ITU Pan American Events Head to Three U.S. Cities in 2014

Three U.S. cities will welcome elite triathletes from the Americas and Caribbean nations to compete for draft-legal International Triathlon Union Pan American Cup and Championship titles as well as a share of $40,000 in prize money during the 2014 season.

The season begins in March with back-to-back race weekends in Florida. The Clermont Sprint Pan American Cup is slated for March 1, 2014, followed by a trio of championship events in Sarasota on March 8-9, 2014. Elite and under-23 athletes will compete in the Sarasota PATCO Sprint Triathlon Pan American Championships, while juniors will race in the North American Junior Championships. The Sarasota Mixed Relay Pan American Championships will also be contested, featuring four-person teams in which each team member will complete a short swim, bike, run circuit before tagging the next athlete.

Dallas will host the 2014 PATCO Triathlon Pan American Championships on May 31-June 1. Draft-legal championship races will be held on a 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run Olympic-distance course for elite and under-23 athletes, and juniors will compete on a 750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run sprint course. In addition, the event will feature non-drafting PATCO Championship races for paratriathletes, contested at the sprint distance, and age-group athletes on an Olympic-distance course, competing in standard five-year age-group divisions. The site will act as the host of the 2014 PATCO Congress.

The elite race in Dallas is expected to be one of the first qualification events for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, allowing athletes to earn valuable points on behalf of their national federation that eventually help determine the number of Olympic spots allotted - a maximum of three men's and three women's spots in Rio for each nation.

In addition to the elite international races, all three events will host age-group races, giving amateurs the opportunity to compete in the same venues as top ITU pros. The Clermont event will host a draft-legal Under-25 Elite Development Race (ages 16-25) as well as an age-group sprint race. Sarasota will also stage an age-group race, and both Florida events will feature a Youth F1 race for athletes ages 12-16.

The Pan American Triathlon Confederation (PATCO) is comprised of 38 National Federations, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Cuba and more. The PATCO Triathlon Championships were first held in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in 1997 and return to the United States in 2014 for the first time since 2009 in Oklahoma City, Okla.

For more on the PATCO Federation, visit patco.triathlon.org. 

Information on each race can be found on the event websites listed below.

2014 Clermont ITU Sprint Triathlon Pan American Cup
March 1-2, Clermont, Fla.
Event Website: draftlegalchallenge.com
Prize Purse: $10,000 ($5,000 women, $5,000 men)

2014 Sarasota PATCO Sprint Triathlon and Mixed Relay Pan American Championships
2014 Sarasota PATCO North American Junior Championships
March 8-9, Sarasota, Fla. 
Event Website: sarasotatri.com
Prize Purse: $10,000 ($5,000 women, $5,000 men)

2014 Dallas PATCO Triathlon Pan American Championships
(Elite, U23, Junior, Paratriathlon, Age-Group)
June 1, Dallas, Texas
Event Website: playtri.com/festival
Prize Purse: $20,000 ($10,000 women, $10,000 men)

About USA Triathlon: Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon - the fastest growing sport in the U.S. Olympic Movement - as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 races and connects with more than 550,000 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 Summer Olympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).