USA Triathlon (USAT) has confirmed that it is making an additional 500 spots available for the Olympic-distance race at the 2011 Age Group & Sprint National Championships, presented by People’s United Bank, on 20 August in Burlington, Vermont.
This latest move by the US national governing body for triathlon follows news last week that the event sold out in record time. Registration is now open again for all athletes who have qualified to compete. Anyone who signed up on the previously existing Olympic-distance wait list is now automatically entered for the race as well.
“This year’s Age Group & Sprint National Championships have experienced unprecedented demand and, because we expect to reach full capacity once again, we are encouraging any interested athletes who have already qualified to register online as quickly as possible,” said USA Triathlon CEO Rob Urbach.
“Recognizing that there are still athletes planning to compete and qualify for Nationals at upcoming USA Triathlon Regional Championships, Special Qualifiers and other sanctioned races, we continue to examine ways to allocate these spots as fairly and equitably as possible.”
Contested each year since 1983, the US Age Group Nationals has sold out on just one previous occasion – last year when the field reached capacity one week prior to the event in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
This year 1,440 slots were filled for the Olympic-distance event nearly two months in advance, with another 500 racers registered for the sold-out Sprint Distance National Championship. These totals also guarantee that Burlington will host the largest-ever USA Triathlon-owned National Championship. Athletes representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia are slated to compete.
