Oceania Triathlon

With the serious flooding situation in Iowa, the Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon World Cup has been moved to West Des Moines, at the campus of Valley Southwoods Freshmen High School.  Race officials are confident the elite race will be a full triathlon but water quality testing continues.   The situation in Des Moines is very serious as hundreds of thousands of residents were evacuated due to the flooding.  As of Friday there was no way the existing course could be used as it remains several meters under water.  The event was moved out of Des Moines so that city officials could devote their full attention and resources to flood-related issues.

We know the athletes are looking forward to the Des Moines race, said Bill Burke, the race director. The well-being of all competitors is paramount, but this is an important race for American elites. If we can find a safe and available body of water, wed like to use it.

The six members of Team USA headed to the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing will be introduced to the world at the conclusion of the Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon World Cup.  All activities will take place as scheduled; only the race location will change to the West Des Moines city-school campus area.

Once again we realize how fortunate we are to live in a city with multiple sites capable of hosting an event of this magnitude, said Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee senior vice president of retail operations and co-chair of the event. We are grateful to everyone who has stepped forward to ensure the success of our triathlon, from the elite races down to the kids events. Its going to be a great weekend for the thousands of people who have spent months training for the triathlon as well as spectators who come out to cheer them on.

The age-group race will be a duathlona 10-kilometer run, a 40-kilometer bike and a 5-kilometer run. 

We appreciate Des Moines commitment to our event and all the support they have given us in regard to the triathlon, said Edeker. We needed to get out of the way so they could address more critical issues.

Hy-Vee and race officials began looking for an alternate swim venue as soon as it looked like Grays Lake might flood. But when unrelenting rains increased the bacteria levels of even those bodies of water not prone to flooding, discussions turned to a duathlon event.

Stay tuned for the latest news and updates from the Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon World Cup.

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