USAT Hosts National Duathlon Festival in Richmond April 24-25

Age Group National Championship Participation on Record Pace

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — For the third consecutive year, USA Triathlon’s National Duathlon Festival will return to the scenic city of Richmond, Va., on April 24-25, and USAT – in conjunction with Richmond Sports Backers – is on track for another record-setting number of participants.

With race weekend still one month away, the signature event of the festival – the USAT Duathlon Age Group National Championship – has nearly reached last year’s participant total with 1,121 duathletes signed on as of Tuesday.

However, the Duathlon Age Group National Championship is just one several races that comprise this exciting weekend of run-bike-run action, and 1,432 participants have committed to toe the starting line over the course of the weekend.

The festival drew a record number of more than 1,700 participants last year.

“Our support from Richmond Sports Backers and the local community has been outstanding over the past three years,” said Jeff Dyrek, USA Triathlon’s national events director. “This event has grown exponentially since it came to Richmond, and USAT is excited about what could be another record-setting age group field.”

Registration and complete event information is available online at www.duathlonnationals.com.

The two-day festival kicks off Saturday, April 24, with the Youth On-Road National Race for ages 7-12 at noon, followed by the Off-Road Expert and Sport Races and Off-Road Duathlon Duo Relay at 1 p.m.

National titles will be on the line Sunday, April 25, when the Age Group National Championship kicks off at 7:30 a.m. Sunday’s slate also features the Junior National Championship at 10 a.m. and the Sport Race at 10:05 a.m.

The three Sunday, April 25, events feature a combined cap of 1,500 participants, and only 200 spots remain for these events. Visit www.duathlonnationals.com for registration information.

Participants in the Age Group National Championship, which consists of a pair of 5-kilometer runs sandwiched around a 38-kilometer bike, also will be gunning for spots on Team USA for the 2010 ITU Duathlon World Championships Sept. 3-5 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Nicholas Sterghos of West Point, N.Y., and Suzanne Huelster of Riverton, N.J., posted the top times in last year’s event. Sterghos won the men’s 20-24 age group with a time of 1:49:02, while Huelster took the women’s 35-39 age group in 2:06:08.

About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon – one of the fastest growing sports in the world – as well as duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 3,100 races and connects with nearly 130,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USAT provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Championships, Pan American Games and the Summer Olympic Games.