London, UK: The San Francisco T100 Triathlon will see the brand new men’s PTO World #1 Sam Long in action on home soil, as the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon confirmed the contracted T100 male athletes on the start list.
The effervescent American is enjoying a blockbuster of a season, with two wins [Ironman 70.3 Pucon & Ironman 70.3 St. George] and a hat-trick of second places already [Miami T100, Ironman 70.3 Oceanside & Singapore T100], taking him to the summit of long distance triathlon for the first time. It’s also the first time any American male has been #1 since the PTO Rankings were formally introduced in 2019.
Long will line up against a stacked men’s field which sees 16 of the contracted T100 athletes towing the line, including Denmark’s Magnus Ditlev, a strong cohort of Americans featuring Jason West, Rudy von Berg and four-times Escape From Alcatraz winner Ben Kanute. As well as Double Olympic Champion from Great Britain Alistair Brownlee and Olympic silver medalist from Spain Javier Gomez.
The race will also see the introduction of Belgium flier Marten Van Riel for his first T100 race, before his Olympic date in Paris later this summer.
The full list of contracted T100 men who will compete in the San Francisco T100 is here and includes:
- Sam Long (USA)
- Magnus Ditlev (DEN)
- Pieter Heemeryck (BEL)
- Jason West (USA)
- Mathis Margirier (FRA)
- Rudy von Berg (USA)
- David McNamee (GBR)
- Frederic Funk (GER)
- Bradley Weiss (RSA)
- Aaron Royle (AUS)
- Clement Mignon (FRA)
- Rico Bogen (GER)
- Alistair Brownlee (GBR)
- Ben Kanute (USA)
- Marten Van Riel (BEL)
- Javier Gomez (ESP)
The 100km race in San Francisco (2km swim, 80km bike, 18km run) will start in time-honored fashion by plunging into the icy water adjacent to Alcatraz Island.
Since the first race in 1981, the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon has hosted top professional and amateur triathletes to attempt the impossible – Escape from Alcatraz Island. The infamy of Alcatraz Island is part of the attraction that draws more than 2,000 triathletes to San Francisco year after year. The mystique of the island and technicality of the course, most notably the challenging open water swim in the San Francisco bay, continue to draw competitors for the chance to make their Escape. The challenging course has continued to be a bucket list race for triathletes for more than 40 years.
The wildcards for both the men’s and women’s San Francisco T100 races will be announced at the end of the week.
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For Further Information:
Anthony Scammell E: [email protected]
About Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO)
The PTO is a sports body that is co-owned by its professional athletes, seeking to elevate and grow the sport of triathlon and take it to the next level. The T100 Triathlon World Tour is the new name for the PTO Tour and has been designated by World Triathlon as the ‘official World Championship for long distance triathlon’. It is a season-long schedule of eight T100 races during 2024 that will be competed over 100km (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run) and will feature the world’s best triathletes going head-to-head in Miami (9 March), Singapore (13-14 April), San Francisco (8-9 June), London (27-28 July), Ibiza (28-29 September), Lake Las Vegas (19-20 October), Dubai (16-17 November) and at the Grand Final (29-30 November). There will also be racing opportunities for amateurs at all the events, including the new 100km distance at six stages, including: Singapore, London, Ibiza, Lake Las Vegas, Dubai and at the Grand Final. The global broadcast shows the races live around the world in 195+ territories, courtesy of the PTO’s partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery as well as a range of other international, regional and local broadcasters.
