FROM STAFF REPORTS

PELHAM— Shelby County’s XTERRA event is returning to Oak Mountain State Park for its 11^th year on May 21, serving as a qualifier for the 2016 XTERRA World Championship, according to Xterraplanet.com.

In addition, Oak Mountain’s XTERRA is also a gold level Pan American Tour stop and a 100-point level XTERRA America Tour championship race.

The website states XTERRA will feature $15,000 in prize money for elite athletes, who will swim more than 1.5 kilometers (about a mile), bike 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) and complete a 10-kilometer trail run (about 6 miles).

For amateurs, there will be 51 spots up-for-grabs for the XTERRA World Championship, which will be held Oct. 23 in Maui.

XTERRA will also offer a shorter distance sprint race consisting of a 750-meter swim, 15-kilometer mountain bike and a 5-kilometer trail run. Participants may also enter relay teams and compete in 5-, 10- and 21-kilometer trail runs.

The race starts in Double Oak Lake, and sprint racers swim a 750-meter loop while championship competitors double that with two 750-meter laps separated by a short beach shuffle in-between.

From there, the single-loop 20-mile mountain bike course starts at about 500 feet elevation and rolls through the forest for seven miles to a 700-foot climb to the summit at Johnson Mountain.

The 10K championship run course, 5k for sprinters, goes around Double Oak Lake on hard-packed trails with scenic views.

Paul Mitchell stylists will be on-site giving professional haircuts in exchange for a $15 or more donation to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. All proceeds benefit CAF.

Registration starts at 2 p.m. on May 20. For a full schedule of events, to register or for more information, visit Xterrapelham.com.