2020 Xterra World Championship Cancelled
Another major event bites the dust due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the Xterra World Championships is cancelled for this year in what would have been the 25th anniversary of the event.
Xterra stated “The health and safety of our athletes, volunteers, crew, partners and host communities is and always will be our top priority,” said Xterra President Janet Clark. “We realize the many emotional and economic factors this decision creates for so many good people in our extended Xterra community, but ultimately we felt the risks involved with encouraging travel and hosting large gatherings was not acceptable.”
“We are confident our crew has the skill and ability to create contactless procedures and reformat the race experience to meet the highest standards of safety,” said Clark. “We also trust in the quality of character among XTERRA athletes to do the right thing before, during, and after a race. Even with that, however, the coronavirus has proven to be so unpredictable and contagious, we’re simply not comfortable putting the health and safety of our people and the well-being of the high-risk people in the local communities where we race in jeopardy.”
Xterra also announced the cancellation of other American off-road triathlon and trail running events alongside the cancellation of the 2020 Tour Points Series.
Other XTERRA events attracting big fields from across the U.S. and internationally that were cancelled include the off-road triathlon and trail running weekends scheduled for XTERRA Beaver Creek on July 18-19 in Avon, Colorado, XTERRA Oak Mountain on August 28-29 in Pelham, Alabama, and the XTERRA USA and XTERRA Trail Run National Championship events in Utah on September 19-20. In addition, the XTERRA America, Asia-Pacific, and European Tour point scoring systems have also been cancelled.
It’s important to note that several XTERRA World Tour destinations plan on hosting events on their original or postponed dates based on the unique public health guidelines in their communities.
A full list of events and their current status is available at xterraplanet.com/xterra-and-covid-19.
XTERRA World Tour events that proceed will qualify athletes to race at the 2021 XTERRA World Championships. The XTERRA World Championship off-road triathlon is scheduled for October 31, 2021 in Kapalua, Maui while the 2021 XTERRA Trail Run World Championship date and location are yet to be determined.
