Preview: 2022 XTERRA World Championships

From Hawaii to Trentino… Molveno is preparing for the first Italian XTERRA World Championship.

After twenty-five years, the main event of the most famous cross triathlon circuit in the world changes home and lands on the shores of Lake Molveno. The best of the discipline will for the first time meet in Italy for the final act of the season: the conquest of the world title. A high-adrenaline show in the setting of the Brenta Dolomites, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is not only the conclusion of the 2022 XTERRA season, it is the most expected and spectacular event, the one for which athletes train all year round and compete in every single stage of the season. It is the one which every cross triathlon fan dreams of witnessing at least once. It is the XTERRA World Championship, the world final, the pinnacle of the racing calendar. For the first time in twenty-five years it will be leaving the shores of Maui, Hawaii to land in Italy, in Trentino, on the shores of Lake Molveno next October 1st and 2nd. All the best are ready for “la Gara” (the Competition) that will consecrate the world’s best athlete in what is considered the most famous and toughest cross triathlon championship. When Maui offered athletes a sparkling location, what will kick off next September 29th in Molveno is a very long weekend of sports and entertainment. This real show finds a new home in which it will remain for the next two seasons.

From the distant shores of the Central Pacific, unreachable for many, XTERRA brings the event to one of the most fascinating places in Trentino, where unspoiled nature, traditions and history meet. The awe-inspiring terrain of Trentino offers the crystal-clear waters of Lake Molveno, for six consecutive years declared the Most Beautiful Lake in Italy and the staggering peaks of the Brenta Dolomites, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Nature and sports are the ingredients of one of the favourite tourist destinations for adventure and adrenaline enthusiasts. Just 30 km away from Trento, the Paganella plateau is a small area that encapsulates the amazing nature of Trentino and offers unforgettable experiences all year round.

In just a few minutes from the highway exit, one is already captured by an environment of rare beauty, beloved by trekkers, skiers and bikers from all over the world: 400 km of bike trails, countless paths for trekkers, 40 playgrounds, educational farms and thematic trails among wide meadows and forests, 50 km of wide and sunny ski slopes, 1,500 plant species, 125 accommodation facilities, 22 mountain huts, more than 40 wineries and farms, and as many as 8,000 chamois living in the Adamello Brenta Nature Park.

The “Azienda per il Turismo Dolomiti Paganella” (the Dolomiti Paganella Tourist Office), moreover, is the first in Italy and one of the first in Europe to have become a Benefit Corporation. It promotes not only the riches and beauties of the area, but also a new model of tourism under the banner of sustainability and attention to the resident community. The final of the XTERRA World Championship fits perfectly into this philosophy with its sustainability-driven approach in all aspects, from logistical organization to the design of the race courses.

Almost 800 athletes from 40 countries in the four corners of the world are expected. The greater accessibility of the new location makes this high number of participants possible. It also gives many of them the opportunity to finally take advantage of that hard-won slot in one of the earlier stages of the championship that spans three continents: Europe, Asia and America.

The XTERRA World Championship is considered to be one of the most physically and mentally demanding sporting events in the world. The triathlon, and in particular the competition in Trentino scheduled for Saturday October 1st, consists in a 1.5 km swim (2×750 meter loops), two bike laps of 16 km each, for a total of 1,100 m elevation gain and 10 km total run (2×5 km). From the waters of the lake, the bike course will head into the woods to climb up the plateau to Andalo, then return to the changeover area in Molveno from where the athletes will start running along the banks, climb up the paths hidden among the trees and descend to the finish area. The first man and the first woman to cross the finish line on the beach of the Trentino village will win the crown of XTERRA World Champion 2022.

A new competition format has been introduced this year of which 4 events have already been held this season: the short track. The short but high-adrenaline race will take place on Sunday October 2nd. This all-out sprint includes 400 m of swimming, 8 km of cycling and 3km of running. Space will also be given to the little ones with the XTERRA Kids, a mini duathlon (run/bike/run) reserved for young athletes aged 6 to 16.

The weekend of activities will begin on Thursday September 29th with the opening of the XTERRA Village on the beach of Molveno, the nerve centre of the event. The village will host entertainment moments and a commercial area where all the products of the brand, sportswear and official merchandising of the event will be sold. The Opening Ceremony and the parade of the participants will start at 19:30 in Andalo.
Every afternoon, from Thursday to Sunday, the Village will be animated with food and wine stands and music untill the awaited After Race Party scheduled at the Palacongressi di Andalo on Saturday evening.