San Diego To Host USAT Super Sprint Series Finale Saturday

Published October 23, 2013 07:11PM

The USA Triathlon Super Sprint Series returns to San Diego, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 26 for the 2013 season finale, held at Mission Bay’s Rose Marie Starns South Shores Park.

Read the preview from USA Triathlon below:

The series was launched this year to showcase an exciting new format for the sport in the United States, and the Oct. 26 Fearless Pro Super Sprint Triathlon will be broadcast on Universal Sports Network on Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. ET.

The start list for the third and final installment of the series, hosted along with Fearless Races, includes two-time 2013 ITU World Cup Champion Katie Hursey (Hampstead, Md.), 2008 U.S. Olympian Julie Ertel (Irvine, Calif.), 2013 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Champion Ben Kanute (Tucson, Ariz.) and 2013 USA Triathlon Elite Sprint National Champion Eric Lagerstrom (Gresham, Ore.), who earned his title at the second series event last month in Las Vegas. A $20,000 prize purse will be shared equally between the overall male and female fields, with the top-10 finishers being rewarded in each division.

Elite action will begin with the women at 10:45 a.m. PT, followed by the men at noon. Contested in a double super-sprint format, professional athletes will complete two continuous, non-stop circuits of the same course, each comprised of a 300-meter swim, 8-kilometer bike and 2.5-kilometer run. An age-group event will also take place at the same venue, beginning at 7 a.m. PT.

The event is free and open to the public, and spectators will be able to take in the entire race with minimal movement, as the course features a one-lap bay swim, followed by a five-lap bike and a two-lap run. Rose Marie Starns South Shore Park is located at 598 Sea World Drive, across Mission Bay from Fiesta Island, the site of the world’s first triathlon in 1974.

A 60-minute broadcast of the Fearless Pro Super Sprint Triathlon will air on Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. ET. Steve Schlanger (play-by-play) and Ertel (analyst), who formed NBC’s triathlon broadcast team during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, will provide the commentary. Re-air times for the broadcast include (all times Eastern): Nov. 11 at 11 p.m., Nov. 12 at 5 a.m. and noon, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. and Nov. 15 at 1:30 a.m.

Universal Sports Network is now available on Time Warner Cable, Cox, satellite providers DIRECTV and DISH and numerous regional cable and IPTV operators in markets across the country. Find Universal Sports Network in your area by visiting Universalsports.com/iwantuniversalsports.html.

The Super Sprint Series features the world’s best elite triathletes in a spectator-friendly environment. The venues put fans in the center of the action, with athletes completing two continuous, non-stop circuits of the same course.

The USA Triathlon Super Sprint Series opener was also held in San Diego on April 24, following the 2013 Omegawave World Triathlon San Diego. Sarah Groff (Hanover, N.H.), who earned a fourth-place finish at the 2012 London Olympic Games, bested the women’s field with a time of 40 minutes even, while Australian Aaron Royle finished in 37:10 to win the men’s race.