Clash Moves from Miami to Coastal Mississippi
Clash Endurance, the event company owned by Bill Christy with close ties to NASCAR (Christy is married to Lesa France Kennedy, the executive vice-chair of NASCAR), will be moving its Miami race to a new venue in Coastal Mississippi. There’s no speedway attached to this race – it will start and finish in Gulfport, with the bike course taking the athletes towards Biloxi. Both cities will serve as options for athletes to stay, offering lots of accommodation, entertainment and dining choices.
According to today’s release from Clash, the new venue is a “more centralized location” for Clash’s spring triathlon offering. In addition to its staple of Florida competitors, the event should draw from Texas’ vibrant triathlon community. While there certainly were lots of upsides to the Homestead-Miami Speedway site, it is situated roughly an hour (further south) from Miami, making it a long haul destination even for many Floridians.
Photos: Courtesy Clash/ Visit Mississippi
The inaugural event will take place from March 27 to 29, 2026 and will become the new home for the USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championship. While there’s no official word on the Continental Cup event that was also part of the Miami weekend over the past couple of years, it is expected that the event will also include that race. In addition to the collegiate and (likely) draft-legal Americas Cup event, age group athletes will have the opportunity to compete in sprint and “Daytona-distance” (one-mile swim, 35-mile bike and nine-mile run) races, along with open water swim, aqua bike and duathlon events.
The Collegiate Club National Championship has been going on for more than 30 years – it started at the Wildflower Triathlon as an unofficial championship in the early 90s and was taken over USA Triathlon in 2002. Over 100 clubs compete in the event that includes an Olympic-distance race, a draft-legal sprint and a mixed relay.
“We are thrilled to bring the 2026 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club National Championships to Coastal Mississippi in partnership with CLASH Endurance,” said said Victoria Brumfield , USA Triathlon CEO. “This collaboration combines CLASH’s spirited event culture with USAT’s commitment to collegiate development and we can’t wait to see student athletes and fans embrace the excitement, community and competition against the backdrop of Mississippi’s scenic coast.”
Course and Venue
The swim will take place in the Gulf of Mexico in a protected area near the Gulfport Municipal Marina. Water temperatures at that time of year can range between 62 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The bike course will follow the coast towards Biloxi, with the run winding through the neighborhoods in Gulfport.
Registration for the new event is open.
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Clash EnduranceClash MiamiUSA Triathlon Collegiate Club National ChampionshipNotable Replies
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I guess that solves why Miami wasn’t being announced as the Collegiate Nats location for next year. Is more “centrally located” for our program (Cincinnati area)…12 hrs vs 18 hours.
That’s going to be a huge culture shock to ppl who were used to Miami. Hopefully it becomes a good race venue for them.
I expect most people were flying into Miami anyway, Gulfport is certainly “more centralized” I’m not sure how much more convenient it is though
If the main attraction is the collegiate kids, waaay more kids drive to these locations than fly. West coast schools unfortunately basically have a flight any location beyond west coast.