D.C. sets epic stage for triathlon
Even the greatest duels in sport need a little stagecraft to gain legendary status. Yankee Stadium, the Masters golf course, the brickyard at Indianapolis, the lawns of Wimbledon, the rafters of Boston Garden filled with NBA championship banners all create a synergy with their events that give massive dramatic impact. Certainly triathlon belongs in this parade as the lava fields of Kona lend an epic quality to the Ironman.
No too many decades later came the first Olympic Triathlon. Thanks to the vision of ITU's Les McDonald, the urging of host Australia and the good sense of NBC's Olympic broadcast guru Dick Ebersol, triathlon opened the 2000 Games with the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge as its stage. Throw in two great duels and the young sport of triathlon got a huge turbo boost in worldwide popularity.
Now, nearly a decade later, triathlon faces a shrinking world economy and carved out a strategy. Basically, the International Triathlon Union opted to turn the World Championship into an expanded seven race series topped off by a grand finale on the Gold Coast. In this, it's following in NASCAR's footsteps in which the season long chase for points creates an extended interest in the championship. In synch with this is a desire to highlight triathlons in major urban areas in major markets for maximum TV impact. In this light, tried and true Hamburg and 2012 Olympic host London fit the bill nicely.
But the biggest roll of the dice is Washington DC – perhaps a can opener to the huge North American market and possibly a lure to increase the international hunger for triathlon racing. The icons are the biggest of the World's sole remaining (for how long?) superpower. After decades of international distaste for America thanks to the Bush Administration, Obama has created a U-Turn in US. And maybe, just maybe, a hotly competitive triathlon winding through and past historic American symbols will be a hit on TV.
Certainly, many Olympic triathlon stars are excited by the venue and ready to give a good show.
"This is the power capital of the world," says 2008 Olympic champion Jan Frodeno of Germany. "This is awesome. It's a bit of a media race a TV race. I don't think it will as big a crowd as Hamburg along the course itself. It will take time for the people to realize what a great spectacle it is. People here have 300 things happening every day to choose from. I believe it will grow in time. But in terms of international recognition, it will be much bigger."
Simon Whitfield, the Canadian superstar who won gold in Sydney and silver in Beijing, thinks the D.C. race is a great opportunity.
"What a phenomenal thing!" said Whitfield. "It lets you know when you’re flying in. Brent McMahon and I were looking out the window and were saying; 'OK! This is BIG! That's the White House! There's the US Capitol! There's the Washington Monument! nd we're racing there! This is the real deal!"
Whitfield has an appreciation for what organizers have wrought. "You don’t see a pro tennis court on the Mall. Yet this course will shut down 8 city blocks. This is such a huge undertaking. Somehow they got permission to swim in the Potomac and we are going to race down Pennsylvania Avenue where Obama walked five months ago for his inauguration. Normally, they only shut down these roads for foreign ambassadors. I guess we are ambassadors for our own sport!"
Tim Don, the 2006 ITU World Champion, said his adrenaline is up.
"In terms of iconic cities of America, you can't beat Washington DC," he said. "They are closing Pennsylvania Avenue and we are riding right up Capitol Hill. They inaugurated a world-popular President here just a few months ago. This is the place to be. It's simply amazing."
For real, the swim will take place in the same Potomac waters that George Washington legendarily tossed a silver dollar across and finish up near the Jefferson Memorial. Race director Bill Burke's eyes light up when he checks off the monuments the pro racers will pass: On the road linking the swim to the 5km bike loop, they pass the Lincoln and the Vietnam War memorials. On the loop itself, they pass the Washington Monument, the Us Capitol, with the White House looming a few hundred yards from the course.
The long term impact will rely a lot on the quality of coverage and the visuals obtained by Hamburg, Germany-based Sport Five crew of perhaps 10 cameras. US audiences can see the coverage on the Universal Sports channel, but perhaps the biggest splash will be an anticipated 1.5-million watching love in Germany's ZDF network. Other continents will get syndicated airings of the broadcast.
