Lake Leatherwood hosts biggest XTERRA race yet

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  Imagine the sting of sweat in your eyes blurring your vision as you cross the trail bridge over Leatherwood Creek. Your legs burn as you crank your bike up the steep and rocky trail. The distant sound of the crowd cheering and ringing cowbells becomes louder as you emerge from the wooded trail. Now, in the bright grassy meadow, you slow your bike, jump off and with only 5 miles left, you prepare for the run.

  This is what participants in last Saturday's 3rd annual XTERRA Eureka Springs Off-Road Triathlon and Trail Run experienced as they challenged themselves on Lake Leatherwood City Park's stout course.

  A total of 165 racers representing 15 states packed the park early Saturday morning, their friends and families filling the meadow while more than 60 volunteers worked to coordinate what would be a smooth and successful day of off-road racing.

  Although no one was able to break the course record of 2:10:54, set at last year's race, the athletes put on an impressive display of stamina and strength. Samuel Yount of St. Louis, Mo. was this year's male champion with a time of 2:25:03, and Jocelyn Wood of Broken Arrow, Okla. took the female champion position with a time of 2:54:15.

Local heroes

  Several local entries placed in their divisions. Larry Harrison took 2nd in the male 60-64 age group; Patsy Miller and Lori Davis took 1st in the female team division; and Jessica Guillory, Dave Clements and Jennifer Mandaville took 3rd in the co-ed team division.

  Other local participants included Randy Woodward and Yahkie Naumann of Eureka Springs and Caleb Culhane of Holiday Island. Local trail run participants included Jeremiah Owens, Debbie Clarke, Andrea Garrett and Erika Wardlaw.

  When asked how the day went, Race Director Nick Cross said, "Race day is so much easier than the week prior to the race; our planning and preparation really pay off."

  "The Carroll County SORT team and our support group of volunteers do a great job and we couldn't ask for more." He added, "the sponsorship support of local businesses makes this event possible and the racers recognize the large community presence that we have at our event."

  As the day progressed, partly cloudy skies and a gusty breeze kept things somewhat cool. Mountain Sprout took the stage around noon, playing to the racers as they transitioned into the run and eventually crossed the finish line. By 2:30pm most participants were enjoying free pizza and drinks in the recovery tent while the awards ceremony got underway.

A rare breed

  The XTERRA racers are a rare breed as shown by the number of participants willing to compete in a push-up and ab-crunch contest after already completing a very tough racecourse. Push-up and ab-crunch winners received a free wetsuit and a pair of shoes, courtesy of XTERRA.

  Cross summed up the day when he said, "The world of multi-sport racing is growing rapidly and the off-road style of race that is XTERRA is super popular. Eureka Springs is part of this movement and each year we are helping more and more people discover the outdoor adventure our area has to offer."