2006 ITU Canberra Long Distance Triathlon World Championship
October 26th, 2006 by Robin
Not only is it a mouthful but the 4km swim, 120km bike and 30km run also makes it the longest ITU sanctioned race on the calendar. There is talk of the format changing to a double Olympic distance event next year, which would be a great pity, but rather than get into that, let’s focus on this year’s race which will be my first foray into international racing.
The event morphed out of the Nice Triathlon which was, along with Kona, the premier event on the triathlon calendar in the early days.
This year Australia will get to play host for the first time and the capital city of Canberra has been chosen to stage the event. By the looks of things we can expect a typical ITU spectator friendly circuit which is great for the morale as you pass by your supporters numerous times. There don’t appear to be any major challenges, the swim is in a lake and wetsuits are likely to be optional. The bike course is rolling at best and the run is down next to the lake so expect some great views but little else to challenge the legs
Over the next few weeks I will attempt to give you some background on the race, the venue and the favourites in the various categories, including some updates from Australia during race week. In the interim you can go check out their website for profiles, route maps and general information about the event - WorldLongDistance2006.com.
