The 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Triathlon Trials are going to be right here in Tuscaloosa! The weekend of the 19th-20th, some of the country's best athletes are going to compete for a spot in Beijing. To kick off the activities, a parade, pep rally, opening ceremonies, and evening entertainment are being held April 17th, the Thursday before the trials at 6:00 PM at the corner of University St. and Greensboro Ave. Preceding the trials on Saturday, the Collegiate National Championship is being held at 7:00 AM which follows the same course as the olympians'. At 12:00 PM, the women's trials begin, at 2:30 PM, the men's. The Awards Ceremony is taking place right after at approximately 4:45 PM.
The race is being held at the River Road Park East, along Jack Warner Parkway. The 1500 meter (.9 mile) swim course is similar to the Beijing Olympic course forming a figure nine. The triathloners then jump on to their bikes to begin the 40 k (24.8 miles) ride which starts with a climb up Hackberry Lane and back down, a left onto Jack Warner, a 1/4 mile climb up steep Queen City Avenue, and back to Jack Warner to Hackberry Lane. The ride will conclude after 8 laps are finished. Finally, the run will consists of 4 laps by the Riverwalk to complete a 10 k (6.2 miles) sprint to the finish. Twelve women and ten men will be competing in the trials.
To finish up the weekend's events, two more triathlons are being held on Sunday. The city's annual Tuscaloosa Triathlon will be at 8:00 AM and the Twenty 12 at 11:30 AM, both 750 meter swim/ 20 k bike/ 5 k run. The Twenty 12 triathlon is specifically for upcoming athletes interested in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
I think Tuscaloosa is priveleged to be chosen to host these trials. I attended the marathon olympic trials in Birmingham a few years ago and had a lot of fun. It was really neat to see such talented athletes in person and then see them on TV competing against the best in the world in the Olympics.
If you are interested in volunteering, there are numerous opportunities:http://team-magic.rd20.com/Volunteers/RegistertoHelp/tabid/144/Default.aspx
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