ITU World Triathlon Chicago Added To Chicagoland Tri Series

Published February 25, 2014 01:34PM

Life Time announced today that the Chicago Triathlon and Leon’s Triathlon will incorporate the ITU World Triathlon Chicago into the 2014 Chicagoland Tri Series.

Chicago will play host to the ITU World Triathlon Series in June 2014. The event is one of only eight global events showcasing the world’s best triathletes on a draft-legal, Olympic-distance course. The city also will host the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final—a first for any U.S. city—and the event may serve as an Olympic and Paralympic qualifying event for U.S. athletes hoping to participate in Rio 2016. Sprint and Olympic-distance age-group races will be offered at both events.

“We are excited to bring the ITU World Triathlon Series to Chicago this year, and we are honored to be part of the Chicagoland Tri Series,” said Franzi Petermann, managing director for ITU World Triathlon Chicago. “As the host of the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, Chicago will welcome the best triathletes in the world. The Chicagoland Tri Series allows local athletes to shine and make the most of the race options available to them.”

The 2014 Chicagoland Tri Series will begin with Leon’s Triathlon on June 1, followed by the ITU World Triathlon Chicago on June 29 and concludes with the Chicago Triathlon on Aug. 24.

“Chicago hosts an incredible triathlete community that we are honored to be a part of. The addition of ITU World Triathlon Chicago is a testament to our rich history, and proof that the future of our sport – especially here in the Midwest – is so bright,” said Scott ‘Hootie’ Hutmacher, marketing manager for the Chicago Triathlon.

Last year, Leon’s Triathlon and the Chicago Triathlon formalized the Chicagoland Tri Series as an incentive for amateur athletes to race multiple events, providing a unique angle of competition. In 2013, more than 125 competitors enrolled in the program, half of whom earned trophies in their respective age groups at the season-ending Tri Series Banquet in November.

With the addition of the ITU World Triathlon Chicago into the Chicagoland Tri Series, qualification and competition standards have changed slightly. Non-elite participants who register and compete in all three events (any combination of Sprint or Olympic distances) will earn a custom-designed Tri Series medal and a ticket to the end of season Athlete Banquet. Further, competitive awards will be offered to those with the fastest cumulative times across three Sprint or three Olympic-distance events. To expand the Series’ reach, Leon’s Triathlon will feature a Sprint-distance option in 2014.

“The timing is impeccable for our athletes,” said Leon Wolek, Founder, Leon’s Triathlon. “We now have a world-class, short-course racing series in our own backyard.”

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