This is one of my fovorite XTERRA courses and very tricky.
A river swim with current and shallow sand bars and rocks to watch out for. Preswim and planning is a good idea.
The bike is 20 miles of tight and technical single track. Lots of rock gardens and big roots. To top it off the terrain is ungulates with short steep climbs requiring lots of power.
The run is tough only in the fact that the bike section is hard and you will have to muster any remaining core strenght for the tough 10k trail run. There is also a river crossing over a large granite rock field to "the ladder" which puts you back on Belle Island to continue the run. This section has no particular trail or set route and you can end up at th bottom of large boulders unable to reach the ladder. You must practice this or you will end up getting lost.
But most exciting of all this year is the athlete tracking XTERRA will be using for people to follow athletes around the course online or on your phone:
WATCH IT LIVE AT XTERRA.LUCKSTONE.COM
Luck Stone, a presenting sponsor of the XTERRA East Championship, has a comprehensive slate of coverage planned for Sunday’s pro race at 8am EST, that can be found at http://www.luckstone.com/xterra-world-tour-2012
On one screen they’ll bring you live video feeds from eight spots around the course. On another they’ll showcase a social media (GIS) map of the course with detailed positioning and tweets from strategically positioned spotters and finally, in a first for XTERRA, they are equipping every elite with a GPS tracking device that will allow followers to see their every movement. The “myathletelive.com” device reports location, speed, distance, and elevation.
Google Chrome seems to be the best browser for viewing, but fans can use any web enabled cell phone or handheld device such as an iPhone or Droid. Just go to the website xterra.luckstone.com, and follow the various links. Home viewers can do the same from their computer. Our suggestion is to open up multiple browsers and have fun.
And, for those on-site at Brown’s Island Luck Stone will have four 70-inch big screen TVs broadcasting the coverage. Those on-site are encouraged to share their experiences, from here and afar, via twitter with hashtag #xterraRVA
On Sunday, click on the name of the athlete to go directly to the specific URL for that racer.
