Search
RUN247 / Running News / Trail Running News / XTERRA Trail Run World Championships set for Maine

XTERRA Trail Run World Championships set for Maine

Patrick Ryan
Reporter
Updated on
PERFORM BETTER, RECOVER FASTER
DISCOVER MORE

Sugarloaf Resort in Carrabassett Valley, Maine has been selected as the host of the 2023 XTERRA Trail Run World Championships.

The 14th edition of the event will take place across September 30 to October 1, and will be the culmination of the XTERRA Trail Run World Series which spans 30 qualifying races across 20 countries.

Over 1,000 professional and amateur athletes and spectators will descend upon Maine to compete for the $10,000 prize money on offer, with world titles for age-group division winners and teams in both the half and full marathon distance races.

Advertisement

“All the right ingredients”

The Sugarloaf Mountain Resort is on the Maine mountain of the same name, which has a total elevation of 1,291m.

A stunning location, the resort already hosts the Enduro World Series of mountain biking and the U.S. Alpine Ski Championships, and XTERRA Americas Tour Manager Steve Andrus said the resort ticked all the boxes they were looking for when trying to find only the third-ever location to host the XTERRA Trail Run World Championships.

“After an extensive global search to discover the perfect destination to host our Trail Run World Championship, we found all the right ingredients in Maine,” Andrus said, “The trails are epic, the challenge is worthy of a world championship.

“Our partners at the Maine Sports Commission and Sugarloaf are going all-in to provide a first-class experience for runners from across the globe, and the location is amazing in the Fall with perfect weather and a landscape that will be bursting into a kaleidoscope of colours.”

Advertisement

The Maine event

XTERRA Trail Run Worlds 2023 Maine
[Photo credit: XTERRA]

Sugarloaf Mountain offers more than 60 miles of trails and will offer a challenging but breathtaking natural environment for qualifiers to contend with.

“The Maine Sports Commission is thrilled XTERRA has chosen Maine for this high-level competition,” Sheila Brennan Nee, Strategic Director, Maine Sports Commission said, “We’re so excited to welcome the XTERRA Trail Run World Championships to Sugarloaf, to help grow this global sport, and showcase Maine’s epic mountain trail community.”

“Maine’s mountain resorts offer exciting outdoor adventure opportunities to visitors year-round,” agreed Maine Office of Tourism Director Steve Lyons, “The setting and infrastructure that make Sugarloaf such a popular ski resort also support warmer weather activities like mountain biking and trail running in a beautiful setting overlooking Carrabassett Valley in the Maine Lakes and Mountains region.”

Patrick Ryan
Written by
Patrick Ryan
Patrick is a major contributor to TRI247 and RUN247. A keen hiker with wide experience in sports journalism, he has covered the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

Latest Running News

Seth Ruhling Black Canyons 100 2025 via Howie Stern
Black Canyon Ultras 100k: Ruhling and Brady DESTROY their rivals on historic day
Kim Collison wins Montane Winter Spine Race 2025 [Photo credit: The Spine Race]
How Winter Spine Race hero got the better of ‘Reggie the chimp’ to turn a DNF into a win
Russ Cook completes his epic run across the entire length of Africa [Photo credit: The Snapshot People Ltd]
‘We’re looking at 10 Mt Everests in 10 weeks’ – Hardest Geezer reveals his next challenge
Lucy Gossage John Kelly end of Montane Winter Spine Racee 2025
‘A lifetime in just a few days’ – Lucy Gossage on the resilience that brought Spine Race closure
Ruth Croft receiving the women's 102km Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB trophy after her victory Photo credit: Cameron McKenzie
UTMB World Series moves to New Zealand as star names flock to Tarawera Ultra-Trail
trail running on your terms

Never miss out with our trail alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.

The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...