AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds 2022: 50 days to go until popular event returns to Roundhay Park

There’s still time to join the world’s best to swim, bike, run across the weekend around Roundhay Park.

Leeds will play host to a two-day triathlon festival on June 11 and 12 for a sixth year, as thousands race along a route lined with spectators to uniquely reach the same finish line as the very best in the business.

Roundhay Park is the ideal backdrop for the elite showpiece and will host the individual elite event on the Saturday, before the inaugural mixed relay takes place 24 hours later.

It’s just one month until entries close across all distances – May 22 – with the GO TRI (beginner), sprint and standard events providing the perfect platform for participation across all levels.

Lindsay Impett, Event Director, said: “It’s just a fantastic weekend out.

“There are so many different ways to get involved that if you’re nervous about doing a standard triathlon, come and join the sprint, or if you’re nervous about joining the sprint, come and join as a relay and split the swim, bike, run with your friends.

“It’s a great opportunity to come along with two of your friends - maybe somebody is a great runner, somebody is a great cyclist, and somebody is a great swimmer, and you can enter as a team.

“It’s a beautiful park - large enough to contain both the swimming and running elements, and then we’re just onto the roads for the cycling."

In what promises to be a golden summer of sport in Britain, the likes of Jonny Brownlee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee will be focusing on this leg of the World Triathlon Championship Series ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July.

Yee is the holder of the men’s event, having won in 2021, before going on to claim an individual silver and mixed relay gold medal with Brownlee, Taylor-Brown and Jess Learmonth at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Impett believes those athletes, as well as Brownlee’s older brother Alistair, have created a legacy and inspired many other people to give swim, bike, run a go.

She added: “The legacy of the Brownlee brothers cannot be underestimated; they have been the role models that other people have aspired to be.

“Now we have seen Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and many other high profile British triathletes come through in the last five or six years, following in the footsteps of the Brownlee brothers.

“I think, not only will they be proud of their achievements, but they will also be proud of the legacy that they’ve given triathlon.”

Adding to Impett’s comments about the event, Coun James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said:

“The AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds is just around the corner, with only 50 days to go. As a city, we’re gearing up for the incredible atmosphere the weekend will bring and preparing to showcase our stunning Roundhay Park to the world.

“Leeds has become the home of triathlon in the UK and it’s fantastic to see so many people sharing our excitement and getting ready to take part or spectate. I’m positive it will be another truly memorable event that the city can be proud of.”