I got this birthday card from the Balega folks in South Africa. Tanya is always very creative with the Photoshop…

If your Afrikaans is a little rusty:

“Happy birthday Conrad, Enjoy every moment, Bert, Tanya and the Falke (Balega) team”

Also, my LUMA race kit by Greek artist Miltos Manetas can just in time for my birthday: Read more here.

Had an amazing sushi dinner with the AVIA Team last night and they spoilt me again:

XTERRA Utah 08

Saturday I will toe the line for my 7th XTERRA USA Series title. The Series title points to consistency throughout the season. After consistently winning a few races earlier this year, I got a nail through the tire in Idaho, and cut my foot in Richmond. (go here to see those juicy pics again) Those setbacks, (setback seems to be  a Caveman consistency in itself) means that the points are closer than I would like. I really dislike this course- its lots of climbing and a little bit of down hilling.  2800ft of down hilling is lost with this point to point race up the site of the 2006 Winter Olympic Super G course.

That said, Ogden is a great town, the people are really welcoming and the scenery is amazing. The trees are turning red and yellow on the mountain slopes. The Utah Sports commission is putting a lot of money into promoting sport and sports events in the state, and they are quickly building a sportsman destination reputation.

I borrowed this piece below from the www.XTERRAplanet.com newsletter. For press info, and pics, say you are a journalist and want to be placed on the mailing list, email Trey Garman.   For video on previous XTERRA races, go to www.XTERRA.TV

“It all comes down to this.  The 8-stop XTERRA Cup Series for professionals that started in early May wraps up with the ultimate showdown of XTERRA’s best on Saturday, Sept. 26 in Utah.   And when we say the best, we mean it as the top 13 ranked men and women are on the start list – the lone exception being fourth-ranked Dan Hugo who just suffered through two weeks of a severe flu and painstakingly decided to stay home in South Africa to build an 8-month-base of training so he could tackle 2010 with a vengeance.

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Just like at XTERRA Coeur D’Alene and XTERRA  Richmond, my friends from Balega (new website) came out to help spread the Balega and Fleet Feet specialty sport store love to the local community.

We usually have a meet and greet at the local Fleet Feet. (Even rhymes!) We smile knowingly when people rave about the best socks they have ever worn, I sign some posters, take a few pictures with athletes and their families, but mostly people ooh and aah at my foot. (this time anyway)

Doug from Fleet Feet Burlington manning the door.

Rob Zellmer from Balega (also the sister company Doctor Specified) took me to the traditional post Fleet Feet dinner. We tasted the local brews (this one is a “Beetroot Wacko”) and although Rob was warned about my appetite by Chris and Carol but he was still shocked when I had 2 main courses…

Winning smile & story time. During a week like this, so many things happen, its impossible to keep track of it all. I’ll try to give some perspective here.

My new race kit is officially here.  It arrived from Hong Kong on Friday. My mate Gary Mandy hooked me up sweet with LUMA kit. I have a white kit, a black one and a red one (pictured) to chose from. And cycling gear

X mas came early!

TOP PRO MEN

1 ) Conrad Stoltz 2:03:16
2 ) Mike Vine 2:04:13
3 ) Josiah Middaugh 2:04:27
4 ) Dan Hugo 2:05:27
5 ) Nico Lebrun 2:06:00
6 ) Seth Wealing 2:06:31
7 ) Brian Smith 2:08:20
8 ) Branden Rakita 2:10:10
9 ) Craig Evans 2:10:20
10 ) Ryan Decook 2:13:09

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Flowery run by Gary Perkin- Official UCI and Specialized shooter . www. flipper.co.za These pics are most definitely copyrighted.

Them dere are the AVIA Avi STOLTZ trail shoes. Super excited! They hit the shelves this past week. Also, Balega, the #1 sport sock out there.