HITS Triathlon Series announces move to Sterling, Colorado for upcoming July event

***Press Release***

SAUGERTIES, NY (June 13, 2012) – HITS Triathlon Series announced today that the July 28-29 event originally planned for Fort Collins will now be held 94 miles east in Sterling, Colorado. The decision came as result of a combination of factors, including the recent devastation from wildfires burning in the area, which covers large portions of the bike route planned for the Half and Full distance races.

“We’ve been working with community officials and leaders for some time trying to finalize the routes for the bike and run, which is typically a process that takes some finessing no matter where the event is held,” said Mark Wilson, Race Director for HITS Triathlon Series. “Throughout the process we’ve had great cooperation from officials and local supporters in the community; however, it recently became clear that an alternate location would be best.”

The event will now be held at North Sterling State Park in Sterling, which is 110 miles northeast of Denver and a relatively similar driving distance for athletes coming from the Denver airport. The park features a large, spacious reservoir on the high plains with ample camping offered year-round. For the Sprint and Olympic races on Saturday, the bike route leaves the park on County Road 33 with the Sprint athletes turning around 6.2 miles out on County Road 39, while Olympic athletes will turn around on County Road 30, 12.4 miles out and return to the park. On Sunday, Half and Full distance athletes will travel to State Route 14 where they will enjoy 28 miles of rolling hills before returning back to the park for the finish or a second loop.

“This is going to be a fast course with rolling hills, where athletes will be able to gain momentum from hill to hill and will be able to see for miles on both the bike and the run,” added Wilson. “The run will take place completely inside the park on Saturday, while on Sunday athletes in the Half and Full will continue out to County Road 27.”

Updated course maps are being finalized now and will be available on the HITS Triathlon Series website as soon as possible.

“Right now our thoughts are first and foremost with the community of Fort Collins and the surrounding areas who are battling these devastating fires,” said Tom Struzzieri, HITS President and CEO. “It’s clear the community will be dealing with the affects of this current situation for some time. I’m pleased that we were able to go down the road a bit to find the closest location that could work for our needs and create the least amount of impact for registered athletes. We believe this course is a great alternative for both registered athletes and to help attract new registrants. We are excited to come to Colorado with our series and are looking forward to having our best Sunday races yet.”

HITS is working with local hotels to arrange for lodging partners and will have more information on community resources available in Sterling as soon as possible. For more information, please visit HitsTriathlonSeries.com or email info@hitstriathlonseries.com.

About HITS, Inc.
HITS, Inc. is a special events management company primarily focused on producing endurance sports events and hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS is dedicated to creating high-quality events in desirable destinations with unmatched, professional operations. For more information about the HITS Triathlon Series, please visit www.HitsTriathlonSeries.com.