The Schedule

In some respects, it seems as though it should be easy to put the schedule together:  if there’s a race, go to it.  Fair enough.  And that’s pretty much how Brent started to build the XTERRA Across America schedule.  Using the 2012 race calendar, he was able to plan for most of the 2013 races.  After all, many of the races are tried and true – they’ve been held for years and their spot on the calendar is a sure thing.  Ahhhh – but many races are not.

  In the world of XTERRA, race directors begin to post their races on the main website as soon as the previous season concludes with the World Championships in October.  To say that the main website is on Brent’s list of favorites is an understatement.  Not a day – hour? – went by where he could not tell you exactly which races had posted and whether they would make the cut for his schedule.

  By January 1^st, we were fairly certain that we had this thing nailed down.  But then he started to make the travel arrangements…and then races started popping up on weekends that were previously open.  Oh boy.

  Travel arrangements.  It’s not too far off the mark to say that making travel arrangements is a pain in the neck under the best of circumstances.  Planning 18 out-of-town trips in 24 weeks is not the best of circumstances.  To help offset airfare expenses, we have been hoarding frequent flier points.  Frontier’s much hyped “Only 20,000 points needed for a round trip!” was welcome news.  Well sure – 20,000 points for that trip…but that trip? No sir, that trip…oh, and that one too, will be 40,000 points.  How about 22,500 points for a one-way ticket?  Oh boy.

  The appearance of additional races was expected – after all, a race every week was the point of the whole adventure.  However, it must be acknowledged that a forced week off at some point over 6 months would be appreciated.  So that’s what he gets: Memorial Day weekend is his one weekend off.  Lock the doors and turn off the lights – Brent will be sleeping that weekend.

  

Day	Date	Name	Location
Sun	3/17	Miami	Miami, FL
Sun	3/24	Hickory Knob	McCormick, SC
Sat	3/30	Real	Folsom Lake, CA
Sat	4/6	Renegade	San Dimas, CA
Sat	4/13	West Championships	Las Vegas, NV
Sun	4/21	Bluebonnet	Burnet, TX
Sat	4/27	Ft Yargo	Winder, GA
Sun	5/5	Gator Terra	Ruston, LA
Sun	5/12	Key Biscayne	Key Biscayne, FL
Sat	5/18	Southeast Champ	Pelham, AL
	Off
Sat	6/1	Lory	Fort Collins, CO
Sun	6/9	Eureka Springs	Eureka Springs, AR
Sun	6/16	Torn Shirt	Brighton, MI
Sun	6/23	Curt Gowdy	Cheyenne, WY
Sat	6/29	Dairyland	Sheboygan, WI
Sun	7/7	Vashon Island	Vashon Island, WA
Sun	7/14	Magnolia Hill	Navasota, TX
Sat	7/20	Mountain Champ	Beaver Creek, CO
Sat	7/27	Indian Peaks	Eldora, CO
Sun	8/4	Black Diamond	Black Diamond, WA
Sun	8/11	Stoaked	Hanover, NH
Sat	8/17	Iron Creek	South Dakota
Sat	8/24	Buffalo Creek	Pine, CO
Sat	9/22	US Championships	Ogden, UT
Sun	10/27	World Championships	Maui, HI

  Despite the fact that the beginning of the season is still a month away, XTERRA and many of the individual races have been extremely supportive of the adventure.  Brent was featured in one of XTERRA's online newsletters, and many of the races are comp'ing his entry fee so a donation can be made to the Blazeman Foundation.  In fact, the Stoaked New Hampshire race has teamed up with the foundation and will be contributing a portion of all entry fees paid prior to March 31st.  We definitely appreciate all attention that is directed toward The War on ALS.

  So, with the understanding that things can still change, the schedule for XTERRA Across America will take Brent to 25 races in 18 different states.  I will be able to accompany him to 6 or 7 of the out of town races (you think I'd miss Maui?), but for many of these he will have to make the trek on his own.  His plan is to write a blog for every race, focusing less on the nitty gritty details of the race (our apologies to the hard core racers out there) and more on the experience and the stories he hears from other racers, families and friends.  If your path happens to cross his, please do introduce yourself!  When all is said and done, one race will blur into the next - but it will be the people he meets along the way that will make the adventure something to remember.