Taylor Knibb And Sam Long Headline US Pro Triathletes Competing At Inaugural Lake Las Vegas T100

September 9, 2024

Pro and Amateur course maps released and new open water swim in Lake Las Vegas goes on sale

Las Vegas, Nevada/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – World #1 Taylor Knibb and World #3 Sam Long will spearhead the USA’s leading professional triathletes competing against the best in the world at the inaugural Lake Las Vegas T100 Triathlon on October 19-20.

Lake Las Vegas is the sixth stop on the Professional Triathletes Organisation’s (PTO) new 8-leg T100 Triathlon World Tour, which has already been to Miami, Singapore, San Francisco and London this year and will be touching down in Ibiza, Las Vegas and Dubai over coming months.

Knibb, who hails from Washington DC but lives and trains now in Boulder, Colorado, last month won her second Olympic silver medal in the mixed relay triathlon in Paris. She also won her first T100 race over the PTO’s made-for-TV 100km distance (2 km/1.2 mile swim; 80 km/49 mile bike; 18 km/11 mile run) in June. She’ll be joined on the Lake Las Vegas T100 Triathlon start line by mixed relay triathlon team-mate, Taylor Spivey, who picked up her first Olympic silver medal in Paris, and 2022 Ironman World Champion Chelsea Sodaro, who graduated from the University of California Berkeley.

Sam Long lives and trains in Tuscon, Arizona, and will lead the charge for the US in the men’s pro race. The popular American has already shared his plan to win the race before he tackles his bachelor party in Vegas as part of the same weekend. Joining him will be T100’s fastest runner, Jason West, who trains in Boulder, Colorado, and has averaged 3 minute 07 second kilometers for the 18km run already this year.

“I’ve already said that to have this kind of a race only a stone’s throw from where I’m based in Tucson will be awesome and I’m planning to win because that will make my post race bachelor party that much more epic,” said Long. Before adding his customary: “Yo Yo Yo!”

Course Maps Released

The pros start with a 2km 2-lap swim in Lake Las Vegas, before a first transition in the shadow of the stunning Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa. The 80km bike course breaks down into five 11 mile laps which each start with a steep 20% gradient climb onto a rolling course which goes through Wetlands Park and Calico Ridge towards Henderson and back. The total elevation over the five laps is more than 1,400 meters – the most on any bike course in the T100 series. The course finishes with an 18km run split into six 1.8 mile laps around Reflection Bay Golf Club.

“Racing at home in the US is always something I cherish and this will be the first time I’ve raced in Las Vegas,” explained Knibb. “So I’m really looking forward to it, and having now seen the details of the bike course, which includes some steep climbs and rolling sections, I’m even more excited, as that will hopefully play to my strengths.”

As well as the professional races, amateurs will also be able to take on a 100km triathlon over a very similar course. The swim in Lake Las Vegas will be just one 1.2 mile lap. The bike leg will follow the same climb out of the resort, but there will be four 12 mile laps, courtesy of an extended loop along Lake Las Vegas Parkway, before following the same rolling route out and back to Henderson. The 18km run takes place in a different section of the Reflection Bay Golf Club and will be made up of three 3.3 mile laps.

Open Water Swim Goes On Sale 

And, in keeping with the T100 ambition to offer a variety of different distances and events, the PTO announced today 2km (1.2 mile) and 4km (2.4 mile) open water swims in Lake Las Vegas. These will take place on the Saturday afternoon between the women’s pro race, which starts at 0815, and the men’s pro race, which begins at 1415 local time. So there’s a great opportunity to watch the pros and also do one of the swims. The amateur 100km triathlon will start from 0700 on Sunday morning.

To sign up for the 100km amateur triathlon or the open water swims events, or find out more about the courses, go to https://t100triathlon.com/lake-las-vegas/participate/100km-open/

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For Further Information: 

Anthony Scammell E: Anthony.Scammell@protriathletes.org

About Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO)

The PTO is a sports body that is co-owned by its professional athletes, seeking to elevate and grow the sport of triathlon and take it to the next level. The T100 Triathlon World Tour is the new name for the PTO Tour and has been designated by World Triathlon as the ‘official World Championship for long distance triathlon’. It is a season-long schedule of eight T100 races during 2024 that are competed over 100km (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run) and feature the world’s best triathletes going head-to-head in Miami (9 March), Singapore (13-14 April), San Francisco (8-9 June), London (27-28 July), Ibiza (28-29 September), Lake Las Vegas (19-20 October), Dubai (16-17 November) and at the World Championship Final (29-30 November). There will also be racing opportunities for amateurs at all the events, including the new 100km distance at six stages, including: Singapore, London, Ibiza, Lake Las Vegas, Dubai and at the Grand Final. The global broadcast shows the races live around the world in 195+ territories, courtesy of the PTO’s partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery as well as a range of other international, regional and local broadcasters.