The X-Tri Off-Road Series, through the eyes of racer, Nina Harmon.
New for the 2025 season, Triathlon BC and the off-road triathlons in the region banded together to put on a points series. Athletes competed for points in their respective age group in races across the season totaling toward an overall championship win. A wonderful step toward expanding participation and competition in the sport.
I was immediately curious.
Could I do this?
So I came out of last winter full of fire. I built my most consistent strength training base ever and I had tons of mileage on alpine and Nordic skis. I felt the magnetic pull to put my fitness to the test.
I had never taken on a multi-race series before so I had no idea what to expect. Nevertheless, I loaded up the training calendar and got to work. Filling my pockets with cool experiences and some athlete self-discovery peppered in for good measure.
The opener: Squamish Off-Road Triathlon
One of my closest friends, Liz, signed up with me for the sprint distance. She’s always game. Although our training sessions didn’t line up that often, it kept motivation high to know we were both 
in it together.
The course:
Short, sharp, and wrapped in lush rainforest.
- Swim: Alice Lake isn’t known for its clarity but is clean and straightforward. The best part, the start is beneath a giant inflatable gorilla. A very fun object to sight as you get ready to exit for transition. I found myself swimming with the pack which doesn’t often happen. It’s chaotic but faster than swimming alone.
- Mountain bike: this is one of the least technical courses on the circuit. Much of it is on fire road. The highlight is always ripping through the Rollercoaster section.
- Trail run: One of my favourite runs on the circuit, the Sprint course gains most of its elevation at the start and then corkscrews down past some scenic lakes.
The race:
On race day, we left our families at home and carpooled to Squamish. It was cool to see familiar faces and dish out big hugs to friends in the triathlon community we’d met over the years. A friend reunion of sorts. My previous attempt at this race featured a mechanical on the bike that turned into a DNF, so I was stoked to complete and take the win for my age group (plus third in the overall for the Sprint distance). Liz came home with a stellar podium finish too which always makes race day more awesome. I finished wishing I’d gone for the longer distance. It was time to step up to the Championship.
My takeaway:
For early season races it’s good to get in the lake at least a few times to feel what it’s like to swim uninterrupted for a long distance and remember what a wetsuit feels like. Doing the Sprint distance plays an interesting mind game with people because it still requires respect and recovery time, even if it’s a shorter distance. It’s also important to get some good threshold workouts in to remember what the race pain cave feels like so it’s not a shock when you’re redlining out on the course. Spin classes and group runs are great for this.
Fun Tip:
Not based in any scientific data, but I did find that it helped to acclimatize myself to the cold water by doing a few daily rituals of cold exposure in the month leading up to the race. I washed my face with cold water and regularly finished my showers with a blast of cold. Maybe a placebo effect but it got me in a great frame of mind for swimming in open water.
Check out Triathlon 220’s article on it for more research: How to adapt to cold-water swimming and extend your open-water swimming season into winter
The Big Test: XTERRA Victoria
In Victoria, I stepped up to the full distance. I put in a bunch of big efforts in the lead up, but my training for the race didn’t feel totally dialed. There were a few unknowns here. To make things extra exciting, I was joining my lovely friends on a stagette the same weekend and would be leaving the party Sunday morning to go race. At this point, I’d be a good candidate for bonus points if those were on offer.
The course:
Arbutus trees, island vibes and fun technical trail surprises.
- Swim: The swim is in Durance lake. The water is a warm temperature and the course is easy to site. The tough element to the swim is the exit and entrance. Racers have to scramble up rocks and then down the other side of the beach to get to lap two and then after lap two into the transition. I swam with the group for the first lap and then settled into a mostly solo rhythm for lap two.
- Mountain Bike: The bike course took me by surprise this year with the addition of a flowy jump trail in the middle of each lap since I had last raced here. I whooped and hollered all the way through as I learned the trail and then on lap two I came in charging, ready for maximum fun. This course has some heart-in-your-throat tough climbs but might be the best tech on the circuit.
- Trail Run: Just like the bike course, the trail run is full of excitement. There is a short portion of flat tech running through roots, weaving through trails before the trail points toward the sky and runners grind it out to the summit of the network. From the top, we get to traverse through boulders and steep bits, likely better suited for a bike but super fun.. The best part? A volunteer DJ greets everyone at the top of the climb with dance favourites.
The Race:
On the morning of race day, I was treated to a wild purply-pink sunrise over the ocean in Victoria. Solo, I left a house of my happily snoring girlfriends around 5AM and drove to the race start. I’ve never raced a triathlon completely by myself before. It felt a bit odd, but the local community was warm and welcoming and I was happy to go through the motions and pre-race jitters all on my own, for a change.
I know to treat the XTERRA Victoria course with a lot of respect. Likely one of the toughest races on the circuit, I had doubts about carrying that consistent race energy all the way through the finish. But once the gun went off, I settled in and got to work. I was over the moon to land 2nd in my age category against the fastest women in the entire Championship distance.
