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December 3, 2007 (Honolulu, HI) - In 2008 XTERRA is taking trail running to the extreme with the half-marathon distance "Xduro". More than a dozen endurance runs across the U.S. and several more around the globe will ready runners for the ultimate Hawaiian experience - the XTERRA Trail Running World Championship at Kualoa Ranch on the island of Oahu.
The inaugural XTERRA Trail Running World Championship is scheduled for December 7, 2008, a week before the Honolulu Marathon on December 14 - setting up what promises to be one of the "greatest weeks of running on Earth" for harriers from across the world.
"After 12 years of producing trail runs alongside our XTERRA off-road triathlons we've learned that our audience wants a bigger challenge than a 10k," said TEAM Unlimited CEO Tom Kiely. "What the market told us was to create a series of half-marathons that have a physical challenge parallel to that of a road marathon, but with Mother Nature along for the ride."
The XTERRA Trail Run World Champs will be held in conjunction with the XTERRA Trail Running Series, a collection of 50 trail runs of various distances twisting on crooked, dirty, and rocky paths from Malibu to Japan. Tentative Global Tour stops for the "Xduro" include New Zealand, Brazil, Japan, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
Some Xduro's will be off-road half-marathons, some may be 18k or even 27k, but one thing is certain - each one will serve up a buffet of obstacles the road just doesn't offer. Navigating through dirt pathways, dodging boulders, leaping over roots, clambering up hills that make your calves cry and skating down valleys that allow you to survey some of the most scenic vistas Mother Nature has painted.
The final stop in the Series will certainly satisfy even the most adventurous runner. Kualoa Ranch, located on the northeastern side of Oahu less than an hour from Honolulu, is a 4000-acre working cattle ranch spread from the steep mountain cliffs to the sparkling sea. The ranch terrain varies from dense rainforest to broad open valleys and from beautiful white sand beaches to awesome verdant cliff faces. The epic nature of Kualoa Ranch has inspired television shows and Hollywood films such as Jurassic Park, Windtalkers, Pearl Harbor, Godzilla, Tears of the Sun, 50 First Dates, and LOST.
The World Champs will immerse participants in a festival atmosphere with live music, great food, and family entertainment, shorter distance trail runs, races for kids, a walk-a-thon for charity, and relay team competitions. For competitive runners, $10,000 in prize money will be awarded to the top male and female finishers in the XTERRA Trail Running World Championship.
"XTERRA is thrilled with the growth of its Trail Running Series launched two years ago, and we think the longer distance focus will push it to whole new extreme in terms of participation and challenge," said Janet Clark, President of TEAM Unlimited/XTERRA. "XTERRA Trail Runs give runners an opportunity to explore some wildly natural environments and challenge Mother Nature's diverse and unique offerings from roots and rocks, to stream crossings and unexpected scenic vistas."
For further information and to register visit XTERRATrailRun.com.
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