USA Triathlon Nationals Returns To Milwaukee Aug. 7-9 With Expanded Three-Day Championship Program

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon Nationals returns to Milwaukee with an expanded schedule of three days of racing Friday Aug. 7 through Sunday, Aug. 9. 

USA Triathlon’s largest National Championship event, bringing more than 4,000 athletes to Milwaukee, includes the Sprint and Olympic Distance National Championships and Paratriathlon National Championships, creating an inclusive, world-class racing environment that brings together athletes of all abilities for a shared championship experience.  

New for USA Triathlon Nationals this year is the addition of Friday’s Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon National Championships and Saturday’s Mixed Relay Triathlon National Championships. The event also includes an Open Water Swim Competition presented by Synergy on Friday. 

Milwaukee has hosted USA Triathlon’s Sprint and Olympic-Distance National Championships several times, including from 2013-2015, 2021-2023 and again in 2025. The championships are USA Triathlon’s largest and longest-running annual event. The event is made possible through coordination among USA Triathlon, Sports Milwaukee, Visit Milwaukee, Milwaukee County Parks, local public-safety agencies and numerous lakefront organizations and businesses.

“Milwaukee has repeatedly proven to be an exceptional home for USA Triathlon Nationals,” said Brian D’Amico, director of events for USA Triathlon. “The course is distinctive, the local partnerships are strong and the community creates an atmosphere worthy of a national championship. With even more racing opportunities on the 2026 schedule, we are excited to give athletes new ways to compete together in a city they love returning to.”

“Milwaukee doesn’t simply provide a beautiful backdrop for this event; our community understands how to welcome athletes and produce an exceptional championship experience,” said Marissa Werner, director of Sports Milwaukee. “USA Triathlon continues to put Milwaukee’s lakefront on a national stage, and we are proud to welcome these athletes and their families back for another extraordinary weekend.”

Athletes will swim in Lake Michigan, bike across the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge and along portions of Milwaukee’s lakefront, and run through Veterans Park. The course pairs a challenging national-level competition with views of the city skyline and Lake Michigan.

Competition begins Friday, Aug. 7, with the Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon National Championships and the Open Water Swim Competition, presented by Synergy. 

On Saturday, Aug. 8, athletes will compete in the qualification-based Olympic Distance National Championships. Saturday will also feature the Mixed Relay Triathlon National Championships.

The weekend concludes Sunday, Aug. 9, with the qualification-based Sprint Distance National Championships and the Paratriathlon National Championships. 

Paratriathletes will compete for national titles on Sunday, Aug. 9 across six classifications. Under the Jarrett Sepulveda Paratriathlon Prize Purse, the top three finishers in each classification will be awarded prize money and sighted guides competing alongside athletes with visual impairments will receive equivalent prize money. 

Among the age group competitors returning to the course is Milwaukee resident Dr. Jacob Capin, a Marquette University assistant professor, seven-time USA Triathlon national champion and five-time IRONMAN 70.3 winner. Capin won the Olympic Distance National Championship in Milwaukee in 2025 and was subsequently named USA Triathlon’s 2025 Triathlete of the Year.

“Winning a national championship is always special, but doing it in the city I call home was an experience I’ll never forget,” Capin said. “Milwaukee gives athletes a fast, demanding and incredibly scenic course, and the support from people along the lakefront makes it even more memorable. I cannot wait to race here again and see athletes from across the country experience this city.”