Search
shop

Hayden Wilde still has ‘unfinished business’ despite XTERRA win

Hayden Wilde looks back on his XTERRA World Championship win.
Editor-In-Chief
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Hayden Wilde rounded off a fine 2021 season by claiming the XTERRA World Championship title last weekend, but he still left Maui with “unfinished business”.

The New Zealander, who had earlier claimed Olympic Games bronze in Tokyo and topped the podium in London during a terrific Super League Triathlon Championship Series, was delighted to come away with the win. But he was still disappointed the event was reduced to a duathlon with the swim cancelled due to safety concerns.

He explained: “Feels good, awesome to come here and win it, and I still have unfinished business because I want to race here when it’s a triathlon so that gives me extra incentive to come back.”

Advertisement

Wilde on XTERRA win

Wilde didn’t have it easy in Sunday’s race, particularly during the bike leg with rain making conditions even more difficult.

“Once I got on the bike I was riding at threshold to see if anyone wanted to come with me and got a little bit of a lead,” he said.

“I just kept the pressure on during the first climb, and then a group got me just as we went into the second set of trail so from there we worked together and were all real competitive.”

“The last 15 minutes of the ride it started raining and got real slippery for me because the PSI was a bit too high,” said Wilde. “I was slipping everywhere and that’s when Ruben (Ruzafa) and the boys with all that experience on the islands flew away from us.”

Hayden Wilde / XTERRA World Championship 2021

Any difficult moments on the bike were replaced with speed and confidence on the run though as Wilde powered to an impressive victory with a 40:11 split – the fastest of the day.

Hayden’s run to glory

He said: “I just really applied the pressure as hard as I could in that first 5K and I knew it was downhill from there so just focused on staying on my feet and getting home safely.”

Another short-course star competing on Sunday was American Seth Rider – who would eventually claim fourth spot. It was also very much a family affair for the Riders, with Seth’s Dad also racing.

Seth Rider after finishing fourth in the 2021 XTERRA World Championship.

Afterwards he glowed: “That was awesome. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to keep up with the group on the bike with Ruben and Josiah (Middaugh) and Arthur (Serrieres). Everything was going really well, and on the second lap Hayden and I opened up a bit of a gap on the second climb, and then it started raining and everything changed.

“Me and Hayden were slipping all over the place, and Ruben and Arthur came right by us and we were just trying to stay upright for the rest of the bike. We managed to keep the gap in control, but at T2 I realised coming off the bike in XTERRA is way different than ITU, my legs were totally smashed and I was just in survival mode trying to get to the finish.”

Graham Shaw
Written by
Graham Shaw
Graham has been involved with TRI247 & RUN247 since the summer of 2021. Since then he has provided strategic direction for all news and is passionate about the growth of triathlon as a fan sport.
Discover more
TRI247 podcast p/b Challenge Family episode 2
Go behind the scenes at Challenge Roth with the latest episode of the TRI247 podcast
Cadomotus Chronos triathlon cycling shoes
The triathlon cycling shoe that promises a 10-watt saving: Cadomotus Chronos Aero triathlon cycling shoes review
Challenge Family Roth
Five things you need to know about the Challenge Roth bike course
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
latest News
Georgia Taylor Brown wins supertri Toulouse 2024
British Olympic legend Georgia Taylor-Brown to make triathlon return
Gwen Jorgensen reflective World Triathlon Cup Vina del Mer 2023
‘Unbreakable’ Gwen Jorgensen ‘bruised’ after bike crash but vows to bounce back
IRONMAN CEO Scott DeRue Women For Tri 2024
IRONMAN announce new age-group qualification system for Kona and 70.3 Worlds
IRONMAN World Championship 2019 / Kona 2019
IRONMAN’s new age-group system for Kona – all the big questions answered
Frederic Funk finish line Challenge Samarkand 2023 photo credit Challenge Family
Challenge Roth 2025: German star goes into the unknown in iconic triathlon showdown
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...