This year’s T100 Lake Las Vegas Triathlon will not take place, the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon have announced – though its replacement has raised eyebrows in terms of the scheduling.
A successful first event in October 2024 around the scenic Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa saw victories in the pro races for America’s Taylor Knibb and Belgium’s Jelle Geens, who both went on to win their respective IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships at the end of the year.
And a return had been scheduled for 25-26 October this year in what was slated to be the seventh of nine T100 races in 2025.
‘Difficult decision’
But Sam Renouf, the PTO’s CEO, said the decision to postpone the event came after discussions with the local stakeholders.
He explained: “We’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the Lake Las Vegas T100 Triathlon for 2025 and switch it to 2026.
“Following a successful first year of the event in October 2024, which saw a spectacular course take participants around Reflection Bay Golf Course and The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa and provided a challenging test for both our professional and amateur athletes, we were looking forward to returning.
“However, following extensive conversations with our local stakeholders over the past couple of weeks, we agreed to give ourselves more time to work through the course changes that will take the bike leg into Lake Mead National Recreation Area for the first time.
“We will offer all those amateur participants who were already signed up for the event a full refund.”
A clash – or a festival of triathlon?
But what is Nevada’s loss is New South Wales’ gain as Renouf revealed: “Following this decision, and to deliver on our commitment to stage nine T100 professional legs this year at world-class venues, we have decided to take the women’s and men’s professional T100 races to Wollongong and become part of World Triathlon’s Championship Finals.”
The top 20 male and top 20 female professional athletes from the T100 series will race head-to-head in the coastal city of Wollongong in Australia on Saturday 18 October in the same venue as the World Triathlon Championship Finals, with the elite men’s and women’s races taking place on Sunday 19 October.
While that’s great news for the majority of T100 athletes and means the world’s best short-course and long-course athletes will all converge in Wollongong, it does potentially give a few of them a very tricky dilemma.
For example T100 Singapore winners Hayden Wilde, who is currently injured, and Kate Waugh both competed in the season-opening WTCS Abu Dhabi and would normally take part in the WTCS Grand Final.
‘True showcase’
The final two T100 events of 2025 are in Dubai (15-16 November) and then Qatar for the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Finals (12-13 December).
And World Triathlon President Antonio Arimany was keen to put a positive spin on it, saying: “This is a momentous occasion for the sport of triathlon. Bringing the T100 Tour to Wollongong alongside our World Triathlon Championship Finals underscores the strength of our partnership with the PTO and our shared commitment to growing the sport globally.
“We have seen the power of this cooperation already this year, with the successful T1 Indoor World Cup in Lievin and the upcoming joint WTCS and T100 race on the French Riviera in August. This event in Wollongong will be a true showcase of the best in triathlon, and we are excited to witness the incredible racing that will unfold.”
The 2025 World Triathlon Championship Finals will now feature 13 races over four days, including elite, U23, Junior, Para triathlon and Age-group events.
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