This weekend also hosts the 2014 ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships in Zofingen, where Emma Pooley will make her debut for the elite Great Britain Team.
 

In Bala, athletes will start their race by swimming 1,500m out across Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid), the largest freshwater lake in Wales, with the summit of Aran Fawddy in the distance. They will then set off on their second leg of the race, cycling 39km through Snowdonia before cycling towards the quaint market town of Dolgellau and with no hills, this is an opportunity for competitors to put in some fast cycling! Competitors will then follow the cycle route by running 10.25km. 
 

Spectators will have a great view of the race and will have unrivalled access to watch and cheer on their friends and family.
 

The race organised by Wrecsam Tri, is a regular on the age-group scene, hosting European and World qualifiers as well as hosting the Welsh Championships previously. As one of the last big races of the triathlon season in the UK, Bala Standard lures hundreds of triathletes every year to its shores.
 

Malcolm Westwood, British Triathlon Director for Age-Group Teams commented: “I’ve been to Bala many times and always been rewarded with a thrilling race by a strong competitive field. The combination of an open water swim in the lake, fast closed roads for the bike and beautiful Welsh scenery makes this an exciting final opportunity to qualify for Geneva. 
 

“The ETU European Championships are extremely popular, especially in a year when the Worlds are long-haul again, and this is making competition for places in the team increasingly tough. Good luck to all our top athletes hoping to achieve their places in the Great Britain team this weekend but most importantly, amid the triumphs and challenges, I wish everyone an enjoyable and safe race. I look forward to seeing the results.”
 

Great Britain Age-Group Team ready to put in the distance for World Championships titles

There is also major championship action for the Great Britain Age-Group Team, as this weekend also sees the Great Britain Age-Group Team compete at the 2014 ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships in Zofingen, Switzerland. 
 

The team of 22 will be hoping to add to the ever-growing list of Great Britain Age-Group Team medals, especially those gained at the ETU Standard Duathlon European Championships in Weyer two weeks ago and, of course, the huge collection of medals won by the age-group athletes in Edmonton at the Sprint and Standard ITU Triathlon World Championships. 
 

Christopher Dettmar in the 40-44 Age-Group will certainly be looking to defend his bronze medal that he won at last year’s Championships and hopefully returning home with a different colour around his neck this time.
 

The race is being held on 7 September, with the women starting at 8:00am local time and the men starting at 9:00am local time.  Competitors will run two laps of 5km through the forest. They will then cycle 150km over three laps of a beautiful and hilly landscape, before putting their running shoes back on to complete a 30km hilly course.
 

As there is a relatively small Great Britain Age-Group Team travelling to Zofingen, Jon Cowell a previous Great Britain Age-Group silver medallist from the 2008 ETU Duathlon European Championships will be stepping up to the challenge of being Team Captain alongside racing in the event himself in the 50-54 category.