Elite Paratriathlon Development
Paratriathletes — chase your Paralympic dreams! USA Triathlon's high performance team is here to support your elite paratriathlon career. With development camps, racing opportunities and structured teams, there are resources available to you as you begin racing on the world's biggest stage.
For more information, fill out this Introductory Paratriathlete Questionnaire and contact paratriathlon@usatriathlon.org with any questions or to sign up for our monthly Para Bulletin Newsletter.
Start Your Elite Paratriathlon Career#
From Talent ID, Virtual Combines, teams and more - the USA Triathlon high performance team is here to help you start your elite paratriathlon career.
The USA Paratriathlon Talent ID Program is a high performance program that finds, funds, advises, supports and mentors Paralympic potential athletes. The TID program focuses solely on World Triathlon racing, with the goal of helping identified athletes go from being introduced to the sport of paratriathlon to being on the national team over the course of two years.
This program is highly exclusive, and only a few athletes are selected each year. The following is an example of the selection process and how the athlete goes from being eligible to being selected:
Step 1: Hit time standards specified by the TID coordinator (verifiable data is mandatory)
Once this step is complete, the TID coordinator will determine whether or not an invite to the Talent ID camp is warranted. If athlete receives an invite to the TID camp, they will move on to step 2.
Step 2: Attend TID camp at the Colorado Springs Olympic and Paralympic Training Center
At this camp, athletes will get thorough mentorship from world-class coaches and learn everything from A-Z about paratriathlon. Athletes will be assessed on their swim technique, bike skills, and run potential, along with their attitude, mentality, and commitment.
Step 3: Get accepted into the TID program
If the athlete shows Paralympic potential, has a positive mindset and attitude, and is committed to achieving Paralympic goals, they will be accepted into the program for a maximum of two years.
Step 4: Receive an athlete agreement
Athlete agreements will describe in detail what funding and incentives the program can provide the athlete. Funding includes up to $5000 in gear reimbursement (to be used on purchasing gear to be able to properly train and race (examples: bike, power meter, bike computer, shoes, kits, etc.); $3000 of race travel reimbursements (broken down into four $750 increments per race); and a bonus structure for each race where athlete can earn up to ~$1000/race if they hit all of the objectives.
Step 5: Sign, seal and deliver
After signing the agreement, athlete will work with the TID Coordinator to roughly map out the season, complete all necessary paperwork, get connected with a proper coaching/training environment and execute on performance metrics.
USA Triathlon routinely hosts Virtual Combines to help find and recruit new paratriathlon talent. Athletes who submit times will be considered for a Paratriathlon Development Camp opportunity. Virtual Combines provide athletes an outlet for goal setting and friendly competition outside of racing and give athletes an opportunity to gauge and track your current fitness and prepare and sharpen for potential future racing.
How Virtual Combines work:
- During a month's span, athletes complete two time trials (TTs) — a 200-meter swim and a 1-kilometer run
- Athletes submit their times to USA Triathlon
- USA Triathlon's high performance team analyzes the times and invites select athletes to Development Camps
- Submit your Virtual Combine time
- For more information, email benchmark@usatriathlon.org.
Note: If you are submitting your times on mobile, open the link in a browser. Otherwise, you will be prompted to sign into a Google account.
USA Triathlon is hosting several free Paratriathlon Talent ID Camps this summer at the United States Performance Center in Charlotte, NC. These Talent ID Camps are for paratriathletes who have had racing experience and want to pursue paratriathlon at a more advanced level. These are not beginner camps.
Expert USA Triathlon Certified Coaches will staff these camps. The camps are free and some of your travel expenses will be reimbursed. The camps and dates are as follows:
- June 9-13, 2025
- July 13-17, 2025
USA Triathlon has compiled a list of general triathlon equipment as well as specific equipment for paratriathletes. This list will change based on personal preference, but many of the items below can be considered general needs across the board.
