Five years ago, there was a simple off-road triathlon in Maui, much like there was once but one Ironman. After one year and a name change, XTERRA, like Ironman, has grown into what it now is - an international event and national points series culminating in this weekend's showcase race, the $110,000 World Championships in Hawaii.

Some of the world's best triathletes, mountain bikers and all-around athletes will compete Sunday for cash and prizes, and finish out a tour which began this summer and crisscrossed North America. The racing, a mix of ocean swimming, mountain biking and trail running, gets underway in the morning and wraps up several hours later, crowning the champs of one crazy new sport.

As multisports continue to tweak the landscape with one innovative new event after another, the XTERRA, one of the most simple and elegant concepts yet, celebrates its fifth year as the world's premier off-road triathlon. A simple mix of triathlon's multi-disciplinary juggling with the unpredictability of off-road racing, the XTERRA is reminder that sports can be fun, challenging, and at the same time incredibly grueling.

Five years ago a committed (and certifiable) group of promoters called Team Unlimited began a small off-road triathlon called "Aqua-Terra" on the shores of Maui, having no idea how large their event would soon become. Now, with the 400-person field of amateurs and pros filled to capacity months before deadline, the proof is there — this event continues to roll along unabated. And with the full support of title sponsor Nissan and their runaway best-selling XTERRA SUV, 2000 looks to be another banner year for the event.

Starting from the Outrigger Wailea Resort in southern Maui, racing consists of a 1.5-kilometer rough water swim at Wailea Beach, a grueling 30-kilometer mountain bike on the slopes of Mount Haleakala, and an 11-kilometer trail run from Makena Beach back to Wailea.

The sold-out field is limited to 400 competitors, who represent the best off-road, multi-sport athletes on the planet. Competitors qualified for the event through a series of thirteen XTERRA races that were held at international outdoor destinations this summer, and attracted over 5,000 competitors and 45,000 spectators:

With 20% of the field racing pro, there will be stiff competition from notable triathletes, including Ironmen and women, mountain bikers and road racers. Ned Overend, the 45-year-old mountain bike legend, will return to defend his two consecutive World Champion titles. Overend, who hails from Durango, Colorado, is a former world and national mountain bike champion, and Mountain Bike Hall of Famer. He is currently ranked fourth in the Nissan XTERRA Points Series, however, the rugged bike course plays to his mountain biking strength.

The man with Overend in his cross hairs is 28-year-old Kerry Classen, of San Clemente, California. Currently leading the Nissan XTERRA Points Series with a total of six wins this season, Classen, who trains with former Ironman champion Scott Molina, will be gunning to take not only the $11,000 payout for first place in the 2000 series, but also the Championship title. An ex-Navy SEAL and former Mission Viejo swimmer, Classen is typically in the front of the pack coming out of the swim, and has the ability to retain the lead through the bike and run.

In second place in the Series, is 27-year-old Canadian Mike Vine. Vine has a triathlon and mountain biking background, and is the 2000 XTERRA Canada champion. He has finished in the top-3 at every race he entered this year and took 5th at the World Championship last year.

Another force to be reckoned with is 1999 Nissan XTERRA Points Series champion Michael Tobin, 36, of Boise, Idaho. A two-time world duathlon champion, Tobin has 15 XTERRA victories to his credit, including two wins this season. He was runner-up at last year's Championship and is expected to perform well on Maui, one of his favorite courses.

The men's field is rich with great athletes, including 1998 XTERRA World Champion Mike Pigg, Ironman Hall of Famer Scott Tinley, 1998 Ironman champion Peter Reid, Wes Hobson who ranked 4th at the U.S. nationals, and 25-year-old Erik Burgan, who ranked 5th behind Hobson. Along with Mother Nature, these athletes and the others in the field of 400 will ensure a very competitive and exciting race on October 22nd.

Shari Kain, Polo Sport RLX mountain bike team member, winner of the 1999 XTERRA World Championship, is pregnant and will not race this year. Kain will be at the finish cheering on husband Peter, a three-time age group world champion triathlete. The Kains have been at every XTERRA since its start.

The women's pro race is expected to be an all-out battle between Kerstin Weule, 34, of Evergreen, Colorado, and Jody Purcell, 29, of Sydney, Australia, who are tied for first place in the Nissan XTERRA Points Series. Weule is the most winning XTERRA athlete, with 17 total, including six this year. Purcell, who is a former Australian World Cup Championship team member, also has six wins this season. Weule finished 2nd at last year's World Championship, with Purcell 3rd.

Canadian mountain bike Olympic team member and Polo Sport RLX pro rider, Lesley Tomlinson, will be a threat to Weule and Purcell. Tomlinson is a weak swimmer, 308th out of the water last year, but she has had the fastest or second fastest mountain bike time in each of the three years she has participated. Her best finish was a second in 1997, and she has finished in the top-10 for the past three years.

A special prime, The Hawaiian Airlines Double, will pay $1,000 to the man and woman with the fastest Ironman and XTERRA time, and each year attracts a growing number of endurance athletes. The events separated by onlyeight days and a narrow channel of ocean. The 1998 Ironman champion Peter Reid, 31, of Victoria, B.C., is expected to take the title for the men, his second, having won it in 1998. Californian Wendy Ingraham, 36, is expected to take the women's Double title. Ingraham held the record for the fastest Ironman swim until last year, and won Ironman Switzerland earlier this year. The year 2000 marks Ingraham's fourth XTERRA World Championship appearance. Maui resident, Joel Sampson, will also compete race "The Double." Sampson, a below-knee amputee is the second Challenged Athlete to compete in both events.

—Ari Cheren, revving up the blender in Maui for MountainZone.com