National governing body USA Triathlon (USAT) will serve as the host federation for six International Triathlon Union (ITU) events in 2015, showcasing the style of racing that will be featured next year at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The American Triathlon Confederation (CAMTRI) will hold three ITU Continental Cups in Clermont, Florida; Sarasota, Florida; and Dallas, Texas. In each of the CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cups, elite triathletes, including Olympic hopefuls, will compete on draft-legal 750m swim, 20K bike, 5K run sprint-distance courses.
The season begins with back-to-back weekends of competition in Florida, with the Clermont event on 7 March and the Sarasota event on 14-15 March. The Dallas event is set for 6 June.
Sarasota is also host to the CAMTRI Junior North American Championships on 14 March, as well as the CAMTRI Triathlon Mixed Relay American and Caribbean Championships on 15 March. The North American Junior Championships will feature athletes ages 16-19 on a draft-legal sprint-distance course. The mixed team relay event is a growing format worldwide and features teams of four athletes (two women, two men), with each athlete completing a 350m swim, 6.4K bike and 1.5K run before tagging the next teammate.
Junior triathletes will also have an opportunity to race against other athletes from the region at the CAMTRI Junior Pan American Cup on 20 June in Monroe, Washington.
USAT notes that the junior draft-legal events in Sarasota and Monroe improve racing opportunities for young athletes in the US Olympic pipeline, allowing them to gain familiarity with ITU competition while earning a CAMTRI junior ranking.
The CAMTRI events in Clermont, Sarasota and Dallas will feature Youth F1 races; and Monroe is hosting a USA Triathlon Youth Elite Cup, allowing athletes ages 12-15 to race in the draft-legal format. Additionally, age-group races of varying distances are scheduled at each CAMTRI event, giving amateurs the opportunity to compete in the same venues as top ITU pros.
Clermont will also host an Under-25 Elite Development Race (EDR), which may allow top amateur finishers to earn a USA Triathlon elite license and race as a professional in future events.
Paratriathlon makes its debut on the Paralympic Games program in 2016 and will be on display in Michigan on 16 August at the first-ever Detroit ITU World Paratriathlon Event, scheduled to take place at Belle Isle State Park. The event is one of only 10 ITU World Paratriathlon Events held around the globe and will feature elite paratriathletes just one month before the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Chicago. Age-group, youth and EDR races will also be contested.
To close out the season, Chicago will host the world’s best at the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships, set for Chicago’s Grant Park from 15-20 September. In addition to the Paratriathlon World Championships, top elites will be vying for world championship titles and valuable points on the ITU Olympic Points List before the qualification period ends in May 2016.
World championship races will also be held for age-group athletes who qualify through their National Federations to compete for titles at the standard (Olympic-distance) and sprint distances, as well as juniors, under-23s and aquathlon (swim-run). Amateur athletes can compete in the same venue as part of the Age-Group Open Race.
2015 US-based ITU Events
Mar 7: Clermont CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup
Clermont, Florida, draftlegalchallenge.com
Mar 14-15: Sarasota CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup, Junior North American Championships and Mixed Relay American and Caribbean Championships
Sarasota, Florida, sarasotatri.com
Jun 6: Dallas CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup
Dallas, Texas, playtri.com/itudallas
Jun 20: Monroe CAMTRI Junior American Cup
Monroe, Washington, trimonroe.com
Aug 15: Detroit ITU World Paratriathlon Event
Detroit, Michigan, detroittri.com
Sep. 15-20: ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships
Chicago, Illinois, chicago.triathlon.org
