The Washington leg of the Dextro Energy Triathlon — International
Triathlon Union World Championship Series will be the only race in the
eight-race series of Olympic qualifiers to be held in the Western
Hemisphere.
The race will be held June 21 and will wind through the streets of D.C.
Amateurs will race early in the morning before the elite athletes begin
at 11 a.m., diving straight into the Potomac River.
“The backdrops are unbelievable,” said D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, who participated in last year’s Nation’s Triathlon. “When you swim, as we did last year, under the Memorial Bridge, I mean, you’re swimming right between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.”
World cups have been held in the United States, but this is the first championship race.
The event has two amateur competitions — one sprint distance (750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, 5-kilometer run) and one Olympic distance (1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run). There are also two professional Olympic distance races, one for men and one for women.
Amateurs, who will compete by age group, can choose if they want to compete for their country against other countries as well as against others of the same age.
The professional races are expected to draw high-quality athletes from around the world, said Charles Brodsky, chief executive of the Washington Sports & Event Management LLC, one of the triathlon’s producers.
“It’s really the top line of qualifiers,” Brodsky said. “The pros want to be there.”
“The backdrops are unbelievable,” said D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, who participated in last year’s Nation’s Triathlon. “When you swim, as we did last year, under the Memorial Bridge, I mean, you’re swimming right between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.”
World cups have been held in the United States, but this is the first championship race.
The event has two amateur competitions — one sprint distance (750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike, 5-kilometer run) and one Olympic distance (1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run). There are also two professional Olympic distance races, one for men and one for women.
Amateurs, who will compete by age group, can choose if they want to compete for their country against other countries as well as against others of the same age.
The professional races are expected to draw high-quality athletes from around the world, said Charles Brodsky, chief executive of the Washington Sports & Event Management LLC, one of the triathlon’s producers.
“It’s really the top line of qualifiers,” Brodsky said. “The pros want to be there.”
Olympic gold medalist Jan Frodeno from Germany will be there!
It's Fathers Day on June 21, so we'll see how this goes...
Posted by: Eric_W. | May 26, 2009 at 01:31 PM