Who Knew About the ITU Triathlon In D.C.?.....

So we headed into D.C. early on Sunday to watch the ITU World Championship triathlon series event.....and to be perfectly honest it was a little disappointing. Don't get me wrong the race was great and the set-up of the course was conducive to spectating. You saw eight laps of the bike course and four of the run course all based on 6-8 minute laps. It was a shame that the swim course wasn't close enough to be able watch and see all the bike and run (at least the JumboTron was showing it).

Most of the largest stars of the Olympic distance triathlon world were racing and it was a competitive race made all the better with Andy Potts, perhaps the best all-round triathlete in the world, leading out of the swim and pushing the breakaway for the entire bike section. He ended up 4th after being outrun by the ITU whippets such as winner Alistair Brownlee. The womens race was a showdown on the run between Emma Moffat and Olympic Champion Emma Snowsill, with Moffat showing a clean pair of heels to the field to take the win.

As I said before though I was a little disappointed with the race from a marketing and attendance perspective. The crowd was very sparse and apart from a small article in the Post on the morning of the race, it didn't seem particularly well marketed. I know that triathlon is a generally small sport in the U.S. but it appeared that very few of the spectators were non triathletes/cyclists. They did do a good job at the finish/transition area with the grandstand which was full and really got the crowd going but the rest of the course was dead. We were standing at one corner just prior to the short climb up to the Capitol and a police told us that we better cross then as cyclists would be coming through soon....he seemed pretty surprised when we replied that we were actually waiting to watch the aforementioned cyclists to arrive!

Hopefully the race will continue to come back for the next few years so the crowd base can grow and people in the D.C. area can really get behind the event. From what I have heard the athletes liked the course and thought it was a cool venue for an event but I guess that organisers are going to look at the bottom-line and then make the decision.

On a slight side note the event was broadcast live on the internet and it is pretty cool when you get a phone call from your parents back in the UK who are watching online and trying to see us! After describing where we were on the course and making sure we waved every time the camera went past, they were able to see us! Very amusing.....

ITU Triathlon World Series....In D.C.!

For all those not racing at the Tour of Washington County this weekend, try and get downtown D.C to watch the 3rd round of the ITU Triathlon World Championship Series on Sunday. The course looks to be very spectator friendly with 8 laps on the bike and a 6 lap run course all within the area between the Capitol and the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue. The swim is in the Potomac and then they quickly wind their way over to the bike and run courses. The pro men go at 9:00am, with the women quickly following at 11:00am. The early morning is filled with amateur races following a slightly different course.

The pro races should be hotly contested with an all-star field including the top four men from the Beijing Olympics and all women's podium finishers from the first two rounds of the series are on the start list.

For me it will be kinda cool as a) I have never actually watched a live triathlon race as I have always been competing, b) I have never seen a pro triathlon race and c) I have never seen a draft-legal triathlon race. Hopefully the rain will hold off and we can witness a good race. If you can't make it, it is on triathlon tv live.

Big Season for Washington D.C........

This season is looking to be bit of a doozy for the Washington D.C. area. Not only do we have the staple diet of major triathlons (Columbia triathlon and Eagleman 70.3) but this year the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championship Series is also making a stop in the nation's capital.

Over the weekend of June 20-21, the series will be here in D.C. and hopefully the City and the local triathlon community will get the word out. It would be great to have a good crowd to support triathlon in the area. No details about the course have been released yet but I imagine that they will try and use the National Memorials to get an inspiring backdrop....no word yet on whether they will try and get an Obama vs Fenty race (For those that don't know D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty is an avid triathlete competing in the major races in the area all the way to half-ironman distance....he isn't too shabby either!).

In addition to the ITU series race the area will also see the annual CSC Invitational Criterium in Arlington and the Capital Criterium, which proved to be a massive hit in downtown D.C. with perhaps one of the best finishing sprints ever (along Pennsylvania Avenue with the Capitol Building in the background).

Of course we shouldn't exclude the Tour of Walkersville and the Spring and Fall Church Creek Time Trials which are hosted by none other than ABRT and Team Latitude. These races have become fixtures on the Mid-Atlantic racing calender and for Team Latitude in particular, Walkersville is the place to lay it down and show who is top-dog!