USA Triathlon Draft-Legal Sprint Triathlon National Championships

The 2020 USA Triathlon Age Group Draft-Legal National Championships, initially scheduled to take place Nov. 14 in Tempe, Arizona, have been rescheduled to April 2021 — as a World Qualifier rather than a National Championship — due to ongoing concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Age Group Draft-Legal Nationals were set to be held as part of ASU’s Sun Devil Draft-Legal Classic, in conjunction with the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships. Due to continued limits on mass gatherings in the Tempe and Phoenix areas, ASU and USA Triathlon determined that the age group event can no longer take place in 2020.

The 2020 Age Group Draft-Legal Nationals would have qualified top finishers for the 2021 ITU Age Group Sprint Triathlon World Championships, slated for next October in Bermuda. The rescheduled World Qualifier event will take place April 9, 2021, in Tempe, in conjunction with the USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships. While no longer considered a National Championship, the Age Group Draft-Legal World Qualifier will qualify top finishers in each age group to represent Team USA at the 2021 ITU Age Group Sprint Triathlon Worlds.

Separately, a 2021 Age Group Draft-Legal National Championships will be held next fall, with the date and location to be determined. That event will qualify top finishers for the 2022 ITU Age Group Sprint Triathlon World Championships in Abu Dhabi.

Race Distances

  • 750m Swim (1 Lap) / 20k Bike (3 Laps) / 5km Run (1 Lap)

Event Location

The events will be hosted at the Tempe Town Lake North Park. Tempe Town Lake is Arizona's second-most visited public attraction. The more than 2-mile long lake was created by damming a portion of the dry Salt River and adding water. Tempe Town Lake features a system of paths allowing people to walk, jog, bike and more along its edges. It's also a great place for electric, wind and human-powered boats. Hundreds of community events are held in and around the park year-round.

Address: Tempe Town Lake North Park, 730 N Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281.

We are excited to be working with the Arizona State University School of Sustainability this year to make the race a sustainable event.

USA Triathlon Draft-Legal Sprint Triathlon National Championship Registration

Now thru 6/1 = $105
6/2 thru 9/1 = $120
9/2 thru 11/11 = $130

Packet Pick-Up 

Age group athletes are required to pick up their race packet on Friday, Nov. 13 from 1-7 p.m. at the race site.

Participant List

A comprehensive list of participants will be posted starting June 1. Check here at this time for a link to the list.

Age Group Draft-Legal Rules

Age Group Draft-Legal National Championship athletes will follow the ITU Rules of Competition for age group draft legal racing with dispensations outlined in the 2020 USA Triathlon Age Group Draft Legal Triathlon Athlete Equipment and Rules Checklist.

Equipment

Draft-legal age group athlete equipment must meet the following standards or the athlete will not be allowed to participate in the event:

  • Uniform must cover the front of the torso.
  • Helmet must have the original CPSC sticker in place inside the helmet.
  • Bike must have standard drop handlebars.
  • Aerobars (both long or short) are not permitted to be used.
  • Wheels must have 12 or more spokes and no disc wheels.

If the water temperature is below 71.6°F, athletes will be allowed to wear wetsuits. The water temperature the day prior to the race will be posted at packet pick-up. The official water temperature will be announced one hour prior to the start of the men’s race and one hour prior to the start of the women’s race.

Note: The athlete lap-out rule will not be enforced. However, all athletes must complete the competition within two hours of their start time.

Timing Chips

All athletes are required to wear a timing chip during the competition. Age group chips will be distributed in the athlete’s race packet. It is the athlete’s responsibility to wear the timing chip on race day. Volunteers will collect the timing chip at the Finish Line after completing the triathlon. Athletes who lose their chip will be responsible for a $100 replacement fee. 

Rules Briefing

The Age Group Rules Briefing will occur on Friday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. at the race site.

Awards 

Age group awards will be in age groups beginning with ages 15-19 and continuing in five-year increments through 85-89 based on their age as of December 31, 2020. The top three athletes in each age group and gender will be recognized. Only U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals will be eligible for USAT National Championship awards and Team USA qualification.

All-American Recognition

The USA Triathlon National Rankings are one of the great benefits you receive as a USA Triathlon annual member. Rankings allow you to see how you stack up against friends, family, co-workers and others in your age group across the country. This year, we will also be awarding All-American status for National Championships. For the Draft-Legal Triathlon National Championships, the top five (5) athletes per age group will earn this recognition. Upon completion of the event, an electronic certificate will be sent to each athlete honoring their accomplishment. In addition, a complete list of all member rankings is posted right here.

Course Nutrition

Water will be available on the course for all athletes.

Parking

Option 1: Tempe Town Lake Marina Parking Lot - 550 E Tempe Town Lake, Tempe, AZ 85281

Please be aware of traffic closures. The best way to access the Marina lot is from Rural/Scottsdale Road.

