Posted: June 24, 2004

Triathlon: Sports Commissioner Podziba Announces the 4th Annual Ford New York City Triathlon

New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba today announced that the 4th Annual Ford New York City Triathlon will be held on Sunday, June 27th. The course will consist of a 1.5-kilometer swim in the Hudson River, a 40-kilometer bike ride along the Henry Hudson Parkway and a 10-kilometer run in Central Park - the same as in previous years.

"We are proud to welcome the world's greatest triathletes to the Big Apple to participate in the 4th Annual Ford New York City Triathlon," said Commissioner Podziba. "This triathlon represents a wide spectrum of athletes including amateurs, people with disabilities and world-class triathletes."

This year's Ford NYC Triathlon will feature American Victor Plata and Australian Lorreta Harrop, who will both be competing later on this summer in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Also competing will be 10 of the world's top athletes with disabilities, including men's world champion Willie Stewart and women's world champion Tricia Downing. The U.S. National Disabled Triathlon Team will compete for the first time in the New York City Triathlon.

"We're excited to return to New York City," said ITU Executive Director Loreen Barnett. "New York is the final North American Olympic qualifying race and Central Park is a tremendous venue."

USA Triathlon President Valerie Gattis stated, "New York is a very important race for USA Triathlon. Our athletes get great exposure and we need to bring Triathlon to major metropolitan centers."

The elite course will vary slightly from the age-group course, specifically in the biking portion, which will be executed in multiple-lap format in Central Park. For further information, please visit www.nyctri.com and www.nyc2012.com.

The New York City Sports Commission ensures the continuation and growth of a healthy environment for professional, amateur and scholastic sports activities in New York City. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a role in attracting or creating many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championships, Senior Men's Tennis Championship, Let Freedom Run and The Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race. The agency is also working with NYC2012 to bring the Olympic Games to The World's Second Home(tm).