Costa Rica is one of the latest additions to the XTERRA World Tour. The XTERRA off-road triathlon races, which got their start in the Hawaiian island of Maui in the mid-1990s, have seen great expansion around the world in recent years. It was only a matter of time before the XTERRA World Tour landed in Costa Rica, and it will do so in March 2014 at Playa Conchal in Guanacaste.

In 2013, Costa Rica’s top triathlete took first place at the XTERRA USA competition in Hawaii. As previously reported by the Costa Rica Star, Leonardo Chacon took the overall title in his debut appearance in this triathlon. Now the XTERRA World Tour is coming to Leo Chacon’s homeland, precisely at Playa Conchal in Guanacaste on March 30^th. Although the schedule has not been finalized, an amateur triathlon competition is held prior to the professional circuit event.

The XTERRA races are not the only triathlon events taking place in Guanacaste this year. In early March, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) will hold the 2014 Pan American Cup at Playa Hermosa. This will be a significant triathlon event since participating athletes will have an opportunity to score valuable points that will help them earn a spot for the Central American and Caribbean Games that will take place in November.

Costa Rica continues to become a magnet nation for adventure racing, extreme sports, high-endurance sports trials, and triathlons. The tenth anniversary of the Coastal Challenge will take place in the southern Pacific region in February, and in 2013 Costa Rica was home to the Route of the Conquistadors as well as the Adventure Race World Championships.