THE GRAND COLUMBIAN HALF RON AND FULL IRON RACES NAMED 2005 USAT REGIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIPS – QUALIFIERS FOR 2006 ITU WORLD LONG COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN
CANBERRA AUSTRALIA.


The USA Triathlon - Pacific Northwest Region has awarded “2005 Regional
Long Course Championship status” to the Grand Columbian Half-Iron Triathlon
– to be held at Grand Coulee Dam Washington USA on September 17, 2005. The
Grand Columbian Half Iron Distance now joins the same day Full Iron Distance
as a 2005 USAT regional championship. The Full Iron race is the 2005
USAT-PNW Ultra Distance Championship. In 2004 these races, held in North
Central Washington gained instant notoriety for an exceptional quality
venue, professional attention to athlete details, and amazing community
support. The Grand Columbian will soon enter the lore of great triathlons
as a “must do” race such as Wildflower, IMC or Vineman. Now as USAT regional
championships, the races are Team USA qualifiers and become a stepping stone
to attend the 2006 ITU World Long Course Championships proposed for Canberra
Australia.

As the 2005 USAT PNW Ultra Distance and Long course Championships, the top 5
to 7 USAT member finishers in each distance age group will be highly likely
to secure a spot on 2006 Team USA Long Course. See www.USATriathlon.org for
details. This Championship distinction allows top finishers at The Grand
Columbian to attend the “other” ultra distance world championship – 2006 ITU
World Long Course Championships in Canberra, Australia. As a member of Team
USA the regional athletes will represent the USA in a truly international
competition at the ITU Long Course Standard. This is a chance to experience
an “Olympics-like” event as a team member representing the USA.

The Grand Columbian is already an international event with a heavy draw from
interior and west coast British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario as well as the
US. Steve King “the voice of Ironman Canada” will announce the race and the
event coordinates with a number of Canadian triathlon events in 2005. The
Grand Columbian thrives due the enthusiastic sponsorship of Coulee Dam
Federal Credit Union, Colville Tribe Coulee Dam Casino, Safeway, Carb-Boom,
Pacific Health Labratories – makers of Accelerade and Endurox, Weinstein
Beverages of Wenatchee, and the Grand Coulee Dam Chamber of Commerce. In
order to ensure the best athlete experience possible the total combined
participation of both races is limited to 650 athletes. These races will
fill in 2005. All race information may be obtained at
www.thegrandcolumbian.com . For more information on Team USA go to
www.usatriathlon.org. For more information on other Regional Championship
go to www.usat-pnw.org