Top Age Groupers Aim for Long Distance World Titles on Home Soil

Nearly 400 Americans will compete in Henderson, Nev., on Saturday

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Thirteen recent national champions highlight the nearly 400 American age-groupers set to compete at the 2011 International Triathlon Union Long Distance Triathlon World Championships on Saturday in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, Nev.

All athletes will complete a 4-kilometer swim, 120-kilometer bike and 30-kilometer run with action beginning at 7 a.m. Pacific with the first elite wave. The first age group wave is set for 7:10 a.m. Visit lowerysmultisport.com for more information on the event, which was last held in the United States in 1996 in Muncie, Ind.

Among the decorated age-groupers set to compete Saturday are 13 athletes who won national titles at either the 2010 or 2011 USA Triathlon Long Course National Championships held in Myrtle Beach, S.C:

2010 USA Triathlon Long Course National Champions

  • M20-24: Jordan Bailey (Ogden Dunes, Ind.)
  • F35-39: Shannon Lowery (Raleigh, N.C.)
  • F40-44: Alicia Parr (Durham, N.C.)
  • F50-54: Lisa Clines (Carrollton, Texas)
  • M60-64: Richard Holloway (Bellingham, Wash.)
  • F65-69: Joan Lockwood (Denver, Colo.)
  • M65-69: John MacDonald (Creve Coeur, Mo.)
  • M70-74: Robert Morrison (Greenville, N.C.)

2011 USA Triathlon Long Course National Champions

  • F50-54: Julie Malliet-Nowak (Mount Horeb, Wis.)
  • M50-54: Mark Reynolds (Fairview, Ohio)
  • M55-59: William Martin (Gaithersburg, Md.)
  • F60-64: Dorothy Rich (Manakin-Sabot, Va.)
  • M60-64: Ken Partel (Troutman, N.C.)

Also slated to compete is Susan Williams (Littleton, Colo.), the overall womenʼs champion at the 2011 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship in Burlington, Vt., and the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist. 2010 USA Triathlon Masters Triathlete of the Year Curt Chesney (Boulder, Colo.), 2010 Grand Masters Triathlete of the Year Steven Smith (Granger, Ind.) and last yearʼs Grand Masters Duathlete of the Year Roger Brockenbrough (Pittsburgh, Pa.) are also on the start list.

USA Paratriathlon National Team member Michael Johnston (TRI-5, San Diego, Calif.) highlights five U.S. athletes slated to compete in the paratriathlon division. He is competing in his third ITU World Championship event this season.

Overall, Team USA features 380 age-groupers who qualified for Long Distance Worlds at the 2010 USA Triathlon Long Course Triathlon National Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and at this yearʼs Wildflower Triathlon and Pigman Long Course Triathlon.

Team USA is comprised of the nationʼs top amateur triathletes who represent the United States at each ITU world championship event. Visit usatriathlon.org for more on Team USA. (http://www.usatriathlon.org/audience/team-usa/contents.aspx)

About USA Triathlon
Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon – one of the fastest growing sports in the world – as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. USA Triathlon sanctions 3,500 races and connects with more than 150,000 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 ITU World Championships, Pan American Games and the Summer Olympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the International Triathlon Union and the United States Olympic Committee.

About International Triathlon Union (ITU):
The International Triathlon Union is the world governing body for the Olympic sport of Triathlon and all related Multisport disciplines: Duathlon, Aquathlon and Winter Triathlon. ITU was founded in 1989 at the first ITU Congress in Avignon, France and has maintained its headquarters in Vancouver, Canada since then. It now has over 120 affiliated National Federations around the world and is the youngest International Federation in the Olympics. Triathlon was awarded Olympic status in 1994. ITU is proudly committed to supporting the development of the sport worldwide through strong relationships with continental and national federations, working with its partners to offer a balanced sport development program from grassroots to a high-performance level. For more information, visit: www.triathlon.org.

About the 2011 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships:
The International Triathlon Union, USA Triathlon, the city's of Henderson and Las Vegas and Lowery's Multi-sport Races will host the 2011 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships which will be held in Henderson, Nev., USA, on Saturday, November 5, 2011. The distances for the race will be a 4K swim, a 120K bike and a 30K run. Athletes from all across the world must qualify to compete in the world championship race, which will be held on US soil for the first time in more than 15 years. The course maps and more information are available on the event Web site at www.lowerysmultisport.com.

Event Contacts
Ashley Massi, Lowery's Multisport Media Manager
Email: media@lowerysmultisport.com
Mobile: 702.375.3266

Frank Lowery, Silverman Race Director
Email: flowery719@cox.net
Mobile: 702.400.2790