Duathlon National Championships Return To Tucson Area

Many of the country’s top age group multisport athletes will take aim at national titles later this month when USA Triathlon’s Duathlon National Championship, presented by TriSports.com, returns to Tucson/Oro Valley, Ariz., for the second consecutive year Saturday, April 28.

See the complete announcement from USA Triathlon below:

Athletes will compete in both standard-distance (5-kilometer run, 35-kilometer bike, 5-kilometer run) and sprint-distance (2.5k run, 17k bike, 2.5k) events with action set to begin at 8 a.m. at Ventana Medical Systems. Additionally, paraduathletes will race for national titles in the sprint-distance event, and a Kids Fun Run will be held at 5:45 p.m. Friday, April 27. Visit Usatriathlon.org for complete event details.

“Tucson and Oro Valley were fantastic hosts in 2011, and USA Triathlon is looking forward to a bigger and better event this year,” said USA Triathlon National Events Director Jeff Dyrek. “With the addition of the sprint-distance race and Friday’s Kids Fun Run, Duathlon Nationals offers something for everyone in 2012. This event is a great fit for first-timers and veteran multisport athletes alike.”

Gail Kattouf (Greenville, S.C.) and Dave Slavinski (Point Pleasant, N.J.) claimed the overall standard-distance national titles a year ago, outdistancing more than 550 age group competitors. As of this week, nearly 500 competitors have signed on for the 2012 event.

Duathlon Nationals is the sole qualifying event for the 2012 Standard-Distance ITU Duathlon World Championships in Nancy, France, on Sept. 22-23. The top 18 finishers in each age group, rolling down to 25th place, will qualify for Team USA. Paraduathletes finishing the race in 2 hours or less will qualify for 2012 ITU Paraduathlon World Championships. Athletes competing in the sprint-distance Duathlon National Championship or the sprint open wave are not eligible to qualify for Team USA or the ITU World Championships.