Watch action from the history breaking 2017 Xterra Rotorua.
Rotorua's Sam Osborne stormed home to become the first local man ever to win the pro title at the Radix Nutrition Xterra Rotorua Festival.
Osborne powered to the finish in a time of 2h 06m 01s - more than three minutes faster than Whakatane's Hayden Wilde (2h 09m 11s) in second and third placed Taupo's Kyle Smith (2h 12m 09s) yesterday.
Rotorua's Sam Osborne celebrates after winning the Radix Nutrition Xterra Rotorua Festival pro race. Photo/Stephen Barker/Marathon-Photos.com
For the past two years Osborne had finished behind top Kiwi multisport
athlete Braden Currie of Wanaka, but the local athlete pushed ahead on the bike and his victory was in no doubt, even before Currie was forced to stop after a pulled leg muscle injury during the second lap of Tikitapu (Blue Lake) in the trail running final section.
Osborne was in second place behind Currie after a challenging 1km swim across Tikitapu and recorded a split time of 10m 54s. Despite being wary during the 26km in bike section in the Whakarewarewa forest, Osborne managed to push ahead early on and clocked a speedy 1h 13m 04s before he finished with a 42m 04s split in the 11km trail run around Tikitapu.
The individual start of the Radix Nutrition Xterra Rotorua pro race. Photo/Stephen Parker
"I was amazed I got away on the first downhill, I just snuck away in a little gap. I wasn't too keen to go away that early... so I rode almost waiting for them but they didn't get across before the next downhill," he said. "You don't just waste those opportunities so I decided to go for it. Obviously it was a good move."
With the win, under bright blue skies, Osborne, 25, not only broke his runner-up curse but also became the first local male athlete to take home the top prize in the event's 15 year history.
"I have been wanting to win this race for so long, I remember watching this when Hamish Carter won this just after Athens - I thought that is pretty cool so to be the first local to win it in front of everybody here is wonderful," Osborne said.
Wilde, 19, who won the 15-19 division Xterra World Championship for the second year in a row last October, said he was happy in second place.
"I'm pretty chuffed. Coming off a bike crash in New Plymouth last week I was feeling pretty sore but I came over it and I feel great with the result," he said. "It was pretty tough course - the tracks were real undulating."
The men's pro top podium, from left, second place Whakatane's Hayden Wilde, Rotorua's first placed Sam Osborne and Taupo's Kyle Smith in third. Photo/Stephen Barker/Marathon-Photos.com
Meanwhile Rotorua's Olly Shaw, already a 10-year veteran of the sport, said he was disappointed with his fifth placed finish (2h 14m 48s).
"It's quite frustrating because I haven't raced this event how I would have liked for the past couple of years now," he admitted.
"It was a pretty hard race, it was full on from the start and I just didn't feel too great. Credit to those guys up front they really put it to me. They just rode away at the start during the bike. Usually the bike is my strongest but I just couldn't get into a good rhythm for whatever reason."
In the women's field the UK's Jacqui Allen lived up to her former Xterra Rotorua glory back in 2012, after she beat Bay of Plenty based athlete Hannah Wells (2h 37m 44s) by more than two minutes in a time of 2h 34m 58s. Fellow Kiwi Josie Wilcox finished third.
The UK's Jacqui Allen (formerly Slack) powering along the home straight at Xterra Rotorua. Photo/Stephen Barker/Marathon-Photos.com
Allen was second after the swim - 45 seconds behind Rebecca Clarke (11m 37s) but then clocked the fastest time and powered ahead over the bike split (1m 30m 34s), before she finished with the second fastest run section (52m 02s).
Jacqui, who married fellow Xterra athlete Ben Allen in Australia just a few weeks ago, said she was delighted with the result.
"This is one of my favourite races on the Xterra circuit and the race today just confirms it. The swim was great in that beautiful clear blue water, that bike course is just insane and I absolutely love it. It's smooth, fast... and the run is fairly flat, twisty, with lots of turns and you can really run fast for me I felt great out there," she said.
The women's pro podium, from left, Bay of Plenty based athlete Hannah Wells, the UK's Jacqui Allen, and kiwi Josie Wilcox. Photo/Stephen Barker/Marathon-Photos.com
The weekend's fifteenth Xterra Rotorua Festival had other events, including a
5.5km, 11km or 21km run and walk. In total close to 2000 participants took part across all events - more than 230 of them locals.
Event director Frank Clarke said he was pleased the sun finally shone on Rotorua after the previous week of bad weather caused by the tail end of Cyclone Debbie.
"Rotorua really turned on the conditions. The tracks were so dry and it was perfect. I was delighted to see Osborne finally get the trophy - he's tried for so long and he's certainly paid his dues. It was very special for all the local fans out there."
Radix Nutrition Xterra Rotorua pro long course podium:
