2020 Legacy Triathlon, Long Beach PATCO Sprint Triathlon Panamerican Cup Canceled

June 11, 2020

Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships to move to new date, location later this year

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon today announced that the 2020 Legacy Triathlon, Open Water Swim Competition and Long Beach PATCO Sprint Triathlon American Cup, all initially scheduled for July 17-19 in Long Beach, California, have been canceled due to current local government guidelines surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships, which were scheduled for July 18 as part of the same event weekend, will move to a new date and location later in 2020.

The cancelation was required after the City of Long Beach informed USA Triathlon that it is unable to guarantee a permit for the event weekend due to ongoing state and local restrictions on gatherings. The safety of all athletes, staff, volunteers and the community at large remains USA Triathlon’s highest priority.

The Legacy Triathlon will return to Long Beach in 2021 and take place there annually in the lead-up to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The races are held at Alamitos Beach, proposed site of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic triathlon competitions. USA Triathlon hosted the inaugural Legacy Triathlon in 2019 to a sellout field, and in doing so, became the first National Governing Body in the U.S. Olympic family to bring a new annual event to the Los Angeles footprint ahead of the 2028 Games.

“While we wish it was possible to host the second edition of the Legacy Triathlon this July, we look forward to returning to Long Beach in 2021 for a revived celebration of multisport and the Olympic and Paralympic Movements,” said Brian D’Amico, USA Triathlon Director of Events. “For our paratriathletes, we are working diligently to still offer the opportunity to compete for national titles this year, and we look forward to communicating those details in the coming weeks.”

Age-group athletes who were registered for the 2020 Legacy Triathlon or Open Water Swim Competition have the option to defer the value of their registration to a future USA Triathlon-owned event in 2021 or 2022 — including the Legacy Triathlon or Open Water Swim Competition, Toyota USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships (pending qualification) or Open Water Swim Competition, USA Duathlon National Championships, or USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships (pending eligibility). Registered athletes will receive an email from USA Triathlon with more details about the deferral process.

Continual updates from USA Triathlon regarding COVID-19 are available at usatriathlon.org/covid-19. USA Triathlon also launched the Safe Return to Multisport initiative, a comprehensive set of best practices and recommendations for race directors, coaches and athletes to implement to resume racing and group training safely as the nation recovers from COVID-19. All documents can be found at usatriathlon.org/safe-return.

USA Triathlon continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19, while following the guidance of local authorities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), when making decisions regarding the status of USA Triathlon events and programs. Any further potential changes to USA Triathlon’s National Championships event calendar will be communicated as soon as possible.

About USA Triathlon

USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

– usatriathlon.org –