’ll give it 15 out of 10,” he said. His explanation of XTERRA was just as enthusiastic: “It’s all-out adventure, having fun, being in the outdoors.”

Fred Smith of Knoxville, Tennessee, finished third in men’s 50–54 in his first race since a back injury following the 2012 Cross Triathlon World Championships. He had returned “to prove I could still do it,” but the appeal was also personal. “It’s the family, the community, the passion that this place brings. It’s unmatched,” he said.

Casey Fannin of Hoover, Alabama, placed fourth in men’s 65–69 and described the pleasure of simply taking part. “It was just beautiful. I just rejoiced being here,” he said. “Instead of competing, I was participating. And that was awesome.”

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