After eight thrilling World Triathlon Series races and nine World Cup events in 2013, the ITU (International Triathlon Union) season comes to a close on Sunday 27 October in Guatape, Colombia, with the 10th and final ITU World Cup event of the year.
Yet, the season-closer will be no easy feat, with the Olympic distance course set at an altitude of 1925m and a two-kilometre bike climb that will test even the best.
The women will take off first at 08:00 local time, while the men will start at 10:45. All the events can be followed live with timing and text updates at triathlon.org/live.
Following the excitement of the 2013 PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final in September, the ITU has already announced the schedule for the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Series, as well as various World Cup events.
In 2009, the championships were revamped, expanding the former single-day World Championships event into an exciting multi-city global series, culminating with the Grand Final. Athletes earn points throughout the season and those who win the overall series are crowned the ITU Triathlon World Champions, as Non Stanford and Javier Gomez were at the PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final in Hyde Park, London.
Entering its sixth season, triathlon’s premier global series will feature eight or nine rounds of race action, culminating with the Grand Final in Edmonton, Canada.
2014 ITU World Triathlon Series:
- April 5-6: Auckland, New Zealand
- May 17-18: Yokohama, Japan
- May 31-June1: London, England
- June 28-29: Chicago, USA
- July 12-13: Hamburg, Germany
- August 23-24: Stockholm, Sweden
- Grand Final – August 26-September 1: Edmonton, Canada
ITU and its commercial partner Upsolut are currently in negotiations with two additional cities for the early part of the WTS season in April. A complete calendar is therefore expected in the coming weeks.
In addition to the World Triathlon Series, ITU has also confirmed a number of World Cup races, including the following:
Confirmed 2014 World Cups
- March 15-16: Mooloolaba, Australia
- March 22-23: New Plymouth, New Zealand
- May 10-11: Chengdu, China
- June 14-15: Huatulco, Mexico
- August 9-10: Tiszaujvaros, Hungary
While dates are pending, bids to hold a World Cup have been received from and will take place in the following cities:
- Jiayuguan, China
- Cozumel, Mexico
- Alanya, Turkey
- Tongyeong, South Korea
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Expression of interest for World Cups was also received from Spain, Colombia and the USA. The full schedule and dates will be confirmed in the coming weeks, with all dates for the ITU WTS and World Cup races subject to change.
wts.triathlon.org
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