As you learn more about the sport of triathlon, you will detect the kind of spirit, some might call it bravado, that leads participants, of their own free will, to plunge into water, ride a bicycle like a maniac, and cap it off with a hard run. From there, it's not difficult to perceive the kind of mindset that could create the wild and crazy world of XTERRA, the off-road triathlon that has been growing in popularity since its inception little more than a decade ago.