I have raced XTERRA Victoria several times in the past and was never able to grab a podium spot. Sweet redemption.
The takeaway:
I will admit that testing limits in a race like this requires some serious focus on recovery. I struggled to get back into training after this race, pushing too early and finding myself sore and exhausted. Can’t rush recovery, it seems.
Bonus win! A few weeks later I received an email about acquiring a roll down slot XTERRA World Championships. After years of racing this was my first qualification! Although the dates for the Championships didn’t work out for me this year, I was honoured to finally get the invite over ten years after first trying this sport.
Fun Tip:
Condensing everything into an easy to transport pack/kit for race day feels great. When I haven’t raced in a while or I’m racing a new sport, I often bring my whole closet of gear to race day as I’m not sure what I’ll need. Having done this sport for a while now, I really appreciated the simplicity of having a big backpack and a cooler for recovery meals and making everything (except the bike) fit in one of those two bags. It makes life simple and getting to/from the event way less of a hassle. Less mental gymnastics wasted on gear choice.
The Finale on Home Turf: Whistler X-Tri
The Whistler X-Tri, formaly XTERRA Whistler has a special place in my heart. My local triathlon community supports it and I’ve known the race organizers, endurance power couple, Kristian and Charlotte Manietta for years. A year after my son was born, Liz and I chose this race to do as a glorious comeback to fitness. So it was the obvious choice for a final race in reaching my goal of winning the overall.
The course:
- Swim: The swim is in Lost Lake and has a late start to accommodate the shorter days in September. Nearly two hours later than Victoria. Typically glassy calm and blanketed in mist. Jumping jacks to keep warm with my friends from all over. The second lap catches me off guard, I zigzag quite a bit – reminding me to spend more time practicing sighting next summer… but it’s over in an instant and then it’s time to put the work in on the bike.
- Mountain bike: I always have to burn matches here. My swim is fairly average so I need to get to work passing other racers as soon as I have fuel on board. This part of the race is a mind game. Am I going too fast and likely to bonk? Should I hang on that person’s rear wheel as they look like a faster racer? The answer to those questions is never yes. It’s time to push hard. The course weaves through a fun loop of Lost Lake. Little Bridges and rolling terrain. Mid-course there is a hike-a-bike section that is absolutely brutal. But I made a point of practicing it a few times this year which made it easier (mentally).
- Trail run: This portion is otherworldly. Turning out of Lost Lake trails and onto the “wall”, I ascend into the mist and wilderness surrounding Green Lake Loop. Racers spread out and I was shaken out of a trance about 15 minutes into the climb when another runner cruised past. I nearly jumped out of my skin, noticing I hadn’t seen another human in quite some time. On my way back in to Lost Lake, I worked out that I only had about 15 minutes to go. I noticed another runner in my peripheral. Another women. Uh-oh – better pick up the pace. I thought to myself, “I can suffer for another 15 minutes. Let’s lock this in.” I gave it my best but she passed me with 50 meters to go to the finish line. That’s great racing fun.
The Race:
I’ll be the first to admit, at this point in the season, I was a bit burnt out on training and the mental rollercoaster of tapering and recovering. I enlisted the help of some fun friends to get me to the start line. My first Canadian friends, Jody and Nicholas came up to join in the fun on a whim. Always up for anything, Jody signed up for the sprint distance and they added their kids into the kids triathlon too. They brought much needed fresh energy and excitement. In addition, my friend Dee from my new role with Tourism Whistler was out there with me warming up for the Sprint on race morning. Good people and positive vibes despite the pouring rain of the final hour made it all possible.
More than possible, but actually my best race to date, I was 3rd overall female in the Championship race with a time of 3:31:11.8. I won my age category and the Overall as well. What a finish.
Not-As-Fun Tip:
The comfort (and chaos) of racing at home is a mixed bag. Sleeping in my own bed is nice, but also having family chores and obligations makes the weekend leading to race day a bit tricky. I had hoped being close to home would mean I could spend more time with family leading up to the race but I quickly discovered I still had to do all the prep for the race and rest. Not very family-friendly activities. Keep this in mind for your race planning in the future!
The Payoff:
True for every race, friends racing side-by-side made the atmosphere electric. It felt like we were all working toward a common goal. Although I enjoyed XTERRA Victoria, the races where I toed the line with friends were supreme. And ultimately, crossing the finish line knowing not only I had sealed the overall, but I got to celebrate the series wrap-up with my crew was fantastic.
Thank you, to everyone that supported me.
I have so much gratitude for the friends who raced, the volunteers, the organizers, my family and all the lovely people that said “go for it.” Please my friends on the stagette weekend. Not a single woman gave me flack for racing on a party weekend. That’s love.
If you’ve been thinking about trying off-road tri, grab a buddy and commit to all three. You’ll be surprised what you can do together.
Nina Harmon: As an athlete, I translate my passion for endurance sports through words and images. Using the power of storytelling, my aim is to inspire athletes to explore, push limits and give back to the trail less traveled.
