Xterra World Championships: all your questions answered
Here's everything you need to know about the full-distance, off-road triathlon world champs.
The Xterra World Championships is the pinnacle of competition in off-road triathlon and rounds off the Xterra Global Tour, a series of mixed terrain triathlon races held around the world.
Unlike traditional triathlons held on paved roads like T100 Triathlon, Xterra takes the swim-bike-run format into a more natural setting.
As a result, the World Championship course encompasses open-water swimming, technical mountain biking on singletrack trails with significant elevation gain, and a hilly trail run required much sure-footedness.
Where and when are the Xterra World Championships?
For 25 years, from 1996 to 2021, the Xterra World Championships took place on the island of Maui, Hawaii.
The Kapalua course became renowned for its beauty and physical challenge. However, in 2022, the event moved to a new home in Molveno, in the Italian Dolomites.
In 2025, the full-distance Xterra World Championships for elites and age-groupers will be held on Saturday 27 September.
What are the Xterra World Championships distances?
The full distance Xterra triathlon includes:
- 1.5km / 0.93km swim – two 750 loops in Lake Molveno with an Australian exit (a short run) in between
- 32km / 20mi mountain bike from the lake shore into the steep and technical Dolomites
- 10km / 6mi trail run – more than 300m of elevation in the two laps
On Sunday 28 September, the Youth World Championships takes the shape of a sprint triathlon, raced over:
- 750m swim
- 16km / 10mi bike
- 5km / 3mi run
Early in the week, there is an elite short track event featuring:
- 400m swim
- 8km / 5mi bike
- 3km / 2mi run
How do you qualify for the Xterra World Championships?
The Xterra World Championships draws in multinational field of competitors, from the world’s elite professional off-road triathletes to age-group amateurs who have met entry criteria.
The elite full-distance world champions from 2024, Solenne Billouin (women’s) and Arthur Serrieres (men’s), automatically qualify.
To qualify as an age-grouper, you have to place highly in previous Xterra events.
Who’s racing the Xterra World Championships?
According to the full-distance world champs start list, 713 athletes have signed up from 54 countries.
Of these entrants, 505 are men and 208 are women.
The elite category is the largest with 98 entered, just ahead of the 97 in the 45-49 age group.
Can I watch the XTERRA World Championships?
You can watch a live stream as the action unfolds, and catch up on highlights and race replays.
Both the full-distance World Championships and elite short track race will be streamed on the XTERRA website from this link and the XTERRA YouTube channel.
The live stream usually features professional commentary, multiple camera angles across the challenging course, and live tracking of the elite athletes, providing a comprehensive viewing experience.
Look out for live updates on the XTERRA Instagram page.
Post-race, you’ll find highlights and race replays on YouTube.
We’ve rounded up more of the best triathlons you’ve probably never heard of if you’d like to enter something different.
Jack Evans
