News
"We now have a world-class, short-course racing series in our own backyard."
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Life Time – The Healthy Way of Life Company (NYSE:LTM) announced today that the Chicago Triathlon and Leon’s Triathlon will incorporate the ITU World Triathlon Chicago into the 2014 Chicagoland Tri Series.
Chicago will play host to the ITU World Triathlon Series in June 2014. The event is one of only eight global events showcasing the world’s best triathletes on a draft-legal, Olympic-distance course. The city also will host the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final – a first for any U.S. city – and the event may serve as an Olympic and Paralympic qualifying event for U.S. athletes hoping to participate in Rio 2016. Sprint and Olympic-distance age-group races will be offered at both events.
“We are excited to bring the ITU World Triathlon Series to Chicago this year, and we are honored to be part of the Chicagoland Tri Series,” said Franzi Petermann, managing director for ITU World Triathlon Chicago. “As the host of the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, Chicago will welcome the best triathletes in the world. The Chicagoland Tri Series allows local athletes to shine and make the most of the race options available to them.”
The 2014 Chicagoland Tri Series will begin with Leon’s Triathlon on June 1, followed by the ITU World Triathlon Chicago on June 29, and concludes with the Chicago Triathlon on Aug. 24.
“Chicago hosts an incredible triathlete community that we are honored to be a part of. The addition of ITU World Triathlon Chicago is a testament to our rich history, and proof that the future of our sport – especially here in the Midwest – is so bright,” said Scott ‘Hootie’ Hutmacher, marketing manager for the Chicago Triathlon.
Last year, Leon’s Triathlon and the Chicago Triathlon formalized the Chicagoland Tri Series as an incentive for amateur athletes to race multiple events, providing a unique angle of competition. In 2013, more than 125 competitors enrolled in the program, half of whom earned trophies in their respective age groups at the season-ending Tri Series Banquet in November.
With the addition of the ITU World Triathlon Chicago into the Chicagoland Tri Series, qualification and competition standards have changed slightly. Non-elite participants who register and compete in all three events (any combination of Sprint or Olympic distances) will earn a custom-designed Tri Series medal and a ticket to the end of season Athlete Banquet. Further, competitive awards will be offered to those with the fastest cumulative times across three Sprint or three Olympic-distance events. To expand the Series’ reach, Leon’s Triathlon will feature a Sprint-distance option in 2014.
“The timing is impeccable for our athletes,” said Leon Wolek, Founder, Leon’s Triathlon. “We now have a world-class, short-course racing series in our own backyard.”
To participate in the 2014 Chicagoland Tri Series, participants must submit their intentions through an opt-in portal, now open atwww.chicagolandtriseries.com. For more information, visit ChicagoTriathlon.com, LeonsTriathlon.com or chicago.triathlon.org. For more information on Life Time Athletic Events, please visit www.eventsbylifetime.com, on Twitter @lifetimefitness and the Life Time Athletic Events Facebook page.
About Leon’s Triathlon
Leon’s Triathlon is an International distance race hosted annually at Wolf Lake Park in northwest Indiana. The ‘World’ Fastest Triathlon’ is a nationally broadcasted event viewed by millions of households across the nation. Watch on Comcast SportsNet, part of NBC Sports Group – premiering July 4 weekend. On June 1, 2014 participants will swim, bike, and run on a closed course through Northwest Indiana. Leon’s Triathlon pioneered the Amateur All-Star competition in its early years, developing the world’s top triathletes during the sport’s infancy. Leon’s also offers a SUP class, where athletes can Stand Up Paddleboard in place of swim. Leon’s Triathlon developed one of the nation’s largest Team Challenge programs, and avidly supports a variety of charities, including Team In Training, Team RWB, Team to End AIDS, TEAM WIRED, and Tri-Masters Youth Programs. Last year’s race brought in more than 750 triathletes from around the nation. Race weekend also features an interactive Demo Day – showcasing a variety of active lifestyle clinics and products within a festival-like atmosphere. For more information on Leon’s Triathlon race and broadcast schedule, visit www.leonstriathlon.com
About ITU World Triathlon Chicago
The City of Chicago joins the ITU World Triathlon Series in 2014 and 2015, including the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and Age Group World Championships. One of just eight series events around the globe in 2014, Chicago will welcome 130 of the world’s top Olympic-distance triathletes alongside such cities as Auckland, Cape Town, Yokohama, London, Hamburg, Stockholm and Edmonton. In addition to the elite races, the event features top-flight Olympic- and sprint-distance age-group races, as well as two relay options, offering amateurs the chance to compete in the same epic venue as the world’s best athletes. Launched in 2009, the ITU World Triathlon Series is televised in more than 160 countries. Visit Chicago.triathlon.org for more information.
About Life Time Fitness, Inc.
As The Healthy Way of Life Company, Life Time Fitness (NYSE:LTM) helps organizations, communities and individuals achieve their total health objectives, athletic aspirations and fitness goals by engaging in their areas of interest – or discovering new passions – both inside and outside of Life Time’s distinctive and large sports, professional fitness, family recreation and spa destinations, most of which operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Company’s Healthy Way of Life approach enables customers to achieve this by providing the best programs, people and places of uncompromising quality and value. As of Feb. 25, 2014, the Company operated 109 centers under the LIFE TIME FITNESS® and LIFE TIME ATHLETIC® brands in the United States and Canada. Additional information about Life Time centers, programs and services is available at lifetimefitness.com.