MULTISPORT

Braden Currie is the 2015 US Off-Road National Champion

By Braden Currie Media Statement

Braden Currie began his United States campaign the way he means to continue - by winning the XTERRA Southeast Championship, which doubles as the 2015 USA Triathlon Off-Road National Championship race on Sunday.

The Kiwi Red Bull endurance racing machine fought off a late challenge from 10-time XTERRA USA National Champion, American athlete Josiah Middaugh, to claim victory at the at Oak Mountain State Park course in Alabama.

Currie was thrilled to hold on for the closely-fought win in 2hours 18mins 23secs in what is his first of four United States-based XTERRA races this season.

“I was super stoked as it was a good tough event and I had to fight to the end and only managed to take it out in the last 100m to win by three seconds over Josiah,” Currie said.


Red Bull endurance athlete Braden Currie, of Wanaka, out-sprints United States athlete Josiah Middaugh to win the XTERRA Southeast Championship by three seconds, Photo credit XTERRA


United States athlete Chris Ganter was a distant third, finishing more than six minutes behind the hard-charging leaders Middaugh, who was the defending champion, and Currie.

Wanaka’s Currie (28) began the race exiting the 1.5km lake swim in fifth place and quickly made up some ground on the 30km mountain bike. He rode most of the “techy, hilly, grunty” course with Evans, with Middaugh catching them both near the end of the ride.

Middaugh and Currie then raced head to head for nearly the whole 10km trail run. It was only in the final 100 metres that Currie seized his chance and with a burst of speed passed his rival to collect the winner’s finish line tape.

“It was a great mental booster for me to be able to take the win as I still feel like I have plenty left in the tank for my up-coming United States races and building up to the XTERRA World Championships near the end of the year,” Currie says.

He seems unstoppable right now and with his new strategic approach, which offers him several solid training blocks instead of non stop racing, it's highly likely that he will only get faster. This win is Currie's third victory in a row, after he dominated the XTERRA Asia-Pacific Championships and the New Zealand XTERRA championships last month, plus won the Coast to Coast for the third consecutive time in February.

Currie could be the one to beat the more than 10-race winning streak of the current world champion Ruben Ruzafa when the pair meet again at the World XTERRA Championships in Hawaii in October.

Having recently travelled to the United States, Currie will now base himself in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where he will put in some solid training blocks as he prepares for his next event the USA Northwest Xterra Championship next month.

“My build up was as good as I could have hoped for, but feel like I’ve got a lot to improve on, with a good four-week block coming up. On to the next adventure and looking forward to getting some training in, in the mountains,” Currie says.


Braden Currie’s upcoming event calendar
   June 14 – 15 USA Northwest XTERRA Championship, VA, United States.
   July 12 - Vineman 70.3, California, United States
   July 18 XTERRA Mountain Championships, Avon, United States.
   September 19 - USA XTERRA Championship.
   October 31 – World XTERRA Championship, Hawaii.
   November 8 – WA Adventure Fest, Augusta, Australia.
   November 15 – Shepparton Challenge, Victoria, Australia.
   December 5 – Bahrain Challenge half ironman, Bahrain.
   January 23 and 24 2016, Red Bull Defiance, Wanaka, NZ.



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