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Josiah Middaugh trailed by more than a minute heading into the running leg of the Xterra East Championships but passed a pair of competitors in the final two miles to win.
Richmond, Va. — Josiah Middaugh’s win at Sunday’s Xterra East Championships was his own personal triple crown.
Middaugh, the Vail Valley triathlete, scored a victory for Americans, for dads and for his knee.
One week after he won the Teva Mountain Games Ultimate Mountain Challenge, Middaugh took first on Father’s Day at the Xterra competition in Richmond, Va.
“It felt pretty good to win,” said Middaugh, a father of two, who became the first American to win the Xterra East since 2000.
Middaugh trailed the leaders after the swim but made up a lot of time on the mountain-bike portion. When he got off his bike, Middaugh trailed two racers — Dan Hugo and Tyler Johnson — by more than a minute. But Middaugh caught both competitors and finished with the third-best run time to win the race at 2 hours, 2 minutes, 51 seconds. Hugo, a South African, was 26 seconds behind Middaugh.
“That was the first time since my knee injury that I felt like a runner,” Middaugh said. Two years ago, Middaugh broke his kneecap at an Xterra race in Alabama.
“I haven’t been able to do the same type of training — my run hadn’t been at the same level (as before),” he said. “But the running felt good. It wasn’t a struggle.”
Sunday’s title was Midduagh’s first Xterra win since 2004.
“It was a victory for dads, too,” Middaugh said. “The race was definitely a confidence builder. The next four Xterras will be more suited to my style and will be at altitude. It’s a big confidence builder to win a race at sea level and with no major climbing.”
Middaugh said Sunday’s mountain-bike course was mostly flat and had many turns. Still, Middaugh had the second-fastest biking time (1:10:04, three seconds behind Johnson).
“I’m not the best at swimming,” Middaugh said. “I knew I could make back most of the time on the bike, but I wasn’t sure how much. I had to go full tilt the whole way.”
When he got off his bike, Middaugh spotted Hugo, who held the lead.
“I could see him on the first long straightaway,” Middaugh said. “I was just kind of stalking him. I knew I couldn’t take it all back in one mile or even two. I just tried to stay consistent. With one mile to go, I finally caught him.”
Middaugh isn’t taking much of a post-victory break; he’s racing in today’s Vail and Beaver Creek mountain-biking series race.
“I’ll go and get my butt kicked by a bunch of locals,” he said. “You’re only as good as your last race.”
Middaugh, the Vail Valley triathlete, scored a victory for Americans, for dads and for his knee.
One week after he won the Teva Mountain Games Ultimate Mountain Challenge, Middaugh took first on Father’s Day at the Xterra competition in Richmond, Va.
“It felt pretty good to win,” said Middaugh, a father of two, who became the first American to win the Xterra East since 2000.
Middaugh trailed the leaders after the swim but made up a lot of time on the mountain-bike portion. When he got off his bike, Middaugh trailed two racers — Dan Hugo and Tyler Johnson — by more than a minute. But Middaugh caught both competitors and finished with the third-best run time to win the race at 2 hours, 2 minutes, 51 seconds. Hugo, a South African, was 26 seconds behind Middaugh.
“That was the first time since my knee injury that I felt like a runner,” Middaugh said. Two years ago, Middaugh broke his kneecap at an Xterra race in Alabama.
“I haven’t been able to do the same type of training — my run hadn’t been at the same level (as before),” he said. “But the running felt good. It wasn’t a struggle.”
Sunday’s title was Midduagh’s first Xterra win since 2004.
“It was a victory for dads, too,” Middaugh said. “The race was definitely a confidence builder. The next four Xterras will be more suited to my style and will be at altitude. It’s a big confidence builder to win a race at sea level and with no major climbing.”
Middaugh said Sunday’s mountain-bike course was mostly flat and had many turns. Still, Middaugh had the second-fastest biking time (1:10:04, three seconds behind Johnson).
“I’m not the best at swimming,” Middaugh said. “I knew I could make back most of the time on the bike, but I wasn’t sure how much. I had to go full tilt the whole way.”
When he got off his bike, Middaugh spotted Hugo, who held the lead.
“I could see him on the first long straightaway,” Middaugh said. “I was just kind of stalking him. I knew I couldn’t take it all back in one mile or even two. I just tried to stay consistent. With one mile to go, I finally caught him.”
Middaugh isn’t taking much of a post-victory break; he’s racing in today’s Vail and Beaver Creek mountain-biking series race.
“I’ll go and get my butt kicked by a bunch of locals,” he said. “You’re only as good as your last race.”
