Eureka Springs hosts Lake Leatherwood XTERRA Festival

(Eureka Springs) The newly named Lake Leatherwood XTERRA Festival expands the off-road cycling and trail running event, formerly named the XTERRA Eureka Springs. The popular event is heading into its eighth consecutive year as one of the most popular races on the XTERRA America Tour.

Hosted at the Lake Leatherwood City Park in Eureka Springs, Arkansas on June 8 and 9, the event is expanding its offering with the addition of a sport distance triathlon and the first ever XTERRA Trail Runs in the state of Arkansas.

Attending this year will be Brent Bieshaar of XTERRA Across America who will be racing an unprecedented 25 races in 18 states on his docket for 2013. The 48-year-old father of two from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, is the two-time 45-49 division XTERRA Mountain Region champ. He will use the attention garnered by his expedition to help raise awareness for the Blazeman Foundation - a family-run non-profit named after the late Jon Blais. Blais’ courageous battle against Lou Gehrig’s disease inspired a generation of triathletes when he became the first person with ALS to finish the Ironman World Championship in 2005.

“We are honored that Brent chose XTERRA Eureka Springs in his tour of races for XTERRA Across America,” says Kevin Ruehle, co-race director, “We want everyone to know the beauty of the Ozarks, the challenge of the course at Lake Leatherwood, and the ‘Live More’ philosophy of XTERRA.”

The Lake Leatherwood XTERRA Festival will kick off on Saturday, June 8 with 6K and 12K trail runs on the scenic and technically challenging trails around the beautiful, spring fed Lake Leatherwood. The 6k race will challenge first time trail runners and experts alike with short rocky climbs, fast flowing bench sections and numerous creek crossings of the Beacham and Fuller Trails. The course will take competitors through the old limestone quarry and across a beautiful WPA era dam, one of the largest hand-cut native limestone dams in the country. The 12k course takes racers straight up to the top of Twin Knobs hill then down a winding route through the Lost Ridge and Hyde Hollow before joining up with the 6k course around the lake.

Sunday morning, June 9, competitors will be greeted with a completely new XTERRA course. With a longer, two lap bike at 14.5 miles, the new course will feature more climbing, almost 2000 vertical feet, as well as a spectator friendly mid lap swing back trough the transition area. The 5.1 mile run will take the racers up the lower pitches of Twin Knobs and around some beautiful bench trails before joining the more technical Beacham and Fuller Trails around the lake. The new XTERRA Sport race will present the perfect opportunity for XTERRA novices to experience off-road multisport. The sport competitors will race one 7.25 mile lap of the same bike course as the XTERRA then take on the shorter 6k run course.

For more information, visit www.xterraeurekasprings.com and  www.facebook.com/XTERRAEurekaSprings. Follow Brent's “XTERRA Across America” odyssey at www.xterraacrossamerica.com and www.facebook.com/XterraAcrossAmerica.