The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has announced the 2011 ITU Powerman Long Distance Duathlon World Championships will be held in Zofingen, Switzerland this year in a partnership with the International Powerman Association (IPA).
The event will be held on 4 September 2011 with the elite duathletes fighting it out for gold over a 10km run followed by a 150km bike then a 30km run. A total prize purse of $50,000 USD will be up for grabs.
It is the fourth time in the history of duathlon that Powerman Zofingen will also host the ITU Long Distance Duathlon World Championships and this year's course will follow previous editions and offer a challenging race through one of Switzerland's beautiful small towns.
Those behind the partnership believe this is a significant step forward for international duathlon.
Marisol Casado, ITU President and IOC Member, said:
"The ITU is excited this partnership with Powerman Duathlon will help develop and strengthen duathlon. It points towards an exciting future not just for duathlon but all of ITU's multisports as these events continue to grow around the world. I would like to thank Brian Hinton of the ITU MultiSport Committee for his hard work on ITU's side of this agreement."
Stefan Ruf, Powerman Zofingen President,said: "The reintroducing of an ITU Long Distance Duathlon World Championship at Powerman Zofingen is the strongest message possible to athletes, organisers and federations about the future of duathlon. After a period of 12 years, Powerman Zofingen will host ITU Duathlon Long Distance World Championships for the fourth time in the history of duathlon. Zofingen has been the most challenging race for duathletes all over the world since 1989."
The last ITU Long Distance Duathlon World Championships were held in Geel, Belgium in 2008 with Great Britain's Catriona Morrison and Belgium's Joerie Vansteelant winning the respective men's and women's championships. The ITU Long Distance Duathlon World Championships were first held in 1997.
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