HONOLULU, HI (April 9, 2002) -Xterra, the off-road multisport event that combines swimming with mountain biking and trail running, enters its seventh season this Saturday in grand fashion as it boasts an additional 14 races to its Nissan Xterra USA Championship Series. The Xterra schedule now includes 31 races in 24 states

"We've seen a huge jump in participation in the USA series as we've introduced more people to Xterra, and it's given us the opportunity to expand and accommodate thousands of additional amateurs interested in competing in our events," said TEAM Unlimited President Tom Kiely.

The Xterra series, presented by Yahoo! Sports Outdoors and Paul Mitchell, offers twenty-seven independently operated Nissan Xterra Points Series Races, in addition to three Nissan Xterra USA Regional Championships, the Xterra USA Championship, and the Xterra World Championship.

"This is the second year of our series concept," said Xterra Race Director Dave Nicholas. "It is all designed to shine a spotlight on the thousands of amateurs that participate in our events each year. In addition to producing national age group champions, we'll honor champions from eight regions across the country. Weekend warriors are the backbone of our sport and we are thrilled to provide the opportunity to recognize them," said Nicholas. "We believe that the level of participation will increase dramatically this year, as age groupers have had a year to figure out how to race their way to glory."

Amateur competitors will earn points towards their Regional and USA Championships with their three best races of the season. The three must include one race in their region of residence. Fifty-four age groupers (432 total), representing the top points earners in each region, will be invited to the Nissan Xterra USA Championship at Lake Tahoe, Nevada on September 22^nd. The Nevada Commission on Tourism signed a three-year agreement earlier this year to host the Nissan Xterra USA Championship at Nevada's Lake Tahoe, and the race will be televised and syndicated across the United States and overseas.

A four race series for professional athletes will be integrated into the series. The pro series will include the Nissan Xterra East, West, Central, and USA Championship events and will carry a $125,000 cash purse. $15,000 will be awarded at each of the three Regional Championships, with $30,000 at the USA National Championship, plus a $50,000 Nissan Xterra USA Championship Points Series Purse earned by the highest point scorers over the course of the season.

Participating sponsors for Xterra include Freestyle, K2, Xterra QE3 energy drink and bar, Xterra Wetsuits, and the Nevada Commission on Tourism. The series will benefit the Challenged Athletes Foundation; a non-profit organization which assists physically challenged athletes in reaching their athletic goals.

An Xterra race is comprised of three disciplines (distances approximate and vary by race): 1.5-Kilometer swim, 30-Kilometer mountain-bike and a 10-Kilometer trail run. For the second straight year competitors can now choose either the full distance (listed above) or the half-distance course (500M swim, 15K-mountain bike and a 5K-trail run). The addition of the half-distance course opens the door to more first time Xterra participants.

TEAM Unlimited's production of the 2000 Xterra World Championship on Maui was recently nominated for two Emmy Awards, in the categories of Outstanding Edited Sports Special and Outstanding Film and Electronic Camera Work, by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS).

The series begins this weekend with the Dam Sprint Mountain Bike Triathlon at Lake Perris, California.