Triathlon: Sovereign Tri Series schedule announced

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Sovereign in partnership with Tri NZ are excited to present the 2016/17 Sovereign Tri Series. This Tri Summer is set to be one full of fun, entertainment and great prizes with a Suzuki Swift up for grabs and more great prizes from 2XU and Asics.

Give it a Go, Grow and Compete, become a National Champion, or win a Series Championship - this season will ensure participants have fun on the pathway to their goal.

There are six great events which form part of the 2016/17 Sovereign Tri Series - with two new partners - Scorcher Wellington Tri and Sea 2 Sky in Christchurch. These two new events join Tinman, Wanaka, Takapuna and Kinloch. The dates for these events are: Tinman - Sunday 20 November, Wanaka - Saturday 14 January 2017, Takapuna - Sunday 29 January 2017, Kinloch - Sunday 12 February 2017, Scorcher Tri Wellington - Saturday 11 March 2017 and Sea 2 Sky Christchurch - Sunday 2 April.

This season Sovereign and Tri NZ want to give participants the best season yet, with a Triathlon festival that provides fun for everyone at each location - face painting, food, entertainment and activities which will all form part of the exciting Triathlon programme on offer.

These races will provide safe and fun courses that has a Have a Go opportunity. For those worried about swimming, all the swim legs will be in waist deep water. For those who will be taking the competition more seriously, there will be the chance to become an Age Group National Champion and opportunities to qualify for World Championship events. These more competitive participants can challenge themselves in both sprint and standard distance race options throughout the Sovereign Tri Series.

Those aged 11-15 who dream of being the next Olympian or those who just want to give Triathlon a go, can get on the pathway of the sport with a lot of opportunities.

The upcoming season will also bring a new initiative - the Sovereign National Elite Series. Its purpose is to bring together the best New Zealand triathletes to race each other regularly in order to stimulate competition, support the elite community and showcase the sport to the wider community.
Triathlon New Zealand High Performance Director Graeme Maw said the National Elite Series comprises three races during the summer.

"The series will incorporate $15,000 prize money, as well as National Titles, ITU ranking points, qualification to an ITU World Cup and ultimately crowning a National Series Champion and Champion Elite Club."

Maw said for the inaugural year this season, the National Elite Series will comprise three events:

Tinman (20/11/16) - Elite Olympic Distance
Takapuna (29/01/17) - Elite Sprint Distance
Kinloch (12/02/17) - Elite National & Oceania Sprint-Distance Championships

Joining the National Elite Series will be the National Junior Series. This initiative is intended to promote strength and depth of domestic competition for aspiring young triathletes in New Zealand, by creating a number of clearly prioritised and age-appropriate races that athletes and coaches should target. The National Junior Series is for athletes aged 16 to 19 years old, on 31 December in the year of competition.