Long Beach won’t be hosting the Olympic triathlon until 2028, but USA Triathlon decided not to wait that long to begin bringing international events to the city. At a press conference at Shoreline Park on Tuesday morning, USA Triathlon CEO Rocky Harris announced that the organization will host the annual Legacy Triathlon on Long Beach’s shore beginning in 2019.
“We’re excited to plant a flag in Long Beach and say the Olympics are here now,” said Harris. “We don’t want to wait 10 years to start making an impact in this community.”
The triathlon will begin on July 19, 2020, but is already open for registration at thelegacytriathlon.com. It will be a sprint-distance course with 750 meters of swimming, 20 kilometers of biking, and a 5 kilometer run. The first event will be open to the first 750 participants to register.
USA Triathlon says it’s the first national governing body to bring a sporting event to Southern California as part of the leadup to the 2028 Olympics.
“We’re excited to partner with USA Triathlon to host this event,” said Long Beach Vice Mayor Rex Richardson. “We’re perfect for something like this—and I know you burn a lot of calories in a triathlon so we’ve got plenty of restaurants to stock up on carbs, too.”
USA Triathlon has made a 10-year commitment to the city to host the Legacy Triathlon in Long Beach, but Harris said the organization wants to do more than just bring a top-level sporting event to town.
“We’ve also voted to donate $100,000 to local charities over the next decade,” he said. The charities haven’t been selected yet but will likely include youth sports organizations and initiatives to help teach kids how to swim.
For more information on the event visit thelegacytriathlon.com.
