Anka Franzmann from Noosa Heads this week became the XTERRA World Champion 2025 in the Women’s 65–69 division, finishing with a time of 7:05:32. Her victory is a proud achievement for Australia and a celebration of lifelong athletic dedication on the world stage of off-road triathlon.
The 29th XTERRA World Championship roared to life in Molveno beneath the Brenta Dolomites on 27 September, marking the fourth and final Italian edition of off-road triathlon’s biggest day. More than 1,000 athletes from 54 nations united as the race village filled with supporters, while fans around the world followed on the livestream. A €100,000 Elite prize purse was awarded, but the atmosphere reached beyond results as the global off-road community gathered in a setting that has become a second home for XTERRA since its origins in Maui in 1996.
Temperatures were chilly at 11°C in the air and 17.4°C in Lake Molveno, but after final checks, the official governing body of the 2025 XTERRA World Championship confirmed conditions were safe, allowing the race to proceed, starting with the 1.5K swim.
After the swim competitors began the two-loop, 32km mountain bike course climbed more than 1,100 meters, starting flat along the lakeshore before rising sharply into gravel roads, forest paths, and rocky singletrack before re-entering the race village on wooden ramps and bridges.
The run stage, a final 10km loop, completed twice, packed 288 meters of climbing into fire roads, root-laced singletrack, and steep ascents that tested both Elite contenders and age group qualifiers. After the second lap, the course flattened along the beach of Lake Molveno and guided athletes into the finish line.
XTERRA created off-road triathlon in 1996 in Maui, then moved its World Championship to Molveno, Italy, where the fourth and final edition was staged in 2025. This year marked the 29th edition of the XTERRA World Championship. Next year, the event will move to Ruidoso, New Mexico, USA.
