Here’s why XTERRA isn’t coming back to Beaver Creek and Avon in 2024

For the first summer since 2009, Eagle County will have no XTERRA off-road triathlon.

XTERRA’s U.S. Tour manager Steve Andrus said “the only reason we’re not there at Beaver Creek (in 2024) was due to some scheduling conflicts,” and that there are no hard feelings between the global outdoor adventure brand and Beaver Creek Resort Company.

“We have a great relationship with the town of Avon, an amazing relationship with Beaver Creek Resort Company — just the fact that they did not have any available dates in July that we were needing,” he said. “We were hoping they would, but they just had a lot on their calendar and weren’t able to fit us in this year.”

Beaver Creek Resort Company and the town of Avon hosted the XTERRA USA championships in 2022 and 2023, with EagleVail’s own Sullivan Middaugh taking the title both years.

“BCRC company is a great stakeholder, one of our neighboring peer communities to the town of Avon, so we like to collaborate with Beaver Creek whenever we can,” said Danita Dempsey, the cultural arts and special events manager for Avon. “And we’ve hosted XTERRA for many years and we’re certainly disappointed in the outcome, but we understand that it’s more than just Avon involved.”

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Dempsey has worked on every XTERRA event since the first one Avon hosted in 2009. Last year’s event occurred Aug.26, but all the previous events were held in July.

“We wanted to move back to July,” Andrus said. “The reason we couldn’t do it in August was a conflict with some other dates that were within our World Cup schedule as well as our World Trail Running World Championships. So, we needed a July date.”

Andrus said Beaver Creek Resort Company proposed two dates for the event — June 22 and June 29.

“The issue with those proposed dates is that all of the trails we access for the race that are on (U.S. Forest Service) lands are closed until July due to the elk migration/mating closures,” he stated in an email. “So those dates were not a viable option.”  

Krista DeHerrera, the director of events with the Beaver Creek Resort Company, stated in an email to the Vail Daily that “at this time, BCRC does not have a statement to go on the record,” regarding the XTERRA event.

EagleVail’s Josiah Middaugh — a 15-time U.S. champion and the 2015 XTERRA World Champion — tried to get all parties involved back to the table late last year. He said he spoke directly with Andrus as well as Luke Herron, the town of Avon’s program supervisor, and Peter Dann from the Beaver Creek Resort Company’s board of directors. Josiah Middaugh said his suggestion to them was to “revisit the original proposal, have it put on locally or bring in a third-party race director.” He said a Front Range race director was interested — but for 2025 — and ultimately no plans materialized.

“This is a huge bummer for our local XTERRA community and frankly for all of Colorado, the mountain region and all of the United States,” Josiah Middaugh said. “Having XTERRA Beaver Creek created a local community of off-road triathletes. Colorado has always been a force in XTERRA and this small valley has always filled the podium in all of the age groups. I am worried that we will lose some of that without a championship race in the mountain region.”

Andrus, a Utah resident, said he understands the frustration.

“I know darn well they’re upset and bummed about it and deservedly so because we have such a strong presence in the Mountain West,” he said.

Beaver Creek would have been a World Cup stop in 2024

Andrus said XTERRA made a shift to relocate the USA championships every two to three years in an effort “to enhance and energize the tours.” Thus, Beaver Creek was never going to host the national championship in 2024. Had a July event materialized, however, Andrus said it would have been one of seven World Cup stops. Instead of coming to Beaver Creek, Quebec will host the global circuit on July 12-14.

Further, the XTERRA USA event has been rebranded into the “XTERRA North American” championship, with the first being held on May 18 at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama.

“In order to have a bigger, broader reach and make an inclusive opportunity for a championship, we moved from a U.S.-based to a North American championship,” Andrus said.

“I like that XTERRA is a global brand, but disappointed to see the departure/postponement of iconic races in the U.S., and little incentive to race at the elite level for a U.S.-based athlete,” Josiah Middaugh said.

Both Sullivan and Josiah Middaugh raced in Alabama last month, with Sullivan taking the North American title and finishing fourth overall. Because the event was held at the same time as the Colorado state track meet, younger brother Porter — who was the second-place American at last year’s event — was not able to participate.

Josiah Middaugh pointed out that the May scheduling of the marquee event means most American XTERRA athletes “don’t have a big race to train for the rest of the season unless they are racing worlds in Italy.” The 45-year-old won’t be traveling the World Cup circuit this season but instead shifted some of his focus to the half-ironman distance on the roads. He placed 19th overall at the Ironman 70.3 North American Championships held in St. George, Utah, on May 10.

Will XTERRA be back?

Both Dempsey and Andrus are hopeful XTERRA will return to Beaver Creek.

“We would love to come back in the future and I see it happening,” Andrus said.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say next year because we haven’t had those discussions and we’re already booking into 2025, 2026. So, our looking would be maybe a 2026 timeframe.”

If the only dates Beaver Creek Resort Company is willing to offer are in late June, there could be conflict beyond trail availability. In an Avon Town Council meeting on Oct. 24, 2023, Dempsey said Beaver Creek Resort Company’s proposed June dates won’t be viable in the future.

“Longer term, that doesn’t work for us because we’ll have ‘Best of the West,’ but we can make those decisions as we get a little bit closer,” she stated in October.

“I think July is best, but we’re open for other dates that work well for Beaver Creek Resort Company and XTERRA,” Dempsey said in a phone call with the Vail Daily in May. “We’re very hopeful that we’ll be considered for 2025 and that Beaver Creek will also consider it in 2025.”