Orange County Triathlon Is Continuing to Evolve

Saved from the brink of extinction last year, the Orange County Performing Arts Center Triathlon has evolved again to bolster its chances for survival.

The race--once one of the best professional triathlons in the country--will serve this year as the U.S. Amateur Championship. About 2,000 athletes are expected to compete in both age-group and citizens’ divisions Sunday at Lake Mission Viejo’s North Beach.

In the age-group races, beginning at 7:30 a.m., athletes will compete for 12 spots in each of 16 divisions for the Triathlon World Championships at Cleveland on Aug. 25.

The citizens’ races, beginning at 6:45 a.m., will feature divisions for men and women, corporate and open relays.

The age-group races consist of a 1.5 kilometer (nine-tenths of a mile) swim in Lake Mission Viejo, a 40K bike ride and a 10K run along the roads of the city. The citizens’ races include a half-mile swim, 20K bike ride and 5K run along the same course as the age-group races.

The triathlon was first contested in 1986 under the sponsorship of the Center 500 and was taken over by The Guilds of the Center in 1991. In its first nine years, the event generated more than $500,000 for the arts center. In 1994, it offered a $20,000 purse for pros and served as a qualifier for the Goodwill Games.

But The Guilds dropped the race last spring after title sponsor Mazda pulled out. It was revived by Pacific Sports, which signed a five-year deal to manage the event and staged an amateur race last year.

“This is the birthplace of triathlon, Southern California is, and it has a tremendous amount of respect with the athletes,” said Mike Bone, partner at Pacific Sports. “Lake Mission Viejo is almost the perfect venue. You have a beautiful lake, and a very challenging bike and running course.

“As we go toward [the year] 2000, becoming an Olympic event, it’s tremendously important to keep the momentum and the sport growing.”

Pacific Sports has gathered a base of sponsors, including KEZY, OC Metro, VO2 Max Energy Bars, the Hyatt Regency in Irvine and Smith, Smith and Kring, the title sponsor of the corporate relay. Bone expects sponsorship to increase and the race to be financially secure for at least the next few years.

“Hopefully, more than a few years, that’s why we got involved last year. The triathlon community, the sponsor community and the city really went to extremes in working with us to make that happen,” Bone said.

Athletes can register for the citizens’ race from 3-7 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at the multisport exposition at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine. For further information, call (800) 357-9699.