PTO Cancels Lake Las Vegas T100; Pro Race to Run at Wollongong
This morning, the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has announced that the Lake Las Vegas T100 event, originally scheduled for October 25-26, 2025, will not take place.
The PTO, in a press release, called today’s announcement a “postponement” to 2026, following discussions with local stakeholders. Age group athletes that had registered for the race will be offered a full refund.
Chief Executive Officer Sam Renouf said in a statement, “Following a successful first year of the event in October 2024, which saw a spectacular course take participants around Reflection Bay Golf Course and The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa and provide a challenging test for both our professional and amateur athletes, we were looking forward to returning. However, following extensive conversations with our local stakeholders over the past couple of weeks, we agreed to give ourselves more time to work through the course changes that will take the bike leg into Lake Mead National Recreation Area for the first time.”
Professional athletes will instead have a T100 race produced nearly 8,000 miles away, joining the existing World Triathlon Championship Finals race in Wollongong, Australia. More than 6,700 athletes will be taking part in the event, including the wrap-up of the World Triathlon Championship Series.
“This is a momentous occasion for the sport of triathlon,” said World Triathlon President Antonio Arimany. “Bringing the T100 Tour to Wollongong alongside our World Triathlon Championship Finals underscores the strength of our partnership with the PTO and our shared commitment to growing the sport globally.”
Australian T100 contracted athlete Ashleigh Gentle, who has previously won the Wollongong World Cup in 2017, said, “Wollongong is a fantastic venue for triathlon and any opportunity to race on home soil is one I definitely cherish. I am very much looking forward to welcoming the T100 athletes to Australia in October.”
In addition to the location change, the date will also now move to October 18, 2025 — a mere week after the women’s IRONMAN World Championship in Kona.
It’s the third major revision to the T100 schedule this year. The Singapore T100 event changed dates in April. The French Riviera event, meanwhile, changed both venue and date throughout the year.
Image courtesy of World Triathlon.
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Not good. Somehow Silverman and Ironman successfully permitted Lake Meade in the past.
So maybe the end game is for the t100 to become the wtcs “long course” offering that short course athletes can dabble in as they contemplate Ironman?
I wonder if part of the reason for this cancellation is they had very few entries sold for Vegas yet?
It would be odd since they don’t proport to rely on AG entries to have their pro race.
True, but tagging on to a race already in progress in Australia is obviously much more cost effective than putting one on yourself. Especially if you’re promising the local town X amount of tourism nights from age groupers and you can see you’re going to be far off that number.
Of the leading women, already Matthews, Philipp, Haug, Sodaro, Pierre (all contracted in 2024 and offered 2025 contracts) are ‘out’. Add to that the contracted Knibb, Derron, Sanchez, Berry and LCB (who will miss Valencia and this replacement race ('cos racing IMWC)). Waugh and Spivey were going to race the WTCS Final there (assumed, Abu Dhabi and Hamburg and another): some rethinking in hand, or go ‘Wilde’).
Then add EPB (third trimester), Simmonds (if provisional suspension turned to confirmed or still pending), several baulking at the travel costs v prize money, a couple injured (statistically) and PTO will need a bucket load of wildcards.
But the financials kick in (athletes have to pay their travel and only then all found) plus none of the top 50 SC athletes can be called on. Still there’s some local talent they can call on: Gently does it; and Duffy if fit.
Sad. I could not do it this year anyway but last year was fun.
I just foresee this being the long-term model, especially if they remain married to World Triathlon.