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MYRTLE BEACH, SC - The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce announced that USA Triathlon has selected Myrtle Beach as the site of the 2010 USA Triathlon National Championship Festival to be held Nov. 6, 2010.

This first national championship held by an Olympic governing body in the Myrtle Beach area is expected to attract between 2,000 and 3,000 athletes and several thousand spectators.

"Hosting this premier sporting event gives us the opportunity to showcase all the incredible assets our community has to offer athletes and their families," said Brad Dean, MBACC president and CEO. "We welcome USA Triathlon and look forward to a long relationship that potentially includes additional events of this caliber."

USA Triathlon National Events Director Jeff Dyrek says the group is excited to be working with the city and chamber.

"Myrtle Beach is a great family destination and will not only provide the athletes a great race but also an experience that the whole family will be able to enjoy," he said.

The multisport festival will consist of three separate races-USAT Long Course Triathlon National Championship, USAT Club National Championship and Myrtle Beach Sprint Triathlon-as well as the Multisport Festival & Expo. The Long Course Triathlon requires all athletes to qualify to compete. The Club and Sprint events are open to any athlete. The course distance requirements are as follows:

Event Swim Bike Run
Long Course Triathlon 1.2 miles 56 miles 13.1 miles
Club 0.9 miles 24.8 miles 6.2 miles
Sprint 500 yards 13 miles 3.1 miles

The hub of the event will take place at Marina Inn at Grande Dunes. The swim portion will occur in the Intracoastal Waterway with the start and finish at the Ocean Club at Grande Dunes. The route for the bicycle segment starts at the Marina at Grand Dunes and continues on the southbound lanes of US-17 Bypass to Robert Grissom Parkway. The participants will bicycle on the northbound lanes of SC-31 to the SC-9 interchange and return the same route to the marina. The run portion will take place on US-17 Bypass between Marina Inn Parkway and 48th Avenue North. The courses are designed to be the safest possible routes for the participants and to have the least impact on local traffic.

The SC Department of Transportation authorized the closing of a portion of SC-31 for the bicycling segment of the competitions. The U.S. Coast Guard and SC Department of Natural Resources are closing the Intracoastal Waterway to boat traffic during the swim portion. Horry County and the City of Myrtle Beach will handle traffic and emergency planning.

"Capturing this event for our area was really exciting-and it took teamwork," said Liz Gilland, chairwoman of the Horry County Council. "We had to overcome some initial reluctance by SCDOT to close the highway, but we managed to convince them of the importance of the triathlon. I'm confident that this race will throw the door wide open to other events, even up to the Olympic level."