A season’s worth of hard work across the age categories will come to its conclusion on 7-8 September in a celebration of British talent, as pathway athletes from across the country head to Mallory Park for the British Triathlon Big Weekend.
Formerly the British Triathlon U20s Festival, the Big Weekend plays a key role in the development of pathway athletes. On Saturday, TriStar 2 and 3 athletes will represent their region in the Inter-Regional Championships (IRCs); before the Youth and Junior Super Series and the Senior Series both draw to a close with their final races.
The IRCs will see teams from across the British regions compete, with Scotland as the defending champions. Each region has held selection events throughout the year to see who will make it into their squad, with the athletes having worked hard to earn their selection in this season ending race.
In the Youth and Junior Super Series, the Big Weekend will be the seventh and final points scoring opportunity for athletes. The series is designed to give leading Youth and Junior athletes the best possible platform and support as they continue in their development.
Reintroduced to the domestic calendar for 2019, the Senior Series is a key step in supporting the continued development of elite athletes. Offering increased elite racing opportunities for senior athletes, Saturday is the sixth and final race of the series and will see the series champions crowned.
Sunday will see athletes take on mixed relay racing, with TriStar 2 and 3 athletes and Youth and Junior athletes combining to form regional teams. This will provide invaluable experience for these up and coming athletes in this fast growing format of the sport.
The 2019 Accenture Mixed Relay Cup will also take place on Sunday. Now in it’s third year, the race sees British Triathlon Performance Centres battle it out across the mixed relay format. Joining the Performance Centre Teams will be teams from Oxford University and Australia. Leeds I have been victorious in both editions and will be looking to remain undefeated and make it a hat-trick of wins.
Mike Cavendish, British Triathlon Performance Director, said: “Having competitive racing and learning opportunities like this are critical for the development of our young athletes. Bringing together the country’s leading athletes for their age groups means that they are able to test themselves against the best and spur each other on. It also leads to a great atmosphere at the event with athletes, parents, siblings and coaches all playing their part.
“Our goal is to be the best prepared team on the start line and that is true of our British teams at all age groups. Events such as the Big Weekend are key to preparing our next generation athletes to represent Great Britain at European and International races both now and in the future.”
