Triathlon in Tinseltown: PTO set for $100k pro race in downtown L.A.

The Professional Triathletes Organisation has announced a major new initiative which will include a pro race in Los Angeles next May with a prize purse of $100,000.

The PTO, which staged the inaugural Collins Cup in Samorin last month with generally positive feedback, has partnered with Herbalife Nutrition to launch the PTO Pro-Am Series.

PTO in Herbalife link

The first event of the series will take place during the Herbalife24 Los Angeles Triathlon on May 15, 2022. As well as the $100,000 pro race, there will be a Celebrity Team Relay with PTO athletes racing alongside age-grouper team-mates.

Ahead of the partnership starting in earnest in 2022, the PTO will also support the 2021 staging of the event – currently scheduled for October 24. It will add $17,000 to the pro prize purse, taking it up to $40,000

Adamo on ‘celebrity event’

PTO Executive Chairman Charles Adamo said: “Triathlon has a rich history of age-groupers and professionals sharing the same passions, struggles, triumphs and challenges, all on the same course. No matter what your level, being a triathlete is a bonding experience to be celebrated.

“The PTO Pro-AM series will allow PTO Professionals and age-groupers to celebrate the comradery our sport breeds in a festival-like environment where both professionals and age-groupers together get to appreciate the joy of our sport. We are thrilled to partner with Herbalife to add this exciting format to the triathlon calendar. 

“There could be no better place for a celebrity event than downtown Los Angeles, the global home of film and entertainment.”