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.

The 11 National Championship events will be held in eight states covering six of USAT’s 10 regions, giving athletes the chance to compete against the best in the nation in each multisport discipline.

Five locations are serving as hosts for the first time, while the others have a long history of supporting USA Triathlon National Championship events.

One of the most significant changes to the 2010 event lineup is USAT’s decision to make Sprint Nationals a USAT-owned event and to move the event to Tuscaloosa, Ala., alongside USA Triathlon’s premier championships for age group and elite athletes.

“We are excited for all of our 2010 National Championship events,” said Jeff Dyrek, USA Triathlon’s director of national events. These events will provide a great championship atmosphere and allow athletes to test their multisport skills against the best athletes in the country. In 2009, USAT’s National Championships set participation records and provided unbelievable race experiences.”

USA Triathlon’s National Championships provide the ultimate competition for amateur and professional multisport athletes in the United States. For amateurs, the events not only provide the right to be crowned a national champion, but also qualifying opportunities to compete with Team USA at International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships. World championship teams are fielded for short course triathlon, sprint triathlon, long course triathlon, short course duathlon, long course duathlon, aquathlon, and winter triathlon.

Qualification
Some national championship events require athletes to qualify. Check each event’s web page for details on how to qualify.

Winter Triathlon
Battle at Soldier Hollow (BASH) Winter Triathlon
Salt Lake City, Utah
January 16, 2010

Collegiate Triathlon
Collegiate National Championship
Lubbock, Texas
April 17, 2010

Short Course Duathlon
National Duathlon Festival
Richmond, Va.
April 24-25, 2010

Long Course Duathlon
Drapers Duathlon
Oklahoma City, Okla.
July 10-11, 2010

Paratriathlon
Nautica New York City Traithlon
New York, N.Y.
July 18, 2010

Youth, Youth Elite and Junior Elite Triathlon
Junior Olympic Festival
San Diego, Calif.
August 14, 2010

Aquathlon
See Ducky Tri Aquathlon
San Ramon, Calif.
August 15, 2010

Olympic Distance (Intermediate) Triathlon
Age Group, U23 and Elite National Championship
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
September 25, 2010

Sprint Triathlon
Sprint National Championship
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
September 26, 2010

Long Course Triathlon/Club
Halfmax National Championship
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
October 2, 2010

Elite Duathlon
Powerman Alabama
Birmingham, Ala.
Date TBA

About USA Triathlon

USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the national governing body for triathlon – the fastest growing sport in the world – as well as duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions over 3,000 races and connects with more than 125,000 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 Olympic Games.

Website: http://www.usatriathlon.org