Xterra West Championships 2010: Conrad Stoltz And Shonny Vanlandingham Win

The heat was a deciding factor at the 2010 Xterra West Championships in Nevada. Winners Conrad Stoltz and Shonny Vanlandingham were able to stay strong and overcome the shocking desert temperatures.

Conrad Stoltz and Shonny Vanlandingham were the winners of the 2010 XTERRA West Championship off-road triathlon at the Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort in Henderson, Nevada.

Conrad Stoltz has now won the West Championship four years in a row. “The Caveman” defeated competitor Josiah Middaugh by a mere 39 seconds with an overall time of 2:06:47. The pair also finished in first and second in last year's race.

“I rode as hard as I could today on this very rough and rocky and slippery desert surface,” said Conrad Stoltz. “This Vegas course is pretty tough with steep uphills and steep downhills and it was really hot towards the end of the race.”

Josiah Middaugh, who had surgery in November, seems to be in top form. Despite having to stop and fix a flat, he was second into the bike-to-run transition about 2:15 behind Conrad Stoltz and made up all but 40 seconds of that by the finish line.

“It felt really good out there and I think it’s safe to say that I’m back,” said Middaugh, who hadn’t done any run training for nearly two years while dealing with the injury.

Behind Conrad Stoltz and Josiah Middaugh were Brian Smith and Seth Wealing, who gave strong performances in the sweltering heat of the desert. Smith’s third-place finish marked his best showing since posting the same result in the 2008 West Championship.

Shonny Vanlandingham had the fastest bike split by far (1:17:45) to make up for a big time deficit coming out of the water.

The lead women’s swimmer, Christine “Big Fish” Jeffrey, finished more than five-and-a-half minutes ahead of Shonny Vanlandingham with McQuaid more than three minutes in front out of the water.

For McQuaid, a second-place showing today is acceptable considering the big goals await in September and October.

“It’s the first race of the year so I just had to blow the cobwebs out of the system ya know. It was pretty hot today and I’m coming from the cold and winter at home so it’s just a shock to the system."

Despite the heat, winners Conrad Stoltz and Shonny Vanlandingham racked up impressive scores at the 2010 Xterra West Championships.