The history of Xterra and the concept

It all began in Maui, Hawaii, November 3, 1996, when a motley crowd of mountain bikers and triathletes met up. They had a crazy idea for something new - an un-sanitized three-sport adventure, a REAL challenge..... an off-road triathlon.

They named the race Aquaterra, and it consisted of open ocean swim, a mountain bike race up the side of a volcano and a gruelling cross-country run through forests, up mountains and across beaches. It was a brand new concept, one which attracted athletes who could not resist the beauty of Maui and the pain, danger and adrenaline rush that this new event offered.

A new concept had been born: an off- road triathlon, which included these unique elements that set it apart from former and tamer triathlons.

The concept became known as XTERRA®

From modest beginnings of 123 participants in 1996, XTERRA has matured into a major multi-sport series with more than 30,000 registered athletes participating in XTERRA events worldwide in 2007.

It is one of the fastest-growing multi-sports events, boasting 100+ races annually in the XTERRA Points Series in the United States and the Global and European tours with championships in Saipan, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Italy, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Wales, France and Denmark and more. These tours qualify participants for the XTERRA world championship in Maui, Hawaii, October each year.