New Zealand’s Number One Multisport Athlete Changes Focus After XTERRA Win
New Zealand’s number one Multisport and Adventure Racing athlete, Richard Ussher, is changing his focus this year after a closely fought win at the Paymark XTERRA Rotorua Festival.
The four-time Coast to Coast Champion and World Class Adventure Racing Athlete, took line honours in the 1km swim, 29km mountain bike and 11km trail run event. In second place, just over a minute behind, was last year’s defending champion, Scott Thorne (Hamilton). In a repeat of the podium in 2009, Mark (Cabin) Leishman finished third.
“It was a really hard day at the office today, Scott pushed me the entire way, I am really pleased with the win” commented Ussher.
Ussher (Nelson) will now for the first time in his career turn his major focus to XTERRA, including racing in Europe in lead up to the XTERRA World Championships in Maui on October 23rd.
“The XTERRA format is a really good mix of racing for me with the off-road element but still the triathlon structure. I have been to the XTERRA World Champs in Maui twice now, in 2009 my seat post broke and I finished 11th, in 2010 I crashed my bike and finished in 7th place. So I defiantly have some unfinished business there - I want to go back and give it a better crack. I have really been working hard on my mountain biking, getting my technical skills up.”
This tactic worked well today with Ussher leading off the bike with Thorne right behind him, Ussher’s experience and strength seeing him through to his second XTERRA win in Rotorua, having won in 2009.
“I tried to get a bit of a gap on him (Thorne) from the start on the run, then I relaxed and got into my rhythm, half way through I was able to surge again and then just held on.”
It was a different story in the women’s race with first time triathlete, Karen Hanlen, upsetting the women’s field with a come from behind win.
Hanlen (Whakatane) surprised even herself with the win, especially given her inexperience.
“That was my first ever triathlon and first ever open water swim, I was actually quite scared and only got through the swim because it was the only way of getting out of the water!”
Hanlen was a lot more comfortable on the ride, making up most of the three minute deficient out of the water and coming off the bike in second place.
The mother of two small children and relative new comer to any sort of competitive racing isn’t looking to continue racing XTERRA this year, instead concentrating on her first love of mountain biking, including representing New Zealand at the World Mountain Biking Championships in Switzerland this September.
The threat of a trans-Tasman battle in the men’s and women’s race never came to fruition with both Australian representatives, Ben Allan and Melissa Vandewater finding the going tough on the mountain bike section.
Richard Ussher’s wife, Elina, wasn’t having any such difficulties, winning the 29km Mountain Biking title in a time of 1:38:15 – four minutes ahead of Katrine Gellatley.
Nigel Cross took out the men’s mountain bike title in 1:26:15, just 33 seconds ahead of Des Curry.
Earlier in the day hundreds of other participants took part in an 11km and 21km run and walk around the stunning Blue and Green Lakes in Rotorua.
The Paymark XTERRA Rotorua Festival annually hosts more than 2,000 athletes in what is considered the world's largest single day XTERRA off-road triathlon festival with competitors choosing from walking, running, mountain biking as well as the individual and team XTERRA events.
Results
XTERRA Festival: Blue Lake, Rotorua
Saturday 9th April 2011
Triathlon
Men’s TOTAL
1. Richard Ussher Nelson 2:17:06
2. Scott Thorne Hamilton 2:18:28
3. Mark Leishman Rotorua 2:22:59
4. Ben Allen Australia 2:23:24
5. Josh Kenyon Taupo 2:28:03
Women’s TOTAL
1. Karen Hanlen Whakatane 2:42:14
2. Susie Wood Nelson 2:43:20
3. Lizzie Orchard Auckland 2:47:18
4. Annika Smail Rotorua 2:48:08
5. Fleur Lattimore Nelson 2:48:58
Image caption:
Richard Ussher leads Scott Thorne during the 29km mountain bike stage.
Credit:
John Cowpland
alphapix