XTERRA

XTERRA Triathlon

XTERRA is a series of off-road triathlon races, (three-sport races which include swimming, mountain biking, and trail running). The XTERRA Global Tour is owned and produced by TEAM Unlimited. The XTERRA race series is the best-known series of off-road triathlons, and is considered by most to be the de-facto world championship of the sport.

It began in 1996 on the island of Maui as the Aquaterra, and was later renamed the XTERRA. The Nissan Motor Corporation named their popular sport utility vehicle line after the race and was the race series' primary sponsor for many years. The two companies parted ways at the end of 2006.

Organization
The XTERRA has two primary divisions, Professional and "Age-Groupers". In the professional division athletes compete for cash prizes and sponsorships. The Age-Group division was created for those who still want to compete but have no aspirations to become professional athletes. Both divisions compete in a points series, where athletes accumulate points by placing in the top fifteen positions of each race in which they compete.

Several venues known as XTERRA Championships Series offer more points due to their larger draws. In the United States, there are Championships for each region of the country. These venues also offer a "Sport" version of the race where contestants complete races that are typically half the distance of the full version.

Race Format
As an off-road race, the distances can vary widely depending on the terrain available. The target distances are as follows:

Championship/Pro: 1.5 km Swim, 30 km Mountain biking, 11 km Trail Run
Sport: 500 m Swim, 15 km Mountain biking, 5 km Trail Run
In the United States the sport distances are often used as miles yielding a 1/2 mile (805 m) Swim, 15 mile (24 km) Mountain Bike, and a 5 mile (8 km) trail run.