Two years of training, two near-misses at nationals, and one 5 AM email that made April burst into tears. This week, she finally tells us what happened at XTERRA World Championships in Ruidoso, New Mexico.

In this episode of Girls Talk Tri, April gives us the full race recap — the stunning bike course, the wild horses at the aid station, the Mescalero Apache tribal blessing before the start, and the run that she can only describe as "wretched". We also talk about what it actually took to get to the start line of a world championship: the failed qualifications, the moment at Sleeping Giant when she thought she hadn’t made it, and why finishing in an Air Force kit with people cheering her name on the course made every single mile worth it. Oh, and she signed up for another race. Because of course she did. (Spoiler: it’s a qualifier for XTERRA Trail World Championships in Malta. Girls Talk Tri is going international)!

In this episode:

• April’s two-year road to qualifying for XTERRA Worlds — and the 5 AM email that changed everything
• What XTERRA World Championships in Ruidoso actually feels like: the western vibe, the Apache blessing, the belt buckle medal
• Swim, bike, and run breakdown — including the wild horses, the upside-down hydration pack, and that run
• Three race goals (she remembers two of them)
• Kate’s solo hiking saga, mountain lion probability charts, and why the soft girl life is not for her
• Our first podcast reviews — thank you, Sam and Sunny Girl Tri 🥹
• Kate’s trail run nutrition disaster and the saying “poop knows when it’s close to home”
• What’s next: Appalachian Trail Fest on Halloween, XTERRA Malta, XTERRA Austria, a fourteener, and an open water swim in Alaska

Are you off-road curious? Send us your questions about XTERRA and off-road triathlon — we’ll feature them in a future episode.

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📩 girlstalktri@gmail.com

If this episode made you want to go sign up for the thing — good. Give it a tri. 🌿