WCS San Diego Bringing Triathlon Home AGE-GROUPERS’ REACTIONS TO A MAJOR RACE IN SAN DIEGO
While elite athletes will make their way to San Diego for the first World Championship Series race on U.S. soil since 2009, age group athletes also will be part of the mix. Up to 3,000 age-groupers will have the opportunity to compete in either sprint or Olympic-distance races at the same venue as the world’s best athletes. From club members to Team USA, here’s what age-groupers have to say about racing in a major international event, right here on home soil.
“Seeing how China kind of built up the 2011 ITU World Championships, seeing the flags along the highways, seeing how many spectators came out, I think that if the U.S. were to able promote it the right way, the pro athletes and just the sport in general could get more recognition. Because I think it’s an incredible sport, it’s changed my life and I think there are a lot of people out there who aren’t quite sure what it means beyond the Ironman at Kona.” — Courtney Wagner (Tampa, Fla.)
“I grew up in San Diego. My dad was one of the first guys in the sport back in the 70s. In fact, he used to run with the San Diego Tri Club, and they’re the guys who invented the sport on Fiesta Island in 1974. I used to spend my vacations following him around to Ironman races. So it’s right in my old backyard. I think it’s great. It’s about time San Diego had a world-class event. My brother still lives there. I’ll take my kids there. We’ll go back and have some fun.” — Jeremy Oury (Hamilton, Mont.)
“It’s about time, especially in San Diego. San Diego is the mecca of triathlon. It used to be the place everybody would go for training. Now it’s Colorado, but in the 80s and 90s, San Diego was the place. Scott Molina, Scott Tinley and Mark Allen — they were all in San Diego.”
— Carlos Dolabella (Key Biscayne, Fla.)
“Being the birthplace of triathlon, there is already a large group of avid athletes in San Diego who would surely spectate and participate. With the magnitude of this race, getting a chance to see numerous Olympians competing at the highest level would bring people out who were even mildly curious about the sport.” — Brian Wrona (San Diego, Calif.)
“The Triathlon Club of San Diego is super excited to be a part of bringing a world class triathlon to the birth place of the sport. Having a WCS event here in San Diego will continue to help fuel the interest and explosive growth in the sport just as we have seen in our club’s membership roster now exceeding 3,200 active local members.”
— Thomas Johnson, President of San Diego Tri Club
“[The event] will have a big following. San Diego and Southern California have a large number of races, very good races, so there is already a large pool of athletes who compete on a regular basis. This will certainly get a lot of attention from seasoned athletes, but I think the biggest base will come from the new triathletes who have just completed a sprint race and want the opportunity to participate in a true destination race without the expense of traveling out of town.” — John Hill, Vice President of San Diego Tri Club
“I think a race of this caliber will be huge for the sport of triathlon in the U.S. It will rally athletes and non-athletes around it and be great for the upcoming Olympics. Age-groupers love racing and then sticking around to watch the pros do it all over again!” — Natalie Kirchhoff (Clermont, Fla.)
“Having an international race of this statue in the USA is a tremendous plus for triathlon. The publicity generated will undoubtedly attract more to the sport, and high-quality competitions such as a WCS race increase enthusiasm and grow the sport. In addition to a strong showing from West Coast triathletes, the WCS race in San Diego should also attract many from across the U.S. I would certainly consider racing in a companion event.” — Roger Brockenbrough (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
USATRIATHLON.ORG USA TRIATHLON 51
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