XTERRA Introduces New World Rankings for Athletes
February 26, 2020
The new scoring system, developed by former XTERRA World Champion Nicolas Lebrun, will assign points to every finisher at an XTERRA World Championship qualifying event in 2020 and beyond based on factors including strength and depth of field, course difficulty, and finishing time.
XTERRA Global, LLC, owners and producers of the XTERRA World Tour, today announced the launch of the first-ever XTERRA World Rankings for athletes.
The new scoring system, developed by former XTERRA World Champion Nicolas Lebrun, will assign points to every finisher at an XTERRA World Championship qualifying event in 2020 and beyond based on factors including strength and depth of field, course difficulty, and finishing time.
An athletes’ XTERRA World Ranking is based on their single best points score over a rolling 18-month time period. The XTERRA Wellington full distance off-road triathlon on February 1, 2020 marked the start of the acquisition period, thus the first fully vetted ranking will be available August 1, 2021.
“I’ve been feeding XTERRA race results into the system for two years now to test various formulas in order to come up with just the right criteria for XTERRA, something stable that will show an athletes’ level in our sport,” said Lebrun, the director for XTERRA Europe and a 20-year-veteran of the sport.
Lebrun used results from the testing phase to create a baseline for what the system will look and feel like, and those rankings – which are based on select competition results dating back to August 2018 – are available to view now.
Following inspiring performances on the sports’ biggest stage in Maui last October, it’s no surprise reigning XTERRA World Champions Bradley Weiss and Flora Duffy are the active men’s and women’s leaders.
“There are no awards or prizes associated with the XTERRA World Rankings at this point, however, once fully vetted in August 2021 I see them becoming an invaluable tool for our athletes, announcers, and organizers,” explained XTERRA World Tour President, Janet Clark. “For now, it’s certain to spark some lively conversations and get our Tribe fired-up to do their best at every single event. I applaud Nico for all the thought and hard work he and his team put into the system, it’s really a great tool.”
The system will be updated after every XTERRA World Championship qualifying event to reflect the latest results and performances. The user-friendly website interface can be sorted by points, age group division, and nationality for both men and women.
Discover it for yourself at https://rankings.xterraplanet.com
About XTERRA
XTERRA® is a global lifestyle brand and off-road race series. What started in 1996 as the world’s first off-road triathlon in Maui, Hawaii, is now an endurance sports lifestyle with a racing presence in over 30 countries worldwide and expanding. XTERRA® cultivates a passionate and dedicated community, celebrated by intrepid triathletes, trail runners and outdoor adventurists around the globe. Learn more at www.xterraplanet.com.