Buffalo, New York is set to host a new world-class triathlon event with the addition of the new Nickel City Triathlon event set to take place this September. The new event was born when USA Triathlon selected the city to host one of the six races across the country in the USA Triathlon Elite Race Series. The event will be part of the six-city USA Triathlon Elite Race Series this year, as well as in 2012 and 2013.
Triathlon: Nickel City Triathlon
When: September 24-25, 2011
Where: Gallagher Beach, Buffalo, New York
Divisions: Elite, Age Group, Tri Club
Website: www.eclipsemultisport.com/nickel-city-homepage
The Nickel City Triathlon is the fourth race in the series and will be taking place on September 24 and 25, 2011 at Gallagher Beach, in South Buffalo. The event will feature races for amateur age groupers as well as Elite / Professionals looking to secure a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in 2012. The event will also be hosting a Triathlon Club Cup Competition.
Organizers are expecting to attract some 1,600 athletes from all over the United States, Mexico, Canada and Europe to compete in the event in Buffalo. Age group races are special qualifiers for the USAT National Championships held in Burlington, VT. The top 33% of each age group finishers will qualify for Nationals. Spectators will have a great opportunity to see those in the running for a sport on the U.S. Olympic team in 2012 as wells as up and coming athletes in the Elite Development program. The USAT Elite National Championships will have a prize purse of $75,000 up for grabs.
The Nickel City Triathlon will be a two-day event. The Olympic age-group race, the Female Elite National Championship and the Male Elite National Championship will be held on the Sept. 24th. The Olympic race will consist of a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike and a 10-kilometer run. On Sept. 25th, the Sprint distance age-group race and the Female Elite Development and the Male Elite Development races will take place. The Sprint race will be a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run. The Development races will be a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike and a 10-kilometer run. The race course will be designed in a multi-loop format that will allow spectators to take in the full experience.
The 2011 draft-legal races will give triathlon fans a chance to see athletes who are looking to qualify for the 2012 Games. These races will include U.S. and international competitors, some who have competed in past Olympic Games and others who are beginning to make names for themselves on the international triathlon circuit.
The Nickel City Triathlon is being hosted by USA Triathlon, Eclipse Multi-Sport and the Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission. The age group Olympic race and the Sprint race will be open to anyone who would like to compete, regardless of experience. No qualification process will be required for those races. For more information about the event or to register for the race, visit the Nickel City Triathlon website.
With the debut of the USA Triathlon Elite Race Series in 2011, USA Triathlon has created a domestic, five-event series that delivers an opportunity for the nation's top Olympic-distance triathletes to compete for more than a quarter million dollars in prize money and a series title.
"The USA Triathlon Elite Race Series offers elite triathletes the opportunity to compete in the type of high-level, draft-legal events that are rarely contested in the United States," USA Triathlon National Events Director Jeff Dyrek said. "Additionally, multisport fans on both coasts will have the chance to watch America's Olympic hopefuls in action and witness firsthand the excitement of draft-legal racing."
2011 USA Triathlon Elite Race Series
| Date | Series Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| March 5, 2011 |
The Draft-Legal Challenge at Clermont&^ www.draftlegalchallenge.com |
Clermont, FL |
| June 25, 2011 |
TriMonroe - Gateway to Adventure www.trimonroe.com |
Monroe, WA |
| July 9, 2011 |
San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island www.tricalifornia.com |
San Francisco, CA |
| September 24, 2011 | Nickel City Triathlon* www.eclipsemultisport.com |
Buffalo, NY |
| October 9, 2011 | Myrtle Beach Triathlon@ www.ultramaxtri.com |
Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
^ USA Triathlon Elite Sprint National Championship
* USA Triathlon Elite National Championship
@ Series Finale
