From British Triathlon
Strathclyde Park in North Lanarkshire, triathlon venue for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, will be hosting the fifth race of the 2010 European Cup. The first European Cup triathlon to be held in Scotland will be held on Sunday 23 May.
In 2009 the Strathclyde Park Triathlon saw English Olympians Will Clarke and Jodie Swallow triumph in the male and female races but with an even stronger field expected for 2010 the competition is likely to be even tougher. Organisers have also confirmed that the May event will incorporate a mass participation element which means that amateur athletes can enter the race and compete on the same world-class course as the elite athletes.
Kerry Lang, Scottish triathlete, is looking forward to the home race:
“After finishing second in Strathclyde Park last year, I am definitely aiming for top spot in 2010. Being able to compete again in Strathclyde Park is only going to be beneficial for 2014 when the Commonwealth Games come to Scotland”.
Zara Hyde-Peters, Chief Executive Officer of British Triathlon said “We are very proud to be bringing an ITU Triathlon European Cup event to Scotland for the first time. Strathclyde Park has demonstrated its suitability as a setting for world class triathlon events and North Lanarkshire and Event Scotland have made this a venue we keep going back to. This event will give our domestic athletes a great opportunity to take on a global field and gain world ranking points”
Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer at EventScotland, the national events agency, said: “Scotland has a fantastic reputation for hosting multi-discipline sporting events and 2010 will be an incredible year to further establish the nation as an unrivalled destination for Triathlon. EventScotland has supported the Strathclyde Park Elite Triathlon since 2007 and in that time the event has become an established part of the world triathlon events calendar. The addition of hosting a stage of the prestigious ITU Triathlon European Cup in 2010 is a fantastic coup for Scotland and will ensure that the profile of the nation as a host destination for this exciting sport is raised through additional broadcast and global media coverage.
“2010 will be an exceptional year for multi-discipline sports in Scotland and the ITU Triathlon European Cup will take its place in the nation’s sporting calendar alongside the 2010 World Duathlon Championships in Edinburgh in September. Both events are will attract hundreds of elite triathletes and duathletes, amateur competitors and spectators to Scotland for what will be an outstanding year of competition.”
For more details please contact: British Triathlon: Tom Goldspink 01509 226151 / E: tomgoldspink@britishtriathlon.org
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