The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has announced Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida, as a stop on the 2020 ITU Triathlon and Paratriathlon World Cup circuits. The races are set for March 22 at Nathan Benderson Park, a 600-acre community park operated by the non-profit 501(c)(3) organization Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates (SANCA).
The event falls within the ITU Olympic and Paralympic qualification window, allowing athletes to earn valuable points toward both individual ranking and country quotas for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Elite triathletes and paratriathletes will compete on a spectator-friendly 750m swim, 18.3km bike and 5km run course. The prize purse for the elite races is US$60,000.
The Florida city returns to the ITU World Cup calendar after hosting the 2017 and 2018 Sarasota-Bradenton Triathlon Festivals, which were inclusive of ITU Triathlon and Paratriathlon World Cups in addition to age-group races. Nathan Benderson Park has also held ITU Continental Cup (CAMTRI) events annually since 2013.
“USA Triathlon is proud to bring the ITU Triathlon and Paratriathlon World Cup circuits back to the United States for 2020,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO. “We look forward to hosting elite talent from around the world, while offering a home-country race for US athletes in an Olympic and Paralympic year.
“Nathan Benderson Park has a long history of hosting world-class multisport events, and we are grateful to our local partners at SANCA for their continued support.”
Stephen Rodriguez, President and CEO of SANCA, said “We are proud to solidify Nathan Benderson Park’s role in the Olympic movement by hosting an ITU Triathlon and Paratriathlon World Cup, in which many athletes will look to earn qualification points on their road to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
“This will come just a month prior to us hosting the US Olympic Trials for rowing. We appreciate our continued partnership with ITU and USA Triathlon in hosting these amazing triathletes from throughout the world.”
A total of 22 ITU World Cup events have been held on US soil since 1991. The nation has hosted several other international events as part of the ITU schedule, including five ITU World Triathlon Series races: Washington, DC in 2009, San Diego in 2012-13 and Chicago in 2014-15, which served as the host city for the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and Age Group World Championships.
The Sarasota-Bradenton race is one of three 2020 ITU World Cups to be contested in the Americas, joining Brasilia, Brazil (April 5), and Huatulco, Mexico (April 26). It is the only 2020 ITU Paratriathlon World Cup in the Americas.
In addition to the ITU Triathlon and Paratriathlon World Cup schedules, the ITU also announced the host cities and dates for the 2020 ITU World Paratriathlon Series and the 2020 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships. The 2020 ITU World Triathlon Series calendar was announced earlier this year.
2020 ITU Triathlon World Cup Schedule
Feb 15-16: Cape Town, South Africa
Mar 14-15: Mooloolaba, Australia
Mar 21-22: Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida
Mar: 28-29: New Plymouth, New Zealand
Apr 4-5: Brasilia, Brazil
Apr 25-26: Huatulco, Mexico
May 9-10: Chengdu, China
May 23-24: Osaka, Japan
May 30-31: Arzachena, Italy
Jun 20-21: Antwerp, Belgium
Jul 4-5: Tiszaujvaros, Hungary
Aug 29-30: Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
Sep. 12-13: Weihai, China
Oct 17-18: Tongyeong, South Korea
Oct 24-25: Miyazaki, Japan
2020 ITU Paratriathlon Schedule
Mar 29 – Feb. 1: 29 Devonport, Australia (ITU World Paratriathlon Series)
Mar 7-8: Abu-Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (ITU Paratriathlon World Cup)
Mar 21-22: Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida (ITU Paratriathlon World Cup)
May 2-3: Milan (ITA) – (ITU Paratriathlon World Championships)
May 16-17: Yokohama, Japan (ITU World Paratriathlon Series)
Jun 13-14: Besancon, France (ITU Paratriathlon World Cup)
Jun 20-21: Montreal, Canada (ITU World Paratriathlon Series)
Oct 3-4: Alanya, Turkey (ITU Paratriathlon World Cup)
