TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona Women's Triathlon will be kicking off its 2023 Fall season this weekend with a road meet for its first-ever official competition. The Wildcats will travel up I-10 to Tempe for "Duel in The Desert" on Saturday, Sept. 2.
 
"This weekend is all about learning more about each athlete. My process with each individual is a baseline to work with, to really have fun together, and to start this journey together as a team," said Head Coach Wes Johnson. "I look at this weekend as a classroom for all of us, an opportunity to embrace a race atmosphere before the stakes get higher or deeper into the season. I'll be looking for opportunities before, during, and after the race to learn as much as we can about each individual. The most important thing is to just go out and have a blast with our triathlon Wildcat family."


 
College triathlons are made up of three events: biking, running, swimming and fall under the "sprint triathlon" classification. Saturday's meet will take on a modified format as the Wildcats and Sun Devils will compete in a relay style meet where each team will have three members.
 
Order Of Events:

• The first component is a Duathlon consisting of biking and running.
• Each athlete will bike three laps around the course
• They will then transition into running two laps around the field course
• Competitors will have a final time before tagging in a teammate
• The meet will then continue on to the swimming portion with each racer will complete  100-meter and 500-meter swims.
• Once both sessions are completed, the 3-person team with the best time will be determined the winner based on combining individual scores.

 
Saturday's competition against Arizona State is the first of four meets in the inaugural season of Arizona Women's Triathlon.