Option 2: Parking Garage on Rio Salado/Ash - 226 Ash Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281

Exit the garage and walk to Rio Salado Parkway. Take a right heading east. Then turn left onto the Mill Ave Bridge. Once you walk over the Mill Ave Bridge you can walk down to the venue located on the lake. Please allow yourself a 20 to 25 minute walk and stay on the sidewalk at all times due to bike traffic on the roads.

Anti-Doping/Drug Testing

In accordance with U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) regulations, athletes may be drug tested at this event. Should drug testing occur, there are strict protocols that must be followed and will be coordinated by the on-site USADA representative as well as a USA Triathlon staff member. For information on USADA, please click here. For a list prohibited and banned substances, click here.

Team USA Qualification (Age Group)

Please note: Age Group athletes who qualify for the 2021 ITU Age Group World Championships in Bermuda will be notified by USA Triathlon via email within two weeks from the event. For questions please email teamusa@usatriathlon.org.

Age Group athletes will have the opportunity to qualify for the 2021 ITU Sprint Triathlon World Championships in Bermuda through the Sun Devil Draft Legal Classic.

For the 2021 ITU World Championships, USA Triathlon will reserve up to ten (10) spots for women and up to ten (10) for men in each aged-up age group at this event. In order to be eligible to claim his/her ITU World Championship spot, each qualifying athlete must place within the top 10 in their age group ANDbe within the noted finish time broken down by a percentage by age group at this event, which is indicated in Table 1 shown below.

Athletes will compete in this event based on age as of Dec. 31, 2021.

Note that because an athlete’s eligibility to claim an ITU World Championship spot at this event is based on results from the USA Triathlon Age Group Sprint Triathlon National Championship, it is possible that not all 10 spots in each age group will be filled (meaning some people will miss the time back qualification).

  • Example 1:Joe Thomas competes in the 15-19 male category at the Draft Legal Qualifier/Nationals in Tempe.  He finishes in eight place in his age group in a time of one hour flat (60:00). The winning time in his age group was 57 minutes (57:00). The difference between the two times is 5%. Joe has met both criteria – finish place within the top ten in his AG and the 19.87% time differential between the winner’s time and his finish time.
  • Example 2:John Jay finishes 11th in the 50-54 aged-up age group, only 4% back of the first place finish time in his age group. Even if he was within the qualifying percent of the top finisher’s time in the age group according to the table published by USAT, John would not be eligible for a world championship spot since he was not among the top ten finishers in his age group.
  • Example 3: Janice Field, competing in the 20-24 age group, places 9th in her age group with a time that is 12% behind her age group’s top finisher. She would earn the spot based on her meeting both the finish place and time qualification (14.1%) for her age group. If she had been (11th) eleventh place, she wouldn’t have met qualification.

Table 1

In order to be eligible to claim an ITU World Championship spot, each qualifying athlete must place within the top 10 in their age group at the 2020 ITU Draft-Legal Sprint Triathlon World Championship Qualifier/National Championship AND be within the noted finish time broken down by a percentage by age group at this event.These percentages were calculated based on the difference in time between the fastest finisher in each age group at the Age Group National Championship in Milwaukee and the person earning the last possible spot on the team (18thplace). 

 

Please note these are 2019 percentages.  2020 will be updated post Age Group Nationals in August.

Aged-Up Division

Percentage

15-19 Female

14.20%

15-19 Male

11.68%

20-24 Female

24.45%

20-24 Male

10.54%

25-29 Female

14.92%

25-29 Male

13.76%

30-34 Female

16.51%

30-34 Male

14.10%

35-39 Female

13.18%

35-39 Male

13.46%

40-44 Female

11.15%

40-44 Male

13.45%

45-49 Female

12.99%

45-49 Male

11.72%

50-54 Female

15.91%

50-54 Male

14.80%

55-59 Female

16.78%

55-59 Male

13.03%

60-64 Female

22.84%

60-64 Male

15.56%

65-69 Female

20.53%

65-69 Male

15.76%

70-74 Female

66.29%

70-74 Male

24.95%

75-79 Female

46.47%

75-79 Male

58.50%

80-84 Female

7.32%

80-84 Male

51.62%

85+ Female

0%

85+ Male

1.56%

 

For any questions, please email teamusa@usatriathlon.org.

Hotels/Accommodations

AC Hotel – Sun Devil Draft Legal Classic Triathlon Partner!
100 E Rio Salado Pkwy, Tempe, AZ 85281

 

Embassy Suites
4400 S Rural Rd, Tempe, AZ 85282

Moxy – by Marriott
1333 S Rural Rd, Tempe, AZ 85281

Hyatt Place
1413 W Rio Salado Parkway Tempe, AZ 85281