The USA Triathlon National Championships and the Professional Triathlete Organization’s U.S. Open (PTO) will take place in Milwaukee this weekend.
Combined, the events are expected to have a $9 million economic impact, attracting about 15,000 spectators and about 7,000 athletes, including 80 of the world’s best triathletes competing in the U.S. Open, according to VISIT Milwaukee.
This will be the third consecutive year Milwaukee hosts the USA Triathlon National Championships and first year hosting the PTO U.S. Open. Last year’s PTO Open was held in Dallas.
“Milwaukee has hosted many world class events with more planned in the coming weeks, months and years,” said Marissa Werner, director of Sports Milwaukee, VISIT Milwaukee’s sports division at a press conference. “We are honored that USA Triathlon is one such first class sporting event that has once again chosen Milwaukee as its host.”
The USA Triathlon National Championships are expected to use more than 30,000 hotel room nights.
Triathlons are races in which competitors swim, bike and run. For the Milwaukee triathlons, competitors will swim in Lake Michigan and bike and run on courses set up near the lakefront.
The PTO is a new athlete-owned entity that aims to “elevate and grow the sport of triathlon and take it to the next level,” according to the organization’s website. In its first season, the PTO U.S. Open was part of a three-race PTO Tour that amassed a global dedicated TV and streaming audience of 23.1 million through multiple broadcast partnerships; 125 million impressions and 29 million social media video views of its award-winning, internally produced shoulder content.
“The event this weekend will be showcased live in 196 territories around the world, to a household audience of just over 800 million people,” said Sam Renouf, the chief executive officer of PTO in a press conference. “We will be translating it into 23 languages, and we anticipate an audience of millions of people watching this beautiful venue and it’s a beautiful city.”
According to VISIT Milwaukee, the 2023 combined events will include the Junior and Youth Draft – Legal and PTO US Open Men’s Race Friday, Olympic Distance National Championship and Youth and Junior Draft-Legal Mixed Relay, along with PTO US Open Women’s Race on Saturday and the Sprint-Distance National Championship and Youth Age Group Competitions on Sunday.
