Leon's Triathlon To Host U.S. Armed Forces Championship

Leon’s Triathlon today announced that it has been chosen to host the 2015 United States Armed Forces Military Triathlon National Championship. The race will welcome athletes from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard and will take place on June 7, 2015 in Wolf Lake Park, Hammond, Ind., just outside of Chicago.

The event hosted the first U.S. Armed Forces Triathlon National Championship back in 1996. Over recent years the race has been held on military bases, but Leon’s Triathlon founder Leon Wolek contacted the Armed Forces Sports Committee and told them of his passion for the military and encouraged them to consider Leon’s Triathlon for the 2015 running. Leon’s Triathlon, which is broadcasted on television each year, would also allow the race to grab more national attention. After several meetings with the decision makers of the Armed Forces Sports, they decided to bring the competition back to Indiana.

“We are extremely humble, grateful and honored to serve the fine women and men of the Armed Forces,” Wolek told Triathlete.com. “Without their services, all of the sports we enjoy everyday would not be possible.”

The athletes will be competing in the Olympic-distance race, with eight male and five female members representing each of the five branches (the Army, Navy, Air Force Marine Corps and Coast Guard). The goal is to make the competition draft-legal for military members, but the final decision has not yet been made.

The Armed Forces Sports Committee will choose the military team members to compete at Leon’s Triathlon. At the triathlon, they will be evaluated to determine who moves on to represent the United States Military at the Military World Games in Mungyeong, South Korea in October of 2015.

For more information, visit Armedforcessports.com. Information will also be posted at Leonstriathlon.com as it becomes available. The full 2014 broadcast can also be viewed on the Leon’s Triathlon website.