Last chance to ‘Tri something new’ at Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds

Leeds residents are being encouraged to ‘Tri something new’ during the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds, and take part in a fun GO TRI event on Saturday 11 June.

The GO TRI festival is the last opportunity for those who want to take part in one of the biggest sporting events in the UK this year, as all 5,800 race spaces for the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds have now officially sold out.

There are a limited number of places left to enjoy the GO TRI experience, so organisers are encouraging you to sign up now to avoid disappointment and swim, cycle and run yourself proud! Entry is just £10 and participants can register for GO TRI Leeds at http://leeds.triathlon.org. Entries close on Friday 27 May 2016.

GO TRI is a great opportunity for local people of all abilities to get a taste of triathlon in Roundhay Park and will consist of a fun, mini-triathlon course with a 200m swim, 10km cycle and 2.5km run. There is also the option to take part in a land based duathlon – 10km cycle and 2.5km run, or an aquathlon – 200m swim and 2.5km run.

To help existing and potential GO TRI participants prepare for the event, organisers have announced dates and locations of training activity across the city. These beginner friendly sessions include:

GO TRI taster events – There will be four mini GO TRI events offering participants the chance to have a go before the real thing on 11^th June. These practice events are ideal for those who want to get a taste of putting all three elements together or trying out their new goggles. Hosted on:

• 28 May at Middleton Leisure Centre
• 30 May at Armley Leisure Centre
• 2 June at Fearnville Leisure Centre
• 5 June at Leeds Beckett University

All sessions are free of charge and there is activity to suit everyone, no matter your age, experience or fitness level. For more information on the training on offer and to sign-up to take part in any of the activities visit: www.leeds.gov.uk/triathlon.

The GO TRI event is part of British Triathlon and Leeds City Council’s wider ‘Tri Something New’ programme, delivering a legacy for triathlon within the city, encouraging people in Leeds to get active in 2016.

Jack Buckner, Chief Executive of British Triathlon, said: “The GO TRI event is a really exciting opportunity for the local community to ‘Tri Something New’, get active, and become a part of what will be an unforgettable event for Leeds. The GO TRI swim, cycle and run sessions will certainly help to maximise excitement and the legacy for the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds.”

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said: “It is fantastic news that the mass-participation elements on the Sunday of the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds are completely sold out. Seeing nearly 6,000 triathletes take to the course on the same day will be great to see and experience and it is a measure of the interest in the event from across the world that all the places have gone. The GO TRI taster events on the Saturday are also selling out fast, so if anyone fancies having their first go at triathlon sign up now or attend one of the pre-event training sessions to be part of what is shaping up to be another amazing weekend for Leeds.”

The much-anticipated Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds, which is part of UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded #EveryRoadtoRio event series, will provide the British public with the opportunity to watch GB triathletes Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, as well as Non Stanford and Vicky Holland, battle for glory on home soil ahead of Rio against some of the world’s best triathletes.

The Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds, organised by British Triathlon in partnership with Leeds City Council. For more information, and to enter the GO TRI event in Leeds, visit: http://leeds.triathlon.org.

-Ends-

For more information please contact Christian Dente or Rebecca Armstrong on 0113 8800 444 or email Christian.dente@aberfield.com or Rebecca.armstrong@aberfield.com

Notes to editors

The Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds is a partnership between British Triathlon, Leeds City Council, UK Sport, ITU, with Columbia Threadneedle as the main title sponsors of the event.

Important route information

All properties along the route impacted by the event will have received two letters with initial details, information and guidance concerning the event. Roads around the route are expected to close by 4am, with closures starting as early as 12am on 12 June, and will be closed for a minimum of 12 hours with the route needing to be completely clear of vehicles.

Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained through the event and emergency services, health and social care providers, community meals at home and other agencies are working together to ensure care and support individuals may need is provided.

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is a leading global asset management group that provides a broad range of actively managed investment strategies and solutions for individual, institutional and corporate clients around the world. With more than 2000 people including over 450 investment professionals based in North America, Europe and Asia, we manage £323 billion ¹ of assets across developed and emerging market equities, fixed income, asset allocation solutions and alternatives.

Our priority is the investment success of our clients. We aim to deliver the investment outcomes our clients expect through an investment approach that is team-based, performance-driven and risk-aware.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments started its successful relationship with the ITU World Series in 2013 and has since become Global Financial Services Partner.www.columbiathreadneedle.com

All figures as at 31 March 2016. Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the global brand name of the Columbia and Threadneedle group of companies.

Source: Ameriprise Financial Q1 2016 earnings release.

The Columbia Threadneedle Rankings

As a global asset manager Columbia Threadneedle Investments recognises the importance of being the best in the field, not just at home, but on a global basis. The Columbia Threadneedle Rankings are used to determine the best performing triathletes across the ITU World Triathlon Series.

The Columbia Threadneedle Rankings Leader Trophy is presented to the top male and female elite athlete at each ITU World Triathlon Series event. In 2016 the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings Leader will continue to wear the bespoke race markings and carry the colours of the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings logo on their bike rack in transition.

Launched in 2015, the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings Report identifies the trends and interesting statistics after each event throughout the season.

The official Columbia Threadneedle Rankings can be accessed at http://wts.triathlon.org/rankings. Engage with the conversation on social media using the hashtag #CTrankings, or follow @CTinvest_Tri.

British Triathlon is the governing body for the sport in Great Britain. It is responsible for raising the profile and delivering elite performance for Triathlon. Triathlon is a fast growing, dynamic and modern Olympic & Paralympic sport with talented world class athletes, coaches and support staff, focused around delivering world-class events and medal winning performances. www.britishtriathlon.org

Leeds City Council is the second-largest local authority in England with a population of around 776,000. Leeds has a very proud sporting heritage and we are committed to encouraging sport as a way of promoting the city and healthy lifestyles, as well as bringing world-class events, building towards our ambition to become European Capital of Culture 2023. www.leeds.gov.uk

UK Sport is the nation’s high performance sports agency responsible for the strategic investment of National Lottery and Exchequer funding into Olympic and Paralympic sports and bringing major sporting events to the UK. www.uksport.gov.uk/events

The ITU is the world governing body for the Olympic sport of Triathlon and all related MultiSport disciplines. 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 programme from grassroots to a high performance level. www.triathlon.org

A Wanda Sports Holdings company, IRONMAN operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^®Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, Iron Girl^®, IRONKIDS^®, six of nine International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series races, road cycling events including the UCI Velothon Majors Series, mountain bike races, premier marathons and other multisport races. The iconic IRONMAN^® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world, with more than 260 events across 42 countries and over 680,000 participants annually. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.