By Mike Gorrell
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:10/30/2006 03:33:40 PM MST
For three months early in 2008, nearly 300 competitors are expected to assemble in the mountains above Ogden for a newly created sports event - the XTERRA Winter World Championship.
The competition is patterned after the summer XTERRA USA Championship Series, which features more than 50 events such as open-water swimming, mountain biking and trail running. Several of these events were staged in Utah the past two summers, said Jeff Robbins, president and chief executive of the Utah Sports Commission, which helped bring the winter version to Utah.
Professional and amateur athletes will be eligible to compete in the Winter World Championship, in both single-stage races (Nordic skiing, snow biking and snow running) and triathlon-style, multidisciplinary races. Organizers also are considering including ice climbing, bobsledding, snowboarding, skating and downhill skiing as demonstration events, Robbins said.
TEAM Unlimited, which is organizing the competition, will produce two television feature shows about the competition and Utah's winter sports activities, and expects the programs to be aired by the major networks.
"The XTERRA Winter Championship is another example of how we are using sports to help build the state's image and economy," Robbins said.