Paratriathlon Nationals to be Contested on Memorial Day in Austin

The City of Austin, Texas, and the Life Time Tri CapTex will welcome nearly 40 paratriathletes who will compete for national titles on Monday in the 2015 USA Paratriathlon National Championships.

Paratriathlon Nationals is the first race to be contested Monday at the 25th anniversary of Life Time Tri CapTex, with a start time of 6:45 a.m. CT. Paratriathletes competing in five sport classes per gender will complete a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run. In order to earn a spot on the start list, paratriathletes met time standards set forth at qualifying sprint-distance races sanctioned by USA Triathlon or ITU between Jan. 1, 2014, and April 27, 2015.

In addition to the national championship event, a number of athletes will participate in the Physically Challenged Open Wave, which has no qualification criteria.

Five defending national champions are slated to compete on Monday: PT1 champions Kendall Gretsch (Madison, Wis.) and Zach Young (Jackson, Mo.), PT3 winner Mike Wong (Chicago, Ill.), PT4 victor Grace Norman (Jamestown, Ohio) and PT5 champ Patricia Walsh (Austin, Texas). Gretsch is also the defending ITU Paratriathlon Worlds champion, and Walsh is a member of the USA Paratriathlon National Team.

Paratriathlon will make its Paralympic Games debut next year in Rio de Janeiro. The sport was added to the program in December 2010. Six of the 10 total sport classes will be contested as medal events in Rio - PT1, PT2 and PT4 for the men, and PT2, PT4 and PT5 for the women.

Visit usaparatriathlon.org for more information on each sport class, world rankings and grassroots efforts to grow the sport.

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).