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Aside from the opening race of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series in Sydney, all of this year’s events will feature mass-participation (age-group) competitions in addition to the professional races. The age-group races in Seoul, Madrid, Hamburg, London and Kitzbühel will give non-professional athletes the opportunity to qualify for the ITU Triathlon Age Group World Championships, which will be held in Budapest alongside the Dextro Energy ITU Triathlon World Championship Grand Final. In 2009 over 19,000 age-group athletes took part in a Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series event.

Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Seoul, May 8-9
With a population of over 10 million, Seoul will be the most populous city ever to host a triathlon within the city itself. The Han River Park in the centre of the Yeoido Financial Centre will act as race headquarters, providing age-group athletes sweeping views of Seoul’s world-renowned architecture throughout the race. Athletes will complete two 750-metre swim laps before taking to the northern riverfront for the 40-km (two lap) bike leg. After making their second transition, athletes will complete a 10-km, single-lap run along the south shore of the Han River. For more on Seoul, click here

Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Madrid, June 5-6
Madrid’s unique course, set in beautiful Casa de Campo Park, is one of the most challenging age-group courses on the circuit this year. After exiting the swim athletes will set off on a four-loop bike ride around the park, featuring a 12% grade climb on each loop. Once summiting the 400-metre long climb, the rest of each bike loop is mostly downhill with a few gently rolling hills. The four-loop run course, also around Casa de Campo Park, is mostly flat and finishes back at the lake. Sitting at almost 700 meters above sea level, Madrid’s climate is dry with very warm afternoons and cool nights during summer. For more on Madrid, click here

Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Hamburg, July 17-18
Since its inaugural year in 2002 the Hamburg Triathlon has grown in size every year Last year the race hosted 8,700 amateur triathletes, rivalling the London Triathlon as the largest on Earth. Age-group athletes will have the option of participating in a Sprint triathlon on Saturday or an Olympic-distance race on Sunday. Both races kick off with a swim in the River Alster before taking to the city streets for the flat and fast bike leg. Age groupers will wrap up the race with a completely flat run finishing in front of the historic Hamburg Town Hall. For more on Hamburg, click here

Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship London, July 24-25
The fourth stop on this year’s World Championship Series tour will give amateur athletes the opportunity to race on the same roads that the world’s best triathletes will be tackling at the London Olympic Games in 2012. Hyde Park, one of the most beautiful places in Central London, will serve as race central for both the elite and age-group races. Amateur athletes competing in the sprint event will complete one swim lap (750 meters), three bike loops (20km) and two run loops (5km). Participants in the Olympic-distance race will complete double the number of laps over the very same course (1,500 meters, 40km, 10km). For more on London, click here

Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Kitzbühel, August 14-15
Kitzbühel will be the smallest city to host a World Championship Series race in 2010, but the famous Austrian ski resort offers perhaps the most unique course on the tour. Age groupers will have the option of either a sprint-or Olympic-distance race, both of which start with a swim in the warm, emerald-green waters of Schwarzsee Lake. Water temperatures are expected to be around 22 degrees Celsius in August. The bike leg is the gem of the Kitzbühel course, treating competitors to views of the Austrian Alps throughout the 20-or 40-km ride. The bike course includes a number of short climbs and one longer climb of approximately 1km. The run course features plenty of steep climbs as athletes wind their way around Schwarzsee Lake. For more on Kitzbühel, click here

Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Grand Final Budapest, September 8-12
The final stop of the 2010 World Championship Series will offer age-group athletes the opportunity to represent their country and race for the honour of being crowned a world champion. Participants will start their day with a one-loop swim in a protected and calm section of the Danube River, which runs straight through the heart of Downtown Budapest. After making the first transition, athletes will take to the smooth and flat roads of the Danube’s western shore for the bike portion of the race. The run will also take place along the west side of the River, before taking athletes over the iconic Szechenyl Chain Bridge for an extraordinary finish in front of the 745-year-old Buda Castle. For more on the Grand Final, click here