Britain prepares to host double dose of ITU World Triathlon Series action in 2019

Sent on behalf of British Triathlon:

The AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds and Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham return to the sporting calendar for 2019, with mass participation entries to each event opening in a month’s time on Wednesday 19 September.

Opportunities for everyone from complete triathlon beginners to experienced age-group competitors will be on offer; spanning GO TRI, relay, sprint and standard distance and allowing members of the public to follow in the footsteps of the elite stars of the sport.

Home to Britain’s Olympic heroes, Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, Leeds will be brought to life on the weekend of 8-9 June 2019. The city has become Britain’s beating heart of the sport in recent years, having hosted the ITU World Triathlon Series on three occasions and currently being the base for some of the country’s finest triathlon talent.

Fast forward seven days and the action continues in the Midlands on Saturday 15 June, when Nottingham’s Victoria Embankment will welcome the world’s top triathlon nations for a mixed relay showdown. The sport’s newest Olympic discipline has earnt its respect from both competitors and fans for its thrilling, fast-paced format; most recently attracting a 2.7 million BBC audience to the Glasgow 2018 European Championships.

Both events in Leeds and Nottingham take place within the Olympic selection window, offering nations the opportunity to pick up valuable points in the elite races to qualify both individual and team slots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Entries to each event open 10am Wednesday 19 September, with prices starting at £20. Those wanting to be the first to book their place will need to pre-register for the event of their choice at https://leeds.triathlon.org/2019/ or https://nottingham.triathlon.org/2019. British Triathlon Home Nation members and past participants will be invited to sign up for 2019 from Monday 24 September, with remaining entries on general sale from Monday 8 October.

The locations offer two exciting and different race-day experiences, both with the iconic blue carpet finish where participants can cross the line to roaring crowds. The AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds will see competitors begin their triathlon challenge with a swim in Roundhay park’s Waterloo Lake, North-East of the city centre. Once on bike they will race along closed roads; returning to the Roundhay Park transition hub before running to the city’s Millennium Square to a hero’s welcome. The compact course at the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham means there’s no shortage of atmosphere.

Participants start and finish their campaigns in front of the city’s War Memorial monument; swimming in the River Trent before completing their triathlon experience along Victoria Embankment. They will cross both Trent Bridge and the Suspension Bridge, allowing spectators the rare opportunity to capture virtually every stage of the race from a single viewing point.

Entry windows have been announced today, offering a discounted rate to those booking their spot on the start line early. For full details of race options and prices for the AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds, visit https://leeds.triathlon.org/ and for the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham, visit https://nottingham.triathlon.org/

The AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds is organised by British Triathlon in partnership with AJ Bell, Triathlon England, Leeds City Council, UK Sport, the ITU.

The Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham is being organised by British Triathlon, in partnership with Accenture, Triathlon England, Nottingham City Council, UK Sport, OSB and the ITU.

SUPPORTING QUOTES

Andy Salmon, British Triathlon CEO, said: “Following outstanding events earlier this year, I’m thrilled that we can begin planning for the ITU World Triathlon Series to return to two fantastic locations in Great Britain in 2019, both having become iconic cities for the sport. Off the back of a fantastic Glasgow 2018 European Championships, I hope the public will be inspired to get involved in either the AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds and/or the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham, no matter what stage they’re at on their triathlon journey.”

Billy Mackay, Marketing Director at AJ Bell, said: “In recent years, Leeds has truly established itself as the central hub for triathlon in Great Britain and AJ Bell are proud to play a leading role in continuing this movement. We’re thoroughly looking forward to building on the success of the AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds in 2018 and creating even greater experiences next year for both participants and spectators.”

Julian Skan, Senior Managing Director at Accenture, said: “Just three months on from what was a fantastic display of mixed relay triathlon in Nottingham, we’re thrilled to be able to announce the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Nottingham for 2019. Mixed relay has become front and centre of the sport over the last 18 months, following the announcement of its inclusion in the 2020 Olympic programme and we are very proud to be part of such an exciting time for triathlon.”

Leader of Leeds City Council, Cllr Judith Blake said:

“We are extremely proud that the AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds has established itself as an event that is not only an unbelievable experience for those participating, but for the many thousands spectating over the weekend.

“Already we are building up to next year’s event in Leeds, and it is exciting that anyone wishing to take part can now book their place at a special discounted rate if they book early. We’ve been amazed how the AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds has inspired so many people of different standards and experience to take part and are looking forward to seeing even more people taking up the challenge and participating in Leeds next year.”

Cllr Dave Trimble, Nottingham City Council Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Localities, said: “We are very excited the ITU has, once again, chosen Nottingham to host this prestigious race and look forward to having the privilege of showcasing the Olympic discipline of mixed relay triathlon in the city. We are pleased to have the opportunity to welcome teams from across the world to Nottingham, to show off the city and all it has to offer as well as building on the success and excitement from races in the past two years.

“We will look forward to welcoming thousands of people to come and both watch and take part in the action and we will make the event truly memorable for all those visiting and competing.”

Kris Gemmell, ITU General Manager, said: “We are very excited to be returning to Nottingham and Leeds in 2019, both cities always ready to welcome triathletes from all the world.

“The city of Nottingham will host the second edition of the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series in 2019, which will be an extremely important stop for all National teams in qualifying for the Olympics in Tokyo 2020. After the success of this year and the amazing support all international teams felt from the city, I am completely sure that the event will provide thrilling competition for both participants and spectators alike. And returning to Leeds again in 2019 proves that the Brownlee’s city is always eager to organise world-class events for triathletes”.

ENDS

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Emma Cluley on 07587 038061 or emmacluley@britishtriathlon.org. Please visit http://www.britishtriathlon.org/media for British athlete profiles, free images* and general information about triathlon. *Please refer to image use restrictions in the gallery section of the site (http://www.britishtriathlonmedia.org/media/licence)

AJ Bell was formed in 1995 and is one of the largest and best value providers of online pension, investment and stockbroker services in the UK, with assets under administration of £42 billion and more than 172,000 clients.

AJ Bell aims to make it easy for people to invest by providing award-winning pension and investment products, principally via its two online investment platforms – AJ Bell Investcentre for financial advisers and AJ Bell Youinvest for retail investors.AJ Bell is owned by its management team and two institutional investors in Invesco Perpetual and Seneca Investment Managers.

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 449,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com

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, Paratriathlon, Duathlon and Aquathlon in Great Britain. Triathlon is a fast growing, dynamic and modern Olympic and Paralympic sport with talented world class athletes, coaches and support staff, focused around delivering world-class success and inspiring participation.

Visit www.britishtriathlon.org/media for downloadable image galleries, detailed athlete profiles, results, stats and information.

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. Events already secured include the 2018 Women’s Hockey World Cup, 2019 Netball World Cup and 2019 UCI Road World Championships. 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