General Triathlon Equipment
- Swim
- Tri shorts or swimsuit
- Goggles
- Wetsuit
- Pool Toys - pull buoy, kickboard, fins, paddles, snorkel
- Bike
- Bicycle
- Helmet
- Cycling shoes & socks
- Gloves
- Sunglasses
- Water bottles
- Tool Kit: tire tube, tire levers, floor pump, multi-tool
- Run
- Shoes
- Misc.
- GPS Watch
- Nutrition belt
- Body glide
- Sunscreen
- Recovery materials: foam roller, roller stick, Normatec, icy-hot
Adaptive Triathlon Equipment
- Visually Impaired
- Swim tether
- Tandem bike
- Run tether
- Guide for outdoors (not really equipment haha)
- Indoor training: Bike trainer, treadmill
- Wheelchair
- Lava pants/wetsuit pants for swim
- Handcycle
- Racing Wheelchair
- Ambulatory
- Prosthetic
- Prosthetic specific for cycling and running
- Leg braces
Adaptive Equipment Websites
- Wheelchair Athlete Specific
- Visually Impaired Specific
Find a Para Race#
You've sharpened your skills — now it's time to race!
The USA Paratriathlon Nationals Qualifier Race Series is the premier national-level racing circuit for new and emerging paratriathletes in the U.S.
2025 Participating Races
Any athlete wishing to compete in the USA Paratriathlon Nationals Qualifier Series must have a USA Triathlon National Classification or a World Triathlon Classification of a “C” or “R” or “P” and be 16 years of age or older as of December 31, 2025.
• CLASH Endurance Miami (Paratriathlon + ATD1 Wave) | Homestead, Fla. | March 30, 2025
• St. Anthony’s Triathlon (Paratriathlon + ATD1 Wave) | St. Petersburg, Fla. | April 27, 2025
• Lago Mar Triathlon (Paratriathlon + ATD1 Wave) | Texas City, Texas | May 18, 2025
• Leon’s Triathlon hosted alongside USA Triathlon Military and First Responders National Championships | Hammond, Ind. | June 1, 2025
• Treasure Valley Triathlon (Paratriathlon + ATD1 Wave) | Boise, Idaho | June 7, 2025
• Got the Nerve Triathlon (Paratriathlon + ATD1 Wave) | Ephrata, Pa. | June 22, 2025
• Pleasant Prairie Triathlon (Paratriathlon + ATD1 Wave) | Pleasant Prairie, Wis. | June 22, 2025
• Long Beach Legacy Triathlon (Paratriathlon + ATD1 Wave) | Long Beach, Calif. | July 20, 2025
• USAT Paratriathlon National Championship (Paratriathlon + ATD1 Wave) hosted alongside USA Triathlon Sprint and Olympic Distance National Championships | Milwaukee, WI | August 10, 2025
ATD1 (Adaptive Triathlon Division 1) athletes are paratriathletes who are not able to be classified. ATD1 athletes are welcome to race at the USAT Para Development Series events, however they are not eligible for Series Awards and will not be ranked in the Series. ATD1 athletes should register for the ATD1 category that best fits: ATD1 Wheelchair, ATD1 Ambulatory, or ATD1 VI.
Please email us your medical diagnosis form along with any additional medical documentation we might need. This needs to be done prior to registering for your first Series race.
Once these forms are received and reviewed by classification specialists, USA Triathlon will then be able to give you a provisional classification* to compete in races where classification is not being offered with the intent that you will be competing in race that is offering classification during the series and before the completion of the race series.
Sport Classes
PTWC 1-2: athletes with limitations in lower (PTWC2) and upper limbs (PTWC1), using a handcycle for the cycling segment and a racing chair for the running segment.
PTS 2-5: athletes with limitations in lower and/or upper limbs (lower class number means there is more limitations) who compete in (regular) cycling and running. Assistive devices such as prosthetic legs and/or bike modifications are regulated by World Triathlon.
PTVI 1-3: athletes with vision impairment, subdivided in three classes by severity of vision loss (visual acuity and/or visual field).
Athletes in the PTWC and PTVI classes compete in combined events, with an interval start system per sport class.
