Stephen Kozowyk Report of 2008 Xterra World Championships in Maui

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Stephen Kozowyk Report of 2008 Xterra World Championships in Maui

Posted by Michael Collins on Nov 15 2008 at 04:00PM PST

As many of you know, I just recently competed at the Xterra World Championships in Walea, Maui on Sunday, October 26^th (http://www.xterra.tv/). It was an eventful trip and race to participate in. The off-road triathlon consist of a 1.5 K swim, 30 K mtn bike & 11 K trail run. The event took place at the beautiful Maui Price Hotel which is on the southeast side of the island. The 1.5 K swim started en mass on Makena beach with 506 entries lining the shore. The swim consist of two 750 meter laps with a beach run in between. After getting my first ever ("un-intentional") hit in the face and water filling my right goggle, I was able to get myself into a good rhythm and position behind the lead pack. The water was crystal clear and there were several large honu (sea turtles) that accompanied us on the swim. The beach run was exciting as the spectators lining the beach cheered on all the competitors. I could hear them quite well! Not bad for a deaf guy! For the second lap I stayed in a comfortable position behind the leaders. Out of the water in24th position, T1 (transition 1 - swim to bike) was a good 300 meters up on the main lawn of the Prince.

I took a little respite here putting on the riding gear and hydrating, which is key during this race especially for what lay ahead, a brutal 19 mile mtn bike ride with a total elevation climb of 4,000 vertical feet, 3/4's of it within the first 10 miles. Here are the course section names: Heartbreak Hill (just about everyone gets off their bike for this!), Bone yard (I took a spill here and had my first flat), Ned's Peak (the BIG one!), The Plunge (I ate it real good here on my face and cracked my helmet on a boulder!) I acquired my second flat around mile 12. Since I had only one spare kit, I had to resort to running and riding the remaining 7 miles of the bike course. There were others doing the same. Friends and competitors rode by with flats and provided encouragement to keep going. This was tough! With four miles to go, a competitor offered a spare tube and air. One look at my tire and hope was all lost since it was riddled with holes! Not a tire suitable to hold tire pressure and protect the tube. So on I went running and riding. The rim looks like it went through a cheese grater with some pretty nasty splits and gouges from the lava rock. The race is all about what one can muster when challenges arise and this is one of the many. Former World Champion Conrad Stoltz suffered from the same issue. We're all in the same boat in this race.

T2 (bike to run) was nice to be back on grass, temporarily... it was time to ditch the bike, slip on the shoes, hat, race number and begin the long, arduous 7.9 mile run. Dousing myself with water, I could feel the sweat and salt burn at the scrapes on my face and legs. Nothing new here, but a spectators discerning look at my war wounds told me I ate it pretty good! The first three and a half miles were all up hill with a few rolling hills and an occasional flat. It was a walk - run process at the beginning. Every time an aid station came into view (one @ every mile), I'd run the quarter mile to it with water bottle ready to fill. Carrying this water bottle and ingesting salt tablets throughout the run was a life saver. After 3 1/2 miles up, it was down for 2 1/2 which provided momentum until the last remaining, flat 1.9 miles. There was the first beach run on " Big Beach ." A desert beach of scorching sun and feet sinking in the sand. After Big Beach was Spooky Forest . This place is literally " Spooky Forest ." It's a trail that meanders throughout a forest of Kiawi (pronounced Kee-ah-vey) trees. These trees take on all forms of growth patterns and most of them are lying down or have low overhangs creating an obstacle course like terrain. One moment your jumping over a tree and ducking under another. One needs to take caution here as a quick lift of a cramping leg makes muscles spasm worse or not clearing a low overhang calls for a good knock on the noggin. After the obstacle course of Spooky Forest is Black Sand Beach . This beach is more challenging than Big Beach with the finner volcanic sand would cause footing to sink down a good foot. Fortunately a few others had gone through ahead and made a nice path to follow. The last 1/2 mile or so was navigating the treacherous lava tubes on the coast. One fall would inflict great bodily harm if caution wasn't taken. There were also portions that were wet from the ocean, so it could be slippery as well. Once this part was over, it was a quick run on the pathway to the Prince and up the lawn to the finish! Time: 4 hours, 13 minutes and 23 seconds

Whew! Was this fun!? For a lot of you, you probably would not or could not imagine putting yourself through this. But there are people out there like me, who do these insane kind of things. There is something that we get out of it... it's different for everyone, but for me, the gratification lies in the physical, technical and mental faculties of being an athlete. When there are obstacles that arise during the competition... it's how we choose to deal with them. But in the end, we're all the same, winners.

I would like to "Thank" the following people for their support:

Mom & Dad

Stephanie Kozowyk

Elizabeth KovatsJosh Havelka

Steve Lang

Lyn WilderEvert & Patricia AlsenzIan Stevenson – The Crossing

Jonathan Saldabar

Jennifer Knauer

Anne Mickey – XterraXterra TV

Jennifer Chalmers and Cameron Collins – Tribuys.com

Tracy & Scott – Fleet Feet Sports Laguna Niguel

Tom Nolan & Dave A. – Pro Ice