Lesley Paterson Wins Xterra 2011 World Championships

    MAUI, HI, November 04, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Scotland's Lesley Paterson came from six and a half minutes back at the start of the run to spectacularly win the 2011 Xterra World Championships by more than two minutes on Sunday, October 24, claiming what could well be the first of many championships over the coming years.

A puncture immediately after setting off with the lead group on the 30km bike course, followed by a stumbling face plant on a rocky section of the run with just a mile to go that cut up and bruised her knee, couldn't stop the fiery Scot's blistering run pace. She finished the run in exactly the same time as men's winner Michael Weiss, in 43 minutes 54 seconds, and ran faster than all but 12 of the pro men.

Paterson had a great swim and came out the water just a few seconds behind the leaders. That scenario changed almost immediately as she flatted coming out of the transition area and had to stop. Other women pros sped by as she tried to repair her tire.

"By the time I finally got going I was really angry and decided to throw caution to the wind and just hammer the bike as fast as I could to catch up. I saw there were some great cyclists in front of me so I knew it was going to be a painful battle."

She did just that and passed all but three of the women pros by the time she finished the bike course. Even so she started the 10km trail run a full 6.5 minutes behind the leader, three-time Xterra world champion Melanie McQuaide.

She cruised past McQuaide with a mile to go and promptly fell hard in the rocky section a few hundred meters later. It was going to take more than that to stop the hard charging Paterson though and she crossed the finish line more than two minutes in the lead.

Says Paterson, "It was the most amazing experience crossing the line as World Champ. I've been in the sport for many years and to finally see all my hard work pay off was incredible, especially for all of my family and friends who have relentlessly supported me."

Paterson posted a total time of 2 hours 45 minutes 59 seconds to go one place better than her Xterra Worlds runner up spot in 2009 and take the title by more than two minutes. She completed the 1.5km swim in 24 minutes 15 seconds, the 30km mountain bike section in 1 hour 35 minutes 40 seconds, and the run in 43 minutes 54 seconds.

The Xterra World Championship capped off a challenging season for Paterson that also saw her win a first Ironman 70.3 race at Mooseman in New Hampshire, but also get sidelined off and on with sickness throughout the year.

The 31 year-old Paterson began the season on a high by signing with the prestigious Trek K-Swiss triathlon team. She peaked when it mattered and now plans a hard winter of training to come back in 2012 even stronger. She has her sights firmly set on an Xterra World Championship repeat and more Ironman 70.3 victories next season.

Paterson is no stranger to the sport, having been a Scottish and British international since she was 15 years of age and winning a silver medal at the Duathlon Junior World Championships in 2000. After taking a break from triathlon four years ago she has rediscovered her love of the sport in the past three years with a vengeance.

Contact: Sean Watkins, Wattie Ink Management, telephone: 760-580-7665.

For further information, contact Sliding Down Rainbows Entertainment at 310-699-3021 or http://www.slidingdownrainbows.com.

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