Eligible Impairment Types
- Impaired muscle power
- Athetosis
- Impaired passive range of movement
- Hypertonia
- Limb deficiency
- Ataxia
- Vision Impairment
Classification Opportunity
A National Classification opportunity will be offered at the USA Paratriathlon National Championship in Milwaukee, WI on Friday, August 8th and Saturday, August 9th.
For World Triathlon classification opportunities please email paratriathlon@usatriathlon.org for up-to-date information and to sign up for our monthly Para Bulletin.
*Please note, if you are given a provisional classification for a given sport class but then change sport classes upon the physical assessment, your results and ranking will be scored with your corrected sport class for any races you completed in the series to date.
Membership
All athletes competing in the Series must hold a current annual USA Triathlon paratriathlete membership. The paratriathlete membership is a free add-on to the current USA Triathlon annual membership. Annual membership for athletes 18 and older is $50. Annual Membership for athletes 16 & 17 is $15. Get your USA Triathlon Membership here.
Competition Rules
All events will be run according to USA Triathlon Competitive Rules including the rule modifications for paratriathletes. You can find the rulebook, here. Any questions on these rules can be directed to Mark Turner, USA Triathlon Commissioner of Officials.
Have Questions? Questions about the series can be directed to paratriathlon@usatriathlon.org.
Race the 2025 USA Paratriathlon National Championships! National titles will be awarded in each para medal event, as well as a professional prize purse!
2025 USA Paratriathlon National Championships
Date: August 10, 2025
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ages: 16+
National Classification offered at this event
To compete at Nationals in Milwaukee, athletes must be officially classified in a paratriathlon sport class, or have been given a provisional classification, and must meet the qualification standards found under Event Qualification Criteria. Athletes who are not currently nationally or internationally classified, but are interested in competing, may email paratriathlon@usatriathlon.org for more information about getting a provisional classification. Athletes who are not classified or who do not meet the qualification standards may choose to compete in the Adaptive Triathlon Division 1 category.
2025 World Triathlon Para Series, Para World Cup, & Continental Cup Event Calendar
- 2025 World Triathlon Para Cup Abu Dhabi - Feb. 7-8
- 2025 World Triathlon Para Series Devonport – March 14-15
- 2025 World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama - May 17
- 2025 World Triathlon Para Cup Samarkand - May 24-25
- 2025 World Triathlon Para Series Taranto - June 7-8
- 2025 World Triathlon Para Cup Magog -
- 2025 World Triathlon Para Series Montreal - June 29 July 19-20
- 2025
- 2025 World Triathlon Para Cup Alhandra - Sept. 8
- 2025 World Triathlon Para Championships Wollongong – October 15-19
The event schedule can be found here.
Paratriathlon Teams#
The U.S. Elite Paratriathlon Resident Team trains at the Colorado Springs Olympic & Paralympic Training Center. Athletes can live in dormitories at the USOPTC or off campus in Colorado Springs. The Resident Team Program is designed for elite paratriathletes training for the LA 2028 Paralympic Games and may include an Elite Development Training Partner for visually impaired resident athletes.
The Resident Team trains in a daily high performance environment. Specific training and competition is tailored to individual athletes needs, while utilizing the daily training environment to maximize group synergy.
Primary benefits of the program include:
- USOPTC facility access
- Meals on campus
- Housing on campus
- Daily coached session
- Group training as appropriate
- Strength & conditioning
- Sports medicine
- Sport science testing
- Sports psychology sessions
- Nutritional counseling
- Community outreach
- Media training
Read a detailed overview of the 2025 Resident Team Program here.
2025 Resident Team members:
Emelia Perry – PTWC
McClain Hermes - PTVI
Aaron Kamnetz – PTWC
Lucas Jundt – PTS3
Skyler Fisher - PTWC
The USA Paratriathlon Junior & U23 Development Team Program provides opportunities to aspiring Junior and U23 paratriathletes to further grow in their sport development. The purpose of this team program is to identify talent, provide assistance and encourage passion in the sport of paratriathlon.
Acceptance into this program is based on an application process, and approved athletes are expected to commit to training primarily for triathlons for the 2025 season.
Applications are currently open through February 28, 2025!
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