Oak Mountain State Park hosts successful XTERRA World Cup and North American Championship
Published 6:45 pm Tuesday, May 20, 2025
XTERRA returned for the 17th time to Oak Mountain State Park and crowned North American Champions during the fourth stop on its XTERRA World Cup tour. (Contributed/XTERRA)
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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor
PELHAM – The world’s top off-road triathletes once again descended on Oak Mountain State Park for the lone United States stop on the XTERRA World Cup circuit, showcasing elite competition for the Pelham community once again from May 16-18.
“This event brings together elite athletes and passionate competitors from across the globe,” said Kendall Williams, Shelby County Director of Tourism & Events. “But once you’ve been to XTERRA, you know it’s more than a race. It’s a celebration of endurance, nature and community pride.”
The weekend was highlighted by the XTERRA World Cup’s Full Distance and Short Circuit triathlon events in addition to the 2025 XTERRA North American Championship, which this year had a youth division for the first-time ever in addition to the men’s and women’s divisions.
The World Cup Full Distance races doubled as the North American Championships for the adults as the first athlete from the United States, Canada or Mexico to cross the finish line was named the continental champion.
On the men’s side, Felix Forissier of France won the World Cup triathlon title with a time of 2:29.13 despite falling early in the bike portion.
“It was very difficult,” Forrissier said. “I swam well, but I crashed early on the bike. Sullivan Middaugh made it tough, especially on the run. I wasn’t sure I could hold him off.”
Middaugh, the reigning North American champion, repeated the feat in 2025 after finishing second in the race with a time of 2:29.42, less than a half-second behind Forissier.
“Felix was just a bit faster in the end,” Middaugh said. “But defending the North American title and finishing second overall is a result I’m proud of.”
Middaugh got his revenge in the Short Track format to defeat Forissier and finish first. Middaugh trailed the Frenchman by eight seconds after the swimming portion before making up the time on the bike and finishing out the win during the final trail run leg.
In the women’s World Cup race, Alizee Paties took the Full Distance win after leading from the start of the biking leg all the way until the end, securing a time of 2:48.49 to earn the victory. She also emerged victorious in the Short Track race with a time of 40:33.
American Suzie Snyder was the top North American athlete in the race as she earned fifth place with a time of 3:00.11 in the Full Distance race to win her first North American Championship. She has also won six USA Championships in her career.
After battling through difficult course conditions caused by a storm on Saturday morning, Snyder said her mentality helped her pull through for the North American crown.
“It felt smooth,” Snyder said. “I had a relaxed mindset, which really helped in these conditions.”
Other age group North American titles went to James McCurdy and Leah Roberts in the men’s and women’s 40-44 divisions, respectively.
The other women’s Full Distance champions were Isabella Hyser in the 20-24 division, Amari Graber in the 25-29 division, Tiffany Hill in the 30-34 division, Tory Sigmond in the 35-39 division, Argentina’s Maria Viviana Briggs in the 45-49 division, Tricia Davis in the 55-59 division and Lucia Colbert in the 65-69 division.
In addition to McCurdy, Argentina’s Martin Gallardo won the men’s 25-29 Full Distance division title. Spencer Marin won the 30-34 division, Trent Niemeyer secured the 45-49 crown and Argentina’s Ezequiel Gatti took the 50-54 title. Cliff Milleman won the 65-69 division and Frank George finished the race in the 75-79 division as the oldest man in the field.
There was also a youth division for the first time at Oak Mountain State Park with kids racing in shorter distance triathlons. Athletes were divided into three divisions, Youth A (14–15), Youth B (16–17), and Juniors (18–19). Youth A athletes raced Friday’s Super Sprint course (400-meter swim, 8K bike, 2K run), while Youth B and Juniors took on Saturday’s Sprint (750-meter swim, 14K bike, 4.5K run).
Birmingham native Corbin Thompson took home the Youth A title for the boys division while Canada’s Dahlia Fillion won the girls race. California’s Andrew Wales secured the Youth B boys title, and another Alabama native took home the Youth B girls title in 16-year-old Montgomery native Mariam Jacobsen.
“I love this community and all the work they put in so we can come here, see who can work the hardest and take the win,” Jacobsen said. “I really loved the bike portion. It was really flowy. I had to be careful at some points because it was pretty slippery, but that just made it more fun. I’m glad my work paid off and I get to be the first North American Youth Champion in my category.”
Thompson Middle School student Eli Wagner finished in fifth in the Sprint race despite being 14 years old, at least two years younger than most competitors.
The Junior division saw Maryland’s Lucas Wright race ahead to claim the inaugural men’s North American Junior title. Abigail Wales, sister of Andrew, won the junior girls race while their father Travis competed in the Saturday’s North American Championship.
“It feels pretty sweet that my brother won the Youth B title too, and that we can share this moment together,” Abigail said.
In addition to the races, attendees were treated to live music from The Stepdads on Saturday and a raptor show from the Alabama Wildlife Center on Friday as part of a full weekend of activities for the whole family.
The event marks the 17th time that XTERRA has held races at OMSP, and the park continues to hold a special place in triathletes’ hearts for its single-loop trail system and pristine conditions.
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