XTERRA Greece: From Doubt to the Podium
- Kerri-Ann Upham
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
“You’re one minute from a World Cup podium.”
I remember hearing it on the run.
At that point, it was no longer just a race—it was everything I’d been working towards for years.
But this story didn’t start there.
In 2023, I didn’t even make the start line.
A last-minute decision to ride the course one more time ended in a crash on the first loose corner. Front brake. Straight over. Hard on my hip.
Just like that, my first planned elite race was over before it began.
I stood on the sidelines watching the race instead.
Watching athletes like Emma Ducreux win that day, running along the beach, completely in control.
And I remember thinking:
I’m not at that level. I don’t belong here.
In 2024, I came back and finished 12th.
On paper, it looked like progress. But the reality felt different.
It was the first year XTERRA Greece became a World Cup, and the level stepped up again.
The best athletes in the world were on that start line—and it showed.
I had aimed for a top 10. I fell short.
More than anything, it was a reminder:
This level is high. And I still had a lot of work to do.
In 2025, something started to shift.
I was still nervous. Still unsure where I stood. But I had put together a solid winter of training, and for the first time, I started telling myself:
You belong here.
Not perfectly. Not always convincingly. But enough to keep showing up and racing differently.
I finished 6th.
A step forward—but more importantly, it was the first time I could see the gap closing.
Coming into 2026, I did everything I could to prepare.
A consistent winter. Week in, week out. Nothing flashy, just work.
But the closer the race got, the more nervous I became.
Not because I wasn’t ready.
Because I was.
When you know you’ve done the work, the pressure feels different. I didn’t want to waste it.
I knew the race would come down to the swim.
That’s been a big focus for me this winter. Nothing dramatic, just consistent sessions, building it properly.
If I could make the front chase pack, I knew I’d be in the race.
So that was the job.
Get in. Hold on. Commit.
When I came out of the water with that group, everything changed.
The race was on.
From there, it was about execution.
I rode steady, moved into 4th on the second lap of the bike, and came into T2 with a gap to third, but not an unmanageable one.
Then the run started.
And the gap began to come down.
I remember hearing it from the side of the course:
“One minute to a World Cup podium.”
That’s when it became real.
I didn’t change anything. No surge, no panic.
Just stuck to the plan. Kept running strong.
Halfway through the second lap, I moved into 3rd.
And from there, it was just about holding it to the line.
Crossing that finish line… it wasn’t relief.
It was pride.
Not just in the result, but in everything that led to it.
The work. The consistency. The sacrifices, mine and my partner’s. All the small things that no one sees.
I’ve never seen myself as a runner, so to take the fastest run split of the day meant a lot.
But more than that, it proved something to me:
I am capable of this level.
Three years ago, I was standing on the sidelines, watching Emma Ducreux win this race, wondering if I would ever belong.
This year, I stood on the podium alongside her.
This race didn’t come from nowhere.
It’s been building for years.
From not starting…To not believing…To slowly closing the gap…
To finally stepping onto the podium.
And the biggest thing I’ll take from it?
The doubt doesn’t just disappear.
You just get better at moving forward with it
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