Fleur Drive partially closed July 10 for Flatland Youth Triathlon

Young athletes will convene in Des Moines for national-level event

DES MOINES, IA (06/30/2010)(readMedia)-- On July 10, Fleur Drive, between Martin Luther King Parkway and Bell Avenue, will be closed except for one lane each direction from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. for the Flatland Kids Triathlon Festival. Traffic will be stop and go for the duration of the event. Please use alternate routes or allow for extra travel time.

150 young athletes are already signed up to compete at the Flatland Kids Triathlon Festival at Gray's Lake Park in Des Moines that day. A day-long event for ages 6 through 19, the event will include four elite athlete draft-legal races and two races for new triathletes; the event is the first of its kind in the area.

"We all want our young people to be healthy and form life-long habits. To do that, we need to get them interested in athletic events at a young age. For that reason, we support the Flatland Tri," explained Frank Cownie, mayor of Des Moines. "Not only will it be a great vehicle for experienced young endurance athletes but also a good introduction to the sport for beginners."

The Flatland Tri has been designated a USA Triathlon Youth Elite and Junior Elite Cup Race and is the only qualifying event for the National United States Triathlon competition in San Diego in August.

"There were a lot of great young athletes disappointed in the weather cancellation at the Hy-Vee Triathlon. I know they're excited to compete at the Flatland Kids Tri," said Jenny Weber, "We're so excited to have a USAT National Cup Race right in our own backyard." Weber coaches the Z3 High Performance Youth Triathlon Team. Currently seven of the top 12 nationally-ranked youth triathletes are from the Midwest, including members of Z3.

Visit www.FlatlandKidsTrifest.com to find out more information.

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ElitaEvents is an experienced multi-sport event production company in Iowa. They organize the Jordan Creek Duathlon, Copper Creek Triathlon, Big Creek Tri 29, D.O.athlon for Life, among others. Their staff includes a USAT Certified Race Director and ITU official.