Epic weekend of off-road sport at X-Adventure Dunsborough

Last weekend almost 1,500 competitors take on the fifth annual X-Adventure Dunsborough; Australia’s largest off-road triathlon.

Staged in the south west of Western Australia under sunny skies and near-perfect racing conditions, X-Adventure presented an exciting mix of triathlon and adventure; combining ocean swimming, trail running and mountain bike riding through coastal wilderness, with a race for everyone, including the premier 35 kilometre Long Course race, a half-distance 19 kilometre Short Course and two childrens events.

The racing was close at the front despite blustery conditions this morning but Brendon Dimmer (aged 30, South Lake) had what it took to clinch the premier Long Course X-Adventure win in two hours, 24 minutes, 21 seconds in a tough battle with French professional triathlete Simon Billeau (2:25:41), and defending champion Tom Chadbourne (2:29:54, North Fremantle).

Placing third on two previous occasions at X-Adventure made today’s win even sweeter for Dimmer.

He explained “it was just on that last downhill descent that I managed to get away from Billeau, and it gave me a bit of confidence to come home strong. I’ve been injured for a long time, but to come back and get that win one time is what I wanted.

“The course is the best, this is why I come here, I love it, it’s amazing.”

In the women’s X-Adventure Long Course it was former XTerra professional athlete Catherine Sterling (aged 40, United States) who couldn’t be beaten, taking the win in two hours, 42 minutes and 37 seconds ahead of Kristen Gardner of City Beach (2:46:52) and 2015 X-Adventure champion Jess Reynolds (Dunsborough) (2:49:12).

Sterling commented “that was really fun, I really liked the swim, run, bike format.

“The technicality of the running was brutal, but what a great course, what an awesome venue, and lots of people cheering, this is a really fun place.”

Sunday’s Long Course followed a packed day of competition on Saturday, which saw in excess of 1,000 racers line up to tackle the Short Course X-Adventure, Kids X-Adventure and Groms event. Racers posted some close times, and multiple changes of lead in the final legs, which made for a very exciting day of off-road racing.

Winners in the Men’s Short Course were Rowan Brown who placed first, Nick Thompson second and Toby Kruger Le Fort in third.

Over in the Women’s’ it was a first place for Rachael Smith, followed by Suzanne Borrett and Anthea Brown in second and third respectively.

Event Manager Sam Maffett said it was the best X-Adventure yet.

Maffett stated “it is a technical and challenging course but we had some great racing and some great conditions here in Dunsborough this weekend. It has been a genuinely great couple of days of off-road sport for athletes of all abilities, from kids of four years old to professional athletes from overseas, there was something for everyone.

“Thank you to everyone involved from the support crews, the spectators, the friends, families, our sponsors, and the hundreds of kids challenging themselves and enjoying the event. Well done to everyone who raced.”

Results:

Long Course X-Adventure Male Top 3
1. Brendon Dimmer (2:24:21)
2. Simon Billeau (2:25:41) 
3. Tom Chadbourne (2:29:54)

Long Course X-Adventure Female Top 3
1. Catherine Sterling (2:42:37)
2. Kristen Gardner (2:46:52) 
3. Jess Reynolds (2:49:12)

Short Course X-Adventure Male Top 3
1. Rowan Brown (1:19:48)
2. Nick Thompson (1:21:24)
3. Toby Kruger Le Fort (1:24:13) 

Short Course X-Adventure Female Top 3
1. Rachael Smith (1:29:06)
2. Suzanne Borrett (1:37:37)
3. Anthea Brown (1:38:01)

Click here to view the full results.

Images (from top): Women’s X-Adventure Long Course winner Catherine Sterling, the X-Adventure swim leg, the X-Adventure Kid's Race and the X-Adventure run leg. All courtesy of Rapid Ascent. 

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