Details Released on ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Chicago

The ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships will be held in Grant Park, Illinois, this Sept. 15-20.

More than 2,000 volunteers are needed to assist with the event week, which marks the first time the ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Final has been held on U.S. soil. It is also the first Olympic-distance age-group World Championships event to be held in the U.S. since 2005.

Volunteer slots begin on Friday, Sept. 11, and run through the full slate of races, ending with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 20. Available volunteer roles include assisting with packet pick-up, course marshaling, goodie bags, T-shirt distribution, aid station support and more. Individuals who register for two or more volunteer spots will receive VIP volunteer status and have their names entered into a drawing for special prizes. All volunteers will be given an official volunteer shirt. More information on volunteer roles and registration is available at chicago.triathlon.org/volunteer.  

More than 8,000 athletes will compete in the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships, including U.S. elite triathletes and paratriathletes vying for a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Triathlon Teams.  

With four events completed in the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Series, the U.S. women are leading the charge with four ranked in the top five of the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings. Katie Zaferes (Hampstead, Md.) is ranked No. 1 with 2,905 points, followed by defending ITU World Champion Gwen Jorgensen (St. Paul, Minn.) with 2,400 points. Sarah True (Hanover, N.H.) has 1,947 points for third in the rankings, and Lindsey Jerdonek (Brecksville, Ohio) is fifth with 1,387 points.

Learn more about the current Columbia Threadneedle World Rankings at wts.triathlon.org/ColumbiaThreadneedleRankings. 

 The City of Chicago joined the ITU World Triathlon Series in 2014 and will host the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships in September 2015. Chicago will welcome 150 of the world's top Olympic-distance triathletes as they compete for a world championship title less than a year prior to the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games. In addition to the elite races, the event features top-flight sprint and Olympic-distance races for age-group athletes, paratriathletes, juniors and under-23s, as well as an aquathlon to kick off the action. In all, more than 8,000 of the world's best triathletes will compete for world titles over five days of competition. The ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships are hosted by USA Triathlon, the National Governing Body for the sport of triathlon in the United States, and Lagardère Unlimited. Launched in 2009, the ITU World Triathlon Series is televised in more than 160 countries. Visit chicago.triathlon.org for more information.