It is a challenge.

It could be muddy.

It will be fun.

It’s as if Mililani’s Steve and Jakob Dewald have created their own version of a triathlon. And of their three legs — challenge, muddy, fun — the most important to the father-son duo is the last: fun.

That … and to finish. The two are among the sold-out field of 725 in Sunday’s XTERRA World Championship, the premier global off-road triathlon.

It’s the ninth XTERRA for 44-year-old Steve Dewald, who also has shared this experience with one of his two other sons: Stephen, 16.

Now, it’s Jakob’s turn. At 15, he just met the minimum age requirement and will be the youngest competitor on the tricky West Maui course.

"My friends do think I’m pretty insane," said Jakob, a sophomore at Mililani High School. "They are like, ‘Why? Why?’"

The teenager will add to his growing insanity mystique today when competing in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association’s state cross country meet at Hawaii Prep on the Big Island. Dewald qualified for the 3-mile race when moving up from junior varsity to varsity for last Saturday’s Oahu Interscholastic Association championships, and finishing 25th.

Dewald then flies back to Maui later today and plans to join his father, mother (Lisa) and brothers (Stephen and Lindsay) for Saturday’s companion XTERRA trail run.

Of his three-day, three-event itinerary, Jakob Dewald said Sunday’s race makes him the most nervous. He and his father pre-rode the bike portion Wednesday and "having dad out there makes it better," Dewald said. "There’s going to be a lot of fast guys out there.

"I do enjoy training with my dad. It’s a good chance to talk and for me to learn from him. I’m hoping for a little wind, no rain or mud, and, of course, the goal is to beat dad."

Both Steve and Jakob Dewald compete in the North Shore Swim Series. It is perfect preparation for the anticipated chaos when the swimming leg starts Sunday off D.T. Fleming Beach.

Jakob Dewald, who swims for both Mililani High and Aloha Aquatics, expects to be out of the water ahead of his father but "he’ll probably catch me on the bike," he said.

But what about the final 10K run?

Steve Dewald, a member of the Hawaii Ultra Racing Team (H.U.R.T.) has the experience, with eight previous XTERRAs and several Ironman and Ultraman World Championships on his resume. But Jakob is closing the gap, particularly on the runs; he placed 68th out of 21,223 in last February’s Great Aloha Run and set a school record for a freshman in the 3,000 meters last track season.

"He’s a good swimmer and a very fast runner," said Steve Dewald, a landscape architect. "The bike will reveal a lot.

"There’s a lot of (hill) climbing involved and I can probably hold him off. But there’s no doubt in my mind that in the end of the day, he’ll be waiting for me at the finish line."

Steve Dewald said the reward is in spending time with his sons and wife, whether competing or not.

"The XTERRA is always around my wife’s birthday and the family joke is that we come to Maui just for her," said Dewald, a surfer who moved from California to Hawaii in 1986. "It’s a blast being able to do things like this, training with my sons and sometimes my wife. I know, in this day and age, it seems different but we do quite a bit together and have a lot of fun."

What Steve Dewald sees in his youngest son is focus. Jakob, who won both Oahu qualifiers for the XTERRA in the 15-19 age group, already is looking at running cross country for Hawaii Pacific and getting a nursing degree. There’s also the thought of becoming a professional triathlete, maybe qualify for the Olympics.

"He’s got a lot of potential and is just hitting his growth spurt," Steve Dewald said of Jakob, who entered his first triathlon at age 4. "But he’ll dictate his own path.

"What we’ve talked about for Sunday is staying within himself. I am looking forward to seeing what we both can do out there."

REC CENTER

Rugby Hawaii hosts Aborigine side

Queensland Indigenous, a rugby side comprised primarily of Aborigine players from Australia, takes on the Hawaii Rugby League All-Stars in a friendly match at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Kaiser High.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students with ID and no charge for ages 10 and under.

Preceding the match is the 4 p.m. HGL East-West All-Star Game conducted by the Hawaii Gridiron League, a semipro football league based in Hawaii and run by former University of Hawaii standout Darrick Branch.

Former UH football player Kelly McGill will have information tables regarding Rugby Hawaii Union and rugby-related products for sale.

Accompanying the Australian side is the Jaran Aboriginal Dance Troupe comprised of indigenous Australians and Torres Strait islanders. The troupe performs today at noon on the ‘Iolani Palace lawn as well as at Saturday’s event.

» amnrl.com.

National racquetball title for Lowe

Aiea’s Jimmy Lowe won the men’s singles 45-plus age division at the USA Racquetball U.S. Open earlier this month in Minneapolis.

Lowe defeated Keith Minor 15-14, 15-10 in the final. Lowe also finished third in the Classic Professional Racquetball Tour 40+ division.

