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Cozumel ITU Triathlon |
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Fall is in the air and in Cozumel that means it's "RACE TIME" here on the island! Cozumel has been host to the Ironman Races for a number of years and in 2013, the first Cozumel ITU (International Triathlon Union) Triathlon World Cup race was held! This year, Cozumel is hosting both the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships in addition to the 2016 Cozumel ITU Aquathlon World Championships. The activities for these events will begin on Sunday, September 11th, 2016, occur daily throughout the week and will culminate with the closing ceremonies on Sunday, September 18th, 2016. The pre-event activities will begin on Saturday, September 10th with the Open Race Expo and Packet Pick Up.
The 2016 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final competitors will come from all over the globe and will consist of 150 of the world's top Olympic-distance triathletes! These incredible athletes will be coming to Cozumel less than a month after they competed in the 2016 Olympics Games that were held in South America in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition to these competitors in the World Championships will be many top-flight sprint and Olympic-distance races for various age-group athletes, that will be representing their countries, competing for other World Championships titles based on age groups that include juniors and under-23s, as well as an Aquathlon competition. In all, there will be more than 8,000 of the world's best triathletes competing for world titles over a total of five (5) days of competition here on the island of Cozumel.
As mentioned earlier, the Triathlon is a fairly new athletic competition to Cozumel. It does have the same three (3) athletic competitions as the Ironman which includes swimming, biking and running. However, the distance involved is not as strenuous (we would be flagging down the lifeguard about 1/10th of a mile into the swim). These top athletes will start out with a 750m (0.5mi) swim, then jump on their bikes for 20km (12.4mi) and finish with a 5K (3.1mi) run. This course is considered a "Sprint" in Triathlon distances (again, for us, just call 911)!
Do you know when and where the first triathlon was held? San Diego, CA on September 24th, 1974. What started with the San Diego Track & Field Club that initially consisted of a 5.3mi run, 5mi bike and 600 yard swim grew very rapidly in popularity and growth, becoming one (1) of the fastest growing sports worldwide. The popularity had the Olympic committee's interest in 1988 and in 1989, the ITU was founded on April 1st in Avignon, France! The formal event distances were set at this time with a 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run. The Triathlon made it's Olympic debut in 2000 in Sydney, Australia! The headquarters for the ITU were originally in Vancouver, Canada, but moved to Lausanne, Switzerland in 2014 and 2014 marked the ITU's 25th year anniversary!
If you are here visiting during the week of September 11th, you will definitely want to check out this incredible event! These athletes are amazing to watch and the entire city turns out to cheer on these incredible competitors! If you will be attending the event (as a competitor, fan or family member) and need lodging, please check out Sherri's IslaMar Vacation Villas for availability @ IslaMar Vacation Villas as Sherri would love to host you! IslaMar is away from all the madness of the beachfront and provides a relaxing atmosphere for you to rest and recover, yet you are within walking distance of all the activities!
So plan well in advance and book your lodging "EARLY" to ensure availability!
Here are a couple of the course maps of the events and to see all of the various group maps (by age, etc.),
please go to the following link:
ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships - Course Maps!
For additional information regarding this year's 2016 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships
on the island, please go to their Official site on the link below:
2016 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and World Championships Cozumel - Web Site!
For the schedule of events, see below:
2015 Cozumel ITU Triathlon World Cup Schedule of Events!
October 2nd - Friday
6:00 pm - Athlete's Briefing
Cozumel Museum @ Calle 6 Norte
For museum information, click Museo De La Isla De Cozumel
October 3rd - Saturday
9:00 am - Bike Course Familiarization (3 laps)
In front of Cozumel Museum - north of Ferry Dock
10:20 am - Swim Course Familiarization
12:30 pm - Athlete Media Conference
Rolandi's Restaurant Bar & Pizzaria @ Rafael E Melgar & Calle 11 Sur
For restaurant information, click Rolandi's Restaurant Bar & Pizzarial
7:00 pm - Packet Pick Up
Inside Cozumel Museum
October 4th - Sunday
9:00 am - Elite Women's Start
11:00 am - Elite Men's Start
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To view Cozumel Insider's past Cozumel ITU Triathlon World Cup photos,
we have provided our photo album below for your viewing pleasure!
2015 Cozumel ITU Triathlon World Cup Race Photos |
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2014 Cozumel ITU Triathlon World Cup Race Photos |
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Copyright 2000 - 2024 Sherri Davis, All Rights Reserved. Contributors retain the copyright to their work. Please do not take art or written content without permission. Other graphics and reference materials are used and attributed as per the Fair Use Provision of The Copyright Act and individual terms of use.
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