Taranaki Tri Festival Adds ti Impressive Lineup of Events

27 September 2019

Taranaki Tri Festival Adds Oceania Junior Champs And Oceania Mixed Relay to It's Already Impressive Lineup of Events

Earlier in the year it was announced that Taranaki would host the New Zealand Sprint Distance Triathlon Championships in 2020 for the first time building on the success of this years festival hosting the WIL Sport New Zealand Schools Triathlon Championships and the 10th edition of the New Plymouth ITU Triathlon World Cup. The event organisers and Triathlon New Zealand are very pleased to announce that the Oceania Junior Championships and Oceania Mixed Relay will be added to the schedule.

This isn’t the first time that Junior athletes from across Oceania have competed in Taranaki as the 2018 New Plymouth OTU Triathlon Oceania YOG Qualifier and Junior Oceania Championships was held at Ngamotu Beach.

The Junior athletes will compete individually but may also line up against Elite and U23 athletes in a Mixed Relay event that has become very popular with athletes and spectators, and will feature for the first time at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The addition of the Junior events means that Taranaki will now see the best Junior Triathletes from across Oceania, the best Elite triathletes from across the world and the best age group triathletes in New Zealand coming to New Plymouth trying to quality for the 2020 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Edmonton, Canada.

“Really excited to see this great event go from strength to strength, now extending its already bursting format to include Oceania Jnr and Mixed Relay races. The inclusion of the Oceania titles along with the Sprint National Championship races will showcase amazing talent right on our doorstep in an outstanding festival atmosphere. Thank you to the local community that have made this a possibility” says CEO of Triathlon New Zealand, Claire Beard.

“As a long term supporter of the ITU World cup, it is exciting to see the continuing growth and development of the festival , cementing New Plymouth’s position as a key fixture on the national and international triathlon calendar” says Venture Taranaki Chief Executive Justine Gilliland.
“It is also a fabulous opportunity for the region to welcome high performing and aspiring athletes and encourage them to come back for a longer, more relaxed visit at a later date”, adds Vicki Fairley GM Marketing.

The event is not only about the super stars but also those who want to just come along and be a part of the festival. There is the Taranaki Tri-er, which will be a fundraiser for the Mellowpuff Charitable Trust and anyone from age 11 can come and have a go.

Spectator entry to all events across the day is free, including the ITU Triathlon World Cup racing on the Saturday.

“The event has grown over the last two years and it is exciting to really see it now as a true triathlon festival ‘like no other’ in New Zealand. The support from the Taranaki region has allowed us to grow the event to this level and we are excited about bringing all these events to the shores of Ngamotu Beach in 2020” says Event Director Shanelle Barrett.

Taranaki Tri Festival is made possible thanks to the support of Venture Taranaki, TSB Community Trust, Port Taranaki, Sport Taranaki, WIL Sport, Plymouth International and the wider community of Taranaki.

Entries are open now for all events and can be entered through the website www.taranakitrifestival.nz.

Taranaki Tri Festival Schedule – all events at Ngamotu Beach.

Saturday 28 March
1:45 pm Oceania Junior Women
2:30 pm Oceania Junior Men
3:50 pm ITU Elite Women
5:40 pm ITU Elite Men
6:50 pm Medal Presentations

Sunday 29 March
7:45 am Sprint Distance Champs
9:30 am Taranaki Tri-er
10:30 am Oceania Mixed Relay

Photos from previous Taranaki Tri Festivals can be found here.

ENDS

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