Also competing from Hawaii was Douglas Victor Eagle, who lost in the first round of the International Racquetball Tour Pro Qualifier men’s singles. Hawaii’s Ektelon 808 sponsored players Joe Conti and Joe Lee at the tournament. Conti Conti lost in the round of 32 in both the men’s singles 45+ A division and the 50+ division while Lee lost in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles 60+ division.

HIC Pro opens winter surf season

The HIC Pro, the official local qualifier for the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Series, begins its holding period Monday.

The event is a $95,000 4-star-rated Association of Surfing Professionals at Sunset Beach. Ezekiel Lau returns to defend his title in a field of 144 surfers from 13 countries.

Competition runs through Nov. 10. The live webcast is available at vans.com/hicpro and on Oceanic Time Warner Cable channels 250 and 1250HD.

» vans.com/hicpro.

Swimming Hall of Fame dinner coming up

Seats are still available for the Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame induction dinner Nov. 3 at the Hale Koa Hotel.

Fourteen individuals,including ocean swimming champion Rick Heltzel and masters swimming champions June Ford and Nadine Takai Day, will be inducted at the fifth class. Tickets are $55. For information, contact Carl Kawauchi at 487-1496 or cmkawauchi@aol.com.

» hshof.org.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

SATURDAY

AUTO RACING
SCCA Rallycross: 9:30 a.m., Kalaeloa Raceway Park. kalaeloaracewaypark.com.

BMX
Trunk or Treat Halloween Race: Registration, 4 p.m.; racing, 5 p.m. Sandbox track, Sand Island. islandbmx.org.

BOXING
Fighter’s Unlimited: Match event, 6 p.m., Fighter’s Unlimited Gym, Kailua. amateurboxingofhawaii.com.

FOOTBALL
Hawaii Gridiron League: East-West All-Star game, 4 p.m., Kaiser High.

FUTSAL
Hawaii Street Soccer: Pick-up games, 5 p.m., Ala Wai Park. hawaiistreetsoccer.com.

HASHING
Aloha H3 Halloweenie Hash: 2 p.m., Mai Tai Bar, Ala Moana Center. alohah3.org.

KARATE
Hawaii Martial Arts Karate Group: Autumn Tournament, 9 a.m., Manoa Valley District Park. Information: Eric Marn, 371-7670.

KAYAKING
Hui Waa Kaukahi: 7.5 miles, 8:20 a.m., Bellows to Kailua Boat Ramp. huiwaa.org.

LAWN BOWLS
Honolulu Lawn Bowls Club: 10 a.m., HLBC Clubhouse, Ala Moana Park. honolululawnbowls.com.

RODEO
Hawaii Team Ranch Sorting: Schooling with Bud Gibson, 8:30 a.m., New Town & Country Stables. rodeooahu.com.

ROLLER DERBY
Pacific Roller Derby: New skater and youth training clinics, 9 a.m.-noon, Kamiloiki Community Park, Hawaii Kai. www.facebook.com/PacificRollerDerby.

RUGBY
Hawaii Rugby League: All-Stars vs Queensland Indigenous All-Stars from Australia, 7 p.m., Kaiser High. amnrl.com.

RUNNING
Gen. ‘Howling Mad’ Smith 5K: 7:30 a.m., Kailua Beach Park. 589-6695.

TRAIL RUNNING

Peacock 100K: 6 a.m., Peacock Flats. hurthawaii.com.

XTERRA Hula Grill 5K: 8 a.m., Ritz Carlton Kapalua. xterratrailrun.com.

XTERRA Kapalua 10K: 8 a.m., Ritz Carlton Kapalua. xterratrailrun.com.

SUNDAY

FUTSAL
Hawaii Street Soccer: Pick-up games, 5 p.m., Sunset Beach Elementary School. hawaiistreetsoccer.com.

POLO
Honolulu Polo Club: Season finale. Gates open, 1 p.m. Matches, 3 p.m. Waimanalo Polo Grounds. honolulupolo.com.

RUNNING

P.F. Chang’s 30K: 5 a.m., Kapiolani Park. 808racehawaii.com.

Honolulu Marathlon Clinic: Free, 7:30 a.m., Kapiolani Park. honolulumarathonclinic.org.

TRIATHLON

Ko Olina: 5 a.m., Ko Olina Resort. Koolinatriathlon.com.

Post-Ironman Sprint: 7 a.m., Kailua-Kona, teammangoraces.com.

XTERRA World Championship: 9 a.m., Ritz Carlton. xterratrailrun.com.

SIGN ME UP

BILLIARDS
Oahu APA Shoot for the Cure: Noon omorrow, Hawaiian Brian’s Billiards. 9-Ball double-elimination tournament. Proceeds for the Hawaii affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Information: 520-1135. oahu.apaleagues.com.