2026 XTERRA World Championships head to New Mexico from October 8 to 11

The 2026 XTERRA World Championship will be held on the US mainland for the first time, after spending many years on Hawaii’s island of Maui. The 30th edition of the event celebrates the pioneering off-road triathlon brand, where the road bike gives way to a mountain bike and the run takes on a trail-running feel.

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The Full Distance World Championship will take place on Saturday, October 10, followed by the Youth World Championship the next day. Ruidoso becomes the third venue to host the XTERRA World Championships, after Maui, Hawaii, and Molveno, Italy, and will remain the host through 2028.

The 2026 edition features athletes from 41 countries. The largest national delegations come from the United States, France, Canada, Germany, Brazil and Japan. Ecuador, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates add to an international field that is broader than in 2025.

The October 10 elite race will offer total prize money of $100,000, with $20,000 going to each winner. France will be without Solène Billouin, a three-time world champion in the discipline.

By contrast, Alizée Patiès is returning to the World Championships after injuries forced her to miss the previous edition. “This year, I want to race for myself and make the woman who watched the World Championships from her sofa proud,” says the 2023 world silver medallist.

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Her teammate Emma Ducreux, a winner of eight XTERRA World Cup races, has also experienced the welcome extended to athletes. “It reminds me how generous the XTERRA community can be. A local family is hosting me during my stay, which is a huge help and a wonderful opportunity to share our cultures and discover New Mexico in a more personal way.”

Italy’s Marta Menditto, winner of the 2025 XTERRA World Cup, spent time in New Mexico to acclimatise ahead of the race. “New Mexico completely surprised me. It’s wild, unique and incredibly beautiful, with a very strong culture. Ruidoso will be a new place to add to my personal world map, along with new memories to take home. I’m very happy to be here,” she says.

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© XTERRA

© XTERRA

© XTERRA

In the men’s race, with French defending champion Félix Forissier absent, fellow Frenchman Arthur Serrières, a three-time world champion in 2022, 2023 and 2024, returns with a clear goal. “I’m a three-time world champion, so it’s important for me to come here and defend my legacy. I’m really looking forward to discovering this new venue and taking on a different challenge,” says the athlete who finished third at the 2025 World Championships.

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His compatriot Maxim Chané arrives as one of the leading contenders after winning his first XTERRA World Cup round at Oak Mountain in the United States, then finishing fourth in the Full Distance and second in the Short Track at XTERRA Czech.

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Tom Coquet, Matthias Gourgues and Elliot Labourdette will be the other French representatives in the elite World Championship field. Denmark’s Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen, the 2025 world silver medallist, returns to the XTERRA circuit after spending much of the season racing elsewhere. “As long as I’m an athlete, I’ll need this kind of race in my life. I need the nature, the atmosphere and that XTERRA spirit,” he says.

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© XTERRA

North American champion Reed Legg started racing XTERRA as a child and joined the professional ranks a year ago. “I think much of what motivates me comes from wanting to show people who don’t know me yet who I am, and finally being able to race to the level of the potential my loved ones have always seen in me.”

American Sullivan Middaugh, a member of USA Triathlon’s Project Podium programme and a candidate for the 2028 Olympic Games, arrives in Ruidoso after a convincing win at XTERRA Costa Rica. He made the difference on the bike before beating Reed Legg to the finish.

The Full Distance World Championship will start at Grindstone Lake, around 2,100 metres above sea level. The 1,500 m swim will be followed by a single 27 km mountain-bike loop, climbing to nearly 2,440 metres before heading towards Ruidoso on technical, rocky descents. The 10 km run will consist of two loops through the village streets and forest trails, with no major difficulties.

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Athletes aged 14 to 19 will compete on Sunday in the Youth A (14–15), Youth B (16–17) and Junior (18–19) categories. Czech athlete Ondra Plic arrives in Ruidoso as the clear favourite after winning the Youth A category in 2024 and Youth B in 2025.

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