Xterra: Sam Osborne's season starts at home

Sam Osborne is eager to back-up his win last year at Xterra Rotorua. Photo / File

Talking to Rotorua's Sam Osborne ahead of the Xterra New Zealand Championships, it does not take long to realise how excited he is to be racing at home.

The long course race, which Osborne won last year, is the main event at tomorrow's Xterra Rotorua Festival and marks the start of his journey to defend his Xterra Asia-Pacific crown.

"I'm very eager [to defend the Xterra New Zealand title]. It's something I've thought about a lot. It's not often you get to race at home, you spend all this time overseas, travelling the world and racing in countries that don't even speak English. To have a race where you actually live makes it pretty special and you obviously want to put on a good show for everybody as well.

"I'm feeling pretty good, I've had a good uninterrupted build-up for a lot of weeks. I've stayed healthy and injury free which is always a good thing.

"If you can get a big block of training in now it's essentially what you end up racing a lot of the year off because once you're in a big racing block there's not a lot of time for training," Osborne said.

The race includes a 1km swim, 26km mountain bike and 11km trail run.

"They've added the Split Enz [mountain bike trail] to the bike course which I think is a trail that a good mountain biker can make up a lot of time on, if you're willing to invest and work the bike.

"Obviously I ride those trails often, but in saying that guys like Ben Allen, from Aussie, have come over here a lot earlier than you'd typically come in for a race. He's obviously made the investment to come here and learn the course."

The long course race starts at 11.30am at Tikitapu (Blue Lake).

The Xterra Rotorua Festival is in its 15th year and offers nine events for competitors of all ages and abilities to choose from, set in and around Tikitapu and Whakarewarewa Forest.

The events include a 5.5km, 11km, 21km, and 26km walk or run, the Xterra individual short course and long course, Xterra team short course and long course and, for the first time, a duathlon which includes a 26km mountain bike and 11km run.

For more information on the events and start times go to xterra.co.nz.