Courtesy: USAT

The Race to Athens, a seven-race elite triathlon series, will be coming to a city near you this year, USA Triathlon announced Friday.

Each race will be open to elite triathletes from the United States and around the world. Each will be either an International Triathlon Union (ITU) points race or a World Cup, meaning that the competing triathletes will be earning points toward their ITU rankings. World Cup races are worth more points and generally have a higher caliber field.

Athletes must be ranked in the top 125 in the world to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. USA Triathlon has not yet determined its Olympic qualifying procedures for 2004.

"This series meets several of USA Triathlon's goals," said USA Triathlon Executive Director Steve Locke. "It puts more ITU points races in the United States and gives elite athletes more chances to improve their rankings and win prize money.

"These races will be exciting. We see the series as a way to raise the profile of triathlon in the United States as we get ready for the next Olympic Games."

Added USA Triathlon National Teams Program Director Libby Burrell, "At last! This is really a turning point. It's exactly what we've needed.

"This isn't just about the top triathletes, it's also the starting point for talent identification. This is what the athletes have wanted."

Each elite race will be held in conjunction with an age group race and will have a minimum prize purse of $20,000.

The race schedule reads as follows, but is subject to change:

* April 26: St. Anthony's Triathlon/ITU World Cup, St. Petersburg, Fla. (Race Director: Steve Meckfessel) www.satriathlon.com
* May 4: USA Triathlon National Training Center Triathlon/ITU points race, Clermont, Fla. (Race Director: Tom Ziebart)
* June 1: Bakers Breakfast Cookies International Triathlon/ITU points race, Seattle, Wash. (Race Director: Bill Burke)
* July 19: Pacific Coast Triathlon/ITU points race, Newport Beach, Calif. (Race Directors: Bill Leach and Bob Cuyler) www.pacificcoasttriathlon.com
* Aug. 10: New York City Triathlon/ITU World Cup, New York, N.Y. (Race Director: Bill Burke)
* Aug. 24: Chicago Triathlon (formerly known as the Mrs. T's Triathlon)/ITU points race, Chicago, Ill. (Race Director: Jan Caille) www.chicagotriathlon.com
* Nov. 1: Treasure Island Triathlon/ITU points race, San Francisco, Calif. (Race Director: Terry Davis) www.tricalifornia.com/treasureisland/2002

Watch for more race details on the USA Triathlon web site at www.usatriathlon.org.