Bad news for Irish off-road fans – this year's Xterra Ireland has been cancelled due to logistical problems apparently connected with both venue and date.
The event was scheduled to take place in Killaloe, County Clare on 20 July, and participants have already been notified and offered a full refund or entry into the 2015 event.
“There have been a number of unforeseen logistical problems that make it impossible to deliver the event,” said race director Dean Watson. “We’re really disappointed and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Watson adds that he and his team are already looking to secure a new location for 2015, and are liaising with Team Unlimited (owners of the Xterra brand) to find a date that will fit better with the Xterra European and World tours.
This follows the on-off drama of Xterra England earlier this year, where organisers Brave Events revealed they were ceasing trading, leaving entrants with a nerve-wracking month-long wait before new organisers Limelight Sports stepped in to deliver the event on the same venue and dates.
Xterra Ireland 2014 was set to have both sprint and standard distance off-road triathlons, and was due to be a Triathlon Ireland qualification race for both the ITU World Cross Triathlon Championships 2015 and the ETU European Criss Triathlon Championships 2015.