USA Triathlon has unveiled Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as the host city for the 2020-21 USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships. The city, a long-time host of USA Triathlon National Championship events and other premier triathlon competitions, will welcome the US nation’s best run-bike-run athletes as they compete for national titles in three events.
The 2020 Duathlon National Championships will be held May 30-31, and registration will open shortly following the 2019 race in April. The dates for the 2021 edition are May 22-23.
Tuscaloosa served as the host of the 2008 US Olympic Team Trials for triathlon, the 2009-10 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships and the 2007-08, 2011-12 and 2017-18 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships.
The venue for Duathlon Nationals is the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, similar to that of USAT’s Age Group and Collegiate Club Nationals. The bike and run courses will take athletes on the Tuscaloosa River Walk along the Black Warrior River, before traversing Jack Warner Parkway and returning to the amphitheater for the finish. Specific race distances and course information will be shared on usatriathlon.org when available.
“Tuscaloosa has welcomed USA Triathlon’s top elite, age-group and collegiate club competitors for many years, always presenting a first-class venue and invaluable city-wide support,” said Brian D’Amico, USA Triathlon Events Director. “The decision to bring a National Championship event back to Tuscaloosa in 2020-21 was an easy one, and we look forward to showcasing the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater to our nation’s top duathletes.”
“We are always excited to work with the team at USA Triathlon,” said Don Staley, President and CEO of Tuscaloosa Tourism & Sports. “With 2019 being the bicentennial year for our city, it not only feels like the end of one chapter, but the beginning of a new one. The relationship we have built with the USA Triathlon team has allowed us to produce first class events, and we hope to continue that well into the new centennial.
“The championships have continuously offered us the opportunity to introduce these world class athletes to Tuscaloosa and even welcome back many repeat athletes. We are looking forward to creating a memorable experience for everyone involved.”
The race weekend will feature national championships in the non-drafting standard distance (approximately a 10k run, 40k bike, 5k run), non-drafting sprint (approximately a 5k run, 20k bike, 2.5k run) and draft-legal sprint (approximately a 5k run, 20k bike, 2.5k run). The draft-legal format is similar to what is contested in elite International Triathlon Union (ITU) competition, and is reportedly gaining popularity at the age-group level.
Top age-group finishers in each race will earn the opportunity to represent USA Triathlon’s amateur Team USA at the ITU Duathlon World Championships, held as part of the ITU Multisport World Championships.
The Duathlon Nationals was held in Greenville, South Carolina, in 2018, welcoming more than 1,100 athletes to mark the third-largest field in the event’s history. The 2019 edition will return to Greenville on April 13-14. Prior to Greenville, Duathlon Nationals was held in Bend, Oregon, from 2016-17.
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