Olympic Stars to descend upon the city to compete in the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon
The Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon is taking place on the streets of Leeds this month, attracting Olympic big names, including local Leeds heroes Alistair and Jonny Brownlee.
Up to 5,000 recreational triathletes both amateur and elite, including many athletes who competed in Rio for Team GB are set to both woo and wow the crowds.
The latest installment in a series which has already toured, Abu Dhabi, The Gold Coast and Yokohama this year. With five more events to come following the Leeds series, with Hamburg the next destination in July.
The event takes place on the weekend of the 10th and 11th of June at Roundhay Park with the run leading to the finish line in Leeds City centre. It is the second time the city has hosted the World Triathlon series, following a successful event last year.
Last year witnessed over 80,000 spectators line the streets in support of the competing athletes, and proved to be a double sell out in what was an unchartered success for Leeds.
The field includes Olympic Champion Alistair Brownlee as well as Tom Bishop who came second in round two of the Abu Dhabi series.
There is also significant female Interest with 2016 bronze medalist Vicky Holland set to compete as well as Jodie Simpson who already has a silver series medal to her name, with team GB expected to dominate in the swimming segment.
On Saturday 10th, Roundhay Park will welcome families with TriStars, Youth and Junior, GO TRI and Aquathlon races taking place. With opportunities for up and coming Para triathletes also, to race alongside more experienced racers.
While on Sunday 11th, athletes will partake in the sprint and standard distance events in a unique ‘point to point’ course. A swim in Roundhay Park’s Waterloo Lake is preceded by a challenging bike course towards the city centre, before the finish on foot towards the blue carpet finish in the city centre’s Millennium Square.
The event which takes place over two days gets underway at 07:00 AM, with access and registration starting at 05:30 on the Saturday morning at Roundhay Park. Junior and swimming events take centre stage on day one with the event scheduled to finish around 19:00.
Sunday’s events also begin at 07:00 AM at Roundhay Park, running through to the medal ceremony at around 18:00pm. The Sunday sees the elite races and running events with many Olympians taking part it promises to be a competitive field.
There will also be a shuttle bus service for the event which commences at 05:00 AM on both days, at Eastgate in Leeds city centre which will transport to Roundhay Park. The last bus service to the event will be at 18:30 on the Saturday with the last service back into the city centre at 19:30. On the Sunday the last service from Leeds to Roundhay Park is 19:30 and the final service back into Leeds is at 20:00.
