The 2014 USA Triathlon Youth & Junior National Championships will return to West Chester, Ohio's Voice of America Park for the third consecutive year on Aug. 2-3, with nearly 700 young triathletes currently registered to compete.
All individual events are scheduled to take place on Saturday, Aug. 2, with the draft-legal junior elite (ages 16-19) championship races scheduled at 8 a.m. for the junior elite women and 9:40 a.m. for the junior elite men. Youth elite (ages 13-15) triathletes will also compete in the draft-legal format, with the youth elite girls starting at 11:05 a.m. and youth elite boys at 12:05 p.m.
Athletes in the draft-legal divisions earned their spots to compete at qualifying events, including last year's championship and Junior and Youth Elite Cups. The events feature a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run course for junior elites and a 375m swim, 10k bike and 2.5k run course for youth elites.
The age-group Youth National Championships will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 2 following the junior elite and youth elite races. The event features 10 competition divisions for athletes ages 7-15, including a youth paratriathlon open division. Younger athletes will complete a 100m swim, 5k bike and 1k run, while athletes 11-15 will race on a 200m swim, 10k bike, 2k run course. Paratriathletes will complete a 200m swim, 5k bike and 2k run.
The fifth annual draft-legal team relay will be held Sunday, Aug. 3 at 8 a.m. for athletes ages 13-19. Fifty relay teams are expected to compete, and all athletes on the four-person teams will complete a 250m swim, a 5k bike and a 1.2k run, similar to the growing ITU Mixed Relay format.
National championship titles will also be awarded to the top youth club (non-drafting events) and development team (draft-legal). Visit usatriathlon.org/usatyjr14 for more information on the event.
"We are extremely excited to be heading back to West Chester, Ohio, which has proven to be an ideal venue for Youth & Junior National Championships for the past two years," said Brian D'Amico, USA Triathlon National Events Senior Manager. "The course is unique as it offers a premier layout for the athletes in all of the weekend's events, and the support from the Butler County Visitors Bureau and the city continues to be top-notch as the event approaches."
The youth demographic (ages 7-17) is a continuously growing segment of USA Triathlon's membership base, and has more than doubled since 2008.
About USA Triathlon: USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 races and connects with nearly 500,000 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, USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
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