The elite championship will take place on the same day as the 2008 Age Group National Championship that will feature close to 1,400 amateur triathletes from across the country. It's the second-straight year the amateur event has been held at the Hagg Lake venue.
"We are thrilled to be hosting triathletes from throughout the country and are especially excited this year to have some of the world's top professionals competing in the Elite National Championship at Hagg Lake," said Drew Mahalic, CEO of the Oregon Sports Authority. "We invite Oregonians to come out and join the festivities by participating, volunteering and watching."
The amateurs, ranging from age 18 to 88, will be on the start line in the morning after qualifying at regional events throughout the past year. This select group of U.S. athletes will compete in a 1.5k swim, 40k bike, and 10k run with a goal of qualifying for the 2009 International Triathlon Union Age Group World Championship on the Gold Coast of Australia. The top 16 in each age group will earn a spot on Team USA.
The men's and women's elite races, featuring close to 100 of the top professionals in the U.S., will take place in the afternoon. These races are the same distance as the amateurs, but feature a spectator-friendly, multiple-loop course in a draft-legal format.
In addition to attending the races on Saturday, media and general public are invited to attend all of Friday's activities at the Lake, including the amateur athlete check-in and registration and the Vendor Expo with product demos, contests, and giveaways. Friday will be highlighted by autograph sessions with the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, including Hunter Kemper, Laura Bennett, Jarrod Shoemaker, Sarah Haskins, Matt Reed, and Julie Swail Ertel.
Following is the autograph session schedule for Friday, Sept. 19 at the Lake:
Noon to 1pm - Matt Reed and Laura Bennett
1pm to 2pm - Sarah Haskins and Jarrod Shoemaker
(break for the 2pm elite meeting to be held at the lake)
3pm to 4pm - Julie Ertel and Hunter Kemper
Shuttles from parking lots outside the park will take athletes and spectators to and from the race venue at Boat Ramp C on Saturday.
Find out more about the event: http://triathlon.teamusa.org/event/event/47
