Mark Fretta Challenges the World in Sydney!!!
Mark Fretta heads to Sydney to challenge the worlds best triathletes in the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series. This is Mark’s first race of the year! My is one of my clients and he is a close personal friend! Good Luck Mark, we will be cheering for you. Mark is a member of Team Omega XL – www.omegaxl.com
Race Details:
Sydney will revisit its Olympic Games glory days as Sydney Harbour and the Opera House are showcased to the world when it hosts a leg of the 2010 ITU Triathlon World Championship Series in April.
The announcement, made by the New South Wales Government and supported by Australia’s newly crowned world champion Emma Moffatt, will see Sydney host a leg of a global eight race series for the next three years. It is a joint initiative between the NSW Government through Events NSW, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) and Triathlon Australia.
The event, to be held on April 11, will feature elite competitors only in 2010. The following year it will expand to accommodate thousands of age group athletes, who will have the chance to ride over the Sydney Harbour Bridge on a multi-loop circuit.
The elite course features many of the elements that made the Olympic Games triathlon such a memorable spectacle. The transition area will be located in the Sydney Opera House forecourt; the 1500-metre swim will be in Farm Cove; the 40km bike leg will consist of eight laps of 5km each along Macquarie Street and the Cahill Expressway overlooking Circular Quay; and the 10km run will feature four laps of 2.5km each on a shortened version of the bike course.
From 2011 age group athletes will be able to compete in Enticer, Sprint and Olympic Distance triathlons. The transition area will be in the parklands of Mrs Macquarie Chair; the swim will follow the Farm Cove shoreline; the bike leg will take in Macquarie Street, Art Gallery Road, the Cahill Expressway and the Harbour Bridge; and the run will weave throughout Mrs Macquarie Chair, the Botanical Gardens and the Domain.
Triathlon’s debut at the Olympics in 2000 – nine years ago last week – launched the Games in spectacular fashion, with the course taking in Sydney’s famous landmarks around the harbour. The women’s event decided the first medals of the Games, with Michellie Jones securing a silver medal for the host nation.
The Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series was launched this year, replacing a one-off event and taking in signature cities such as London, Washington, Madrid and Yokohama, before culminating in a Grand Final at a nominated city. It saw the world’s best triathletes race head-to-head around the globe amid famous landmarks for a total prize pool of $US 3 million.
Moffatt won the inaugural series Grand Final in a thrilling race on the Gold Coast on September 13 to secure the overall world championship.
“As an athlete you can’t ask for anything more – we’ll be racing in one of the most spectacular locations our sport has ever secured, against the best triathletes on the planet, in front of our home crowd,” Moffatt said. “This year’s new world championship series has taken the sport to another level and for Sydney to be involved in this on an annual basis provides both global recognition for the city and a magical experience for every Aussie athlete.”
Triathlon Australia chief executive Andrew Hamilton said the partnership with the NSW Government through Events NSW was crucial in ensuring Sydney was part of the ground-breaking series and suggested the event would help strengthen the sport domestically.
“The NSW Government through Events NSW has been extremely pro-active in chasing this opportunity to stage an annual world class sporting event in the heart of the city and the various Government agencies have been enthusiastic in accommodating the significant logistical components required for an event of this scale,” Mr Hamilton said.
“This will be the jewel in the crown for triathlon in the southern hemisphere and provide a tremendous boost for the sport at all levels in this country, as it provides us with a great opportunity to use this as the signature event in what we hope will become an elite broadcast domestic series.”
Managing Director of the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series Paul Coleman said Sydney was a spectacular addition to the 2010 calendar.
“It offers a truly world class venue which will show off our sport to both a growing global audience and the enthusiastic Australian fans. Sydney meets the very highest standards of international sporting cities and we look forward to bringing the 2010 series here in April.”
http://sydney.triathlon.org/event_information/schedule_broadcast/