The 2014 XTERRA World Champions Ruben Ruzafa and Flora Duffy are back to defend their titles and are clear-cut favorites to win again, but not in the 19-year history of XTERRA have both the men’s and women’s winners repeated. Could this be the year?
In the Women’s race it’s all about Duffy. Since the start of 2014 she has been near perfect, winning 11 of 12 XTERRA majors and this year’s ITU Cross Tri World Championship. Duffy also had her best year ever on the ITU World Triathlon Series, ending the season ranked seventh which has all but assured her spot on Bermuda’s Olympic Triathlon team for the third time.
“This course suits me, so in a way I have to like it but it is not my favorite,” says Duffy. “It is an honest course, but very specific and not a course for everyone, and you need a certain skill set to really excel on it. There just isn’t anywhere to hide on the course.”
To keep her Maui crown she’ll have to hold-off a lot of really fast women, including two-time XTERRA world champion Lesley Paterson who won every XTERRA she entered this year including the European Championship.
America’s best Emma Garrard, who first did XTERRA Worlds in 2006 as an amateur, has improved steadily through the years, from 31st to 21st to 13th to 11th to 10th to 8th to 5th to 4th last year.
Other elites not to be overlooked include European Tour Champion Helena Erbenova, who finished fifth last year, Olympian Fabiola Corona from Mexico, four time Euro Tour Champ Renata Bucher of Switzerland, British great Jacqui Slack, U.S. speedster Sara Schuler and perennial contender Carina Wasle of Austria.
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