Nutri-Bay Ambassadors @ XTERRA MAUI 2017 – Race Reports and Photos Arnaud Taurelle: World Champion

Arnaud's story:

XTerra World Championship 2017 - Maui 🏝
After a small disappointment last year, when I finished 4th in the 25–29 age category, I was determined to do better, drawing on that first experience.
The first few days flew by. There was a huge storm overnight from Monday to Tuesday, with more than 30 cm of precipitation in one night (yes, not mm but cm!). Everything was devastated; there was no power at our accommodation—it was incredible!
First complete recon of the mountain-bike course 🚵: the ground was waterlogged, and we even got stuck in sections of clay soil—it was a nightmare! It was looking good for Sunday...
Fortunately, the sun gradually reappeared on the island, and the first sections of the course were already dry by late Thursday afternoon 😊👍
Sunday at 8 a.m., there we were in the transition area. We carefully laid out all our gear and headed to the starting beach. The stress was building; I had goosebumps. Fortunately, Amandine was there to calm and encourage me...
We passed the priest on the beach for a little Hawaiian blessing, and then took our places. The ocean was calm and there were no big waves, so we were all relieved 😂
9 a.m., the first cannon shot and the pros set off into the ocean. 9:05 a.m., the second cannon shot and I set off for two 750 m laps. I felt good and focused on settling into my stroke without tiring my legs. Everything went smoothly, and I came out of the water after just 25:30 on my watch—rather surprised and highly motivated to tackle the mountain bike. A perfect transition, and I hit the 32 km course—with 1,100 m of elevation gain—with my head down. The first few kilometers through the golf course were difficult, and I never stopped shouting “On your left – On your right – Thank you” as I overtook a good number of competitors. My legs were working and the sensations were pretty good; I hydrated well and ate too. After about twenty kilometers, I caught the European champion in my age category and thought I had a good chance. I continued overtaking competitors, and as I tackled the final 8 technical kilometers of the golf course, I was told I was 4th amateur overall. I quickly caught the athlete in 3rd and passed him before reaching the transition area.
I then spotted the top two in the transition area. After a quick transition, I set off on the 9.5 km trail run, with its 350 m of elevation gain, most of it in the first 5 km!
I decided to start hard to find a good rhythm and quickly passed the athlete in 2nd.
After 2 km, the Mouflons were ecstatic and encouraged me, telling me that 1st place was very close. I spotted him in the distance, and also saw the number 25 on his calf... he was in my age category...
I caught up with him and immediately attacked on a steep climb, finding myself alone with a few meters' lead. It just kept going uphill, and the kilometers felt long! I took water at every aid station because it was so hot... Finally, after 5 km, I reached the top of the course and attacked the downhill sections. I pushed hard without really looking back; it was difficult to tell whether anyone was following me... I finally reached the beach and, after a few strides, there was no one behind me. The relief 🤤 I was completely spent and even took the time to walk because my legs were so heavy. I savored it 😛
I entered the golf-course finish chute between the flags of the different countries and finally crossed the finish line! 🏁
It's done—I’m world champion in my 25–29 age category and also amateur world champion overall!! 🥇🏆
It’s absolutely incredible. I came here aiming for a podium finish, with winning the 25–29 title in the back of my mind, and I got exactly that 😛

After getting a little rest, I headed back toward the bike park and spotted Amandine’s bike. So she had set off on the trail run 😊👍 I made my way toward the end of the course and waited for her impatiently. I met up with her and crossed the beach, encouraging her ❤️.

It's done ✅ we have completed our second XTerra World Championship 🤙🏿
A big congratulations to my sweetheart, who achieved a great time in the swim 🏊 and finished 74th overall among the women (including the pros), out of 240! 😍❤️

Many thanks to Nutri-Bay.com for the energy products; the Apurna sports cake really kept me going!
The cryotherapy sessions were truly very beneficial for us! Many thanks to you, Maxence, and especially to Médicryo for the lightning-fast recovery ⚡️
Thank you, Matthieu, for flocking the polo shirts and for the training sessions at GetUp Nancy
Thank you to Dijon Singletrack for the encouragement and for following the race live—you’re completely crazy 👍😜
Thank you to My-Sport Jouy aux Arches for the Salomon SLab shoes 👍
Thank you to my family and also to my sweetheart AmanDine for her day-to-day support ❤️