IRONMAN and XTERRA Explore New Looks in Ruidoso as the Town Recovers From 2024 Fires and Floods
Less than a year ago the area was devastated by two major wildfires. As if that wasn’t enough, not long after that the region had to deal with floods caused by a seasonal monsoon. The folks in Ruidoso, New Mexico, a tourist haven with a full-time population of roughly 8,000 that sometimes balloons to four times that number-, are rebuilding and getting ready to welcome visitors again – the region will host a couple of major triathlon events next year. A few weeks ago XTERRA announced that the town would host next year’s world championship, and earlier this week IRONMAN announced it would host a weekend festival of racing in Ruidoso in 2026.
The quaint mountain town is renowned for the wild horses, elk and deer that routinely roam around.
Now, adding to the regular tourist activities, Ruidoso is getting set to host a number or endurance events. In addition to the world championship event for next year, Ruidoso will also be hosting an XTERRA race from August 15 to 17. Athletes can look forward to a weekend full of racing – XTERRA Ruidoso New Mexico will include a Full Triathlon (1.5K swim, 30K mountain bike and 10K trail run), Sprint Triathlon (half the full-distance), a 10K Trail Run and a Kids Sprint.
“The excitement extends beyond the races,” the XTERRA Ruidoso site brags. “Join us at Wingfield Park for the XTERRA Festival, featuring live entertainment, local vendors, and fun activities for all ages. Families can also enjoy the Wibit Water Park at Grindstone Lake, adding a refreshing way to cool off after cheering on the athletes.”
IRONMAN’s Festival Weekend
This week’s announcement adds another major event to the Ruidoso calendar.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Ruidoso has been selected to host an IRONMAN 70.3 event in 2026,” said Lynn Crawford, Mayor – Village of Ruidoso in a press release earlier this week. “This prestigious event represents a perfect match for our beautiful mountain community and outdoor recreation culture. We look forward to welcoming athletes and spectators from around the world to experience our natural beauty, hospitality, and the challenge of competing at elevation. This is a transformative opportunity for our community that will showcase Ruidoso on the world stage while providing significant economic benefits for years to come.”
According to Discover Ruidoso’s Kerry Gladden, the race deals were in the works a few months before last year’s fires and floods.
“The timing its been really great,” Gladden said. “Last year we had the three biggest months (of tourism revenue) taken away because of the fires. These race announcements have been the perfect salve for people in the area.”
Earlier this week Ryan Heisler wrote about some of the statistics IRONMAN has recently released on the sport and “barriers to entry” that make it difficult for people to take up triathlon.
“Our vision is simple; we want to give more people from around the world the opportunity to experience the life-changing journey of triathlon, and to inspire more people to reach for their IRONMAN dream,” IRONMAN CEO Scott DeRue was quoted in the release announcing the new race. “As the global leader of triathlon, we have both a responsibility and an opportunity to not only grow IRONMAN, but also to partner across the community to grow the sport. We only achieve this by continuing to listen to and care for our athletes with intent and purpose. With this goal in mind, we have an unwavering commitment to reducing key barriers to entry, evolving our product offerings, partnering with others who share our goals, and committing a sustained effort into community building, emerging markets, and developing the next generation of athletes.”
The race in Ruidoso will certainly be accessible to a variety of levels of triathletes since it will feature sprint-, 5150- (Olympic) and 70.3-distance races.
“Ruidoso’s welcoming community and stunning scenery make for the perfect place to bring our popular IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon and 5150 and Sprint triathlons to create a festival weekend,” said Judy Stowers, Regional Director for IRONMAN. “We believe the addition of multiple distances will bring further racing opportunities to a wide variety of athletes and attract athletes and families and friends from far and wide to this beautiful community.”
Here’s how IRONMAN describes the course for race(s):
The IRONMAN 70.3 Ruidoso New Mexico triathlon will take athletes on a scenic tour of Ruidoso and its surrounding area. Athletes will kick off their race with a swim in the clear waters of Grindstone Lake. Once out of the water, athletes will then make their way through town, as they head out to the highway toward the community of Hondo experiencing epic views, before heading back into town. Athletes will finish their day with a run course that winds through the charming mountain village and scenic neighborhoods, providing a refreshing and inspiring experience culminating in an unforgettable finish line experience in the heart of Midtown. The race course for the 5150 Ruidoso New Mexico and Ruidoso Sprint triathlons will utilize parts of the same course providing athletes with a one-of-a-kind race experience.
Adding to that “experience” will be the challenge of dealing with the altitude for the race. Ruidoso sits at 6,900 feet, with the town’s altitude varying between 6,500 and 8,000 feet. That’s going to make for some tough racing for any who aren’t ready to race with a limited amount of oxygen.
Getting There …
You’re looking at just under a two hour drive from the airport in El Paso, and the airport in nearby Roswell, which is about 45 minutes away, offers American Airlines flights. Ruidoso is no-doubt attractive to IRONMAN and XTERRA because it is a small enough town for the races to be a big deal, but with the accommodation infrastructure to be able to support a large event.
“We’re nimble … We’re a town of 8,000 people, but we can expand to 30,000 or 35,000 people on some weekends,” Gladden points out. The area has roughly 2,400 Airbnb units and a number of resorts. While Ruidoso hasn’t hosted any triathlon races of this stature before, there have been a number of bike and running races over the years, so the community will have some idea of what’s coming it’s way.
Win/ Win
The end result appears to be “win-win” situations for the region, IRONMAN and XTERRA. XTERRA has committed to three years of world championship racing. The long-term success of the IRONMAN races will no-doubt depend on the numbers. A 70.3 race at altitude would seemingly have a lot more staying power than a full-distance race (IRONMAN’s full-distance attempt in Lake Tahoe only went for a couple of years, while the race in Boulder made it for six years). IRONMAN is no-doubt banking that the “festival” approach, the spectacular scenery, venue and enthusiastic community all adds up to a race opportunity with some staying power. Whether or not that ends up being the case, the town or Ruidoso can look forward to an influx of endurance athletes over the next few years – which will no-doubt help the town recover from last summer’s fires and floods.
It’s a “new look” for all three – major triathlon events coming to Ruidoso, a new format for IRONMAN and a new mainland USA world championship venue for XTERRA.
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