Gruelling event pushes athletes to the limit | Photos

Champions were crowned in Dunsborough this week after four huge days of racing culminated at the finish line of the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Championship.

Set against the backdrop of Meelup Regional Park and Geographe Bay, over 1,000 athletes from 29 nations took part in the competition, which began last Thursday with the Elite-only Short Track Triathlon.

The weekend continued with the Full Distance Triathlon on Saturday, featuring a 1500m ocean swim, 28.5km mountain bike, and 10.5km coastal trail run.

Athletes competed for World Cup points, regional championship titles, and 58 qualifying spots to the 2025 XTERRA World Championship in Trentino, Italy.

Alizée Paties (FRA) and Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen (DNK) completed a clean sweep, winning both Thursday’s Short Track and Saturday’s Full Distance races to claim maximum World Cup points.

Paties overcame an early lead from local star Maeve Kennedy (AUS) with a blistering bike leg, eventually winning comfortably in 2:43:51.

“I wanted to catch Maeve quickly, so I started to push,” said Paties. “On the downhill sections, I just kept pushing again and again.”

Sloth Nielsen reeled in early leader Michele Bonacina (ITA) midway through the run and surged ahead to claim victory in 2:26:38. Nielsen explained, “This venue is tailor-made for racing.”

Competing concurrently, regional athletes battled for XTERRA Asia-Pacific elite titles, with Australian’s Ben Forbes and Maeve Kennedy emerging on top.

Forbes overcame a slow swim start, powering through the field on the bike to secure his first-ever Asia-Pacific crown in 2:30:34.

Kennedy’s strength in the swim and run propelled her to victory, finishing in 2:53:52 ahead of fellow Australian Hannah-Lee Young.

“I’m Aussie, but I live in New Zealand-I love the people on this side of the world,” Kennedy said.

“It’s always a pleasure to race with the women here.”

Dunsborough’s own elite competitor Kristen Gardner (who finished fourth at the same event in 2024) highlights the community spirit felt throughout the weekend: “When XTERRA comes to town, mountain bikes take over and bakeries are packed. Kids, parents, professional athletes, and groups of friends are all out there having a go.”

The remaining events held over the weekend included the Sprint Triathlon, Kids and Groms events, as well as the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Trail Run Championship featuring the Trail Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10km Trail Runs which were a highlight on Sunday.

Stuart Caulfield (AUS) and Kate Baker (AUS) led the half-marathon, while the marathon saw Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen (DNK) achieve a historic triple crown, winning Short Track, Full Distance, and Trail Marathon events.

Local hero Tom Fisher (AUS), second overall, proudly secured the Asia-Pacific title: “To represent my region and country-it’s a really proud moment.”