The Capital of Texas Triathlon was founded in 1991 by former USA Triathlon President Rick Margiotta, and with the encouragement of another former USAT PResident, BRad Davison, they brought the event to its dynamic Downtown Austin location. With that move, the CapTexTri has become one of the most popular mulitsport races in the country. The "Premier Texas Triathlon" is now part of Race to the Life Time Triathlon Series presented by and fills the strees of Austin on Memorial Day, selling out with 3,000 participants. The CapTexTri attracts all levels of athletes from top ranked professionals through first time triathlets.
The CapTexTri begins with a swim in Lady Bird Lake wit hthe spectacular backdrop of the downtown Austin skyline. Bursting out of T1, bikes cross the 1st Street bridge and head north past the Texas Capitol and up to the University of Texas, then returning through the heart of Downtown Austin on Congress Ave and heading west alond Cesar Chavez Blvd and Lady Bird Lake to Austin High School and the, back to the 1st Street bridge. Olympic distance competitors complete four laps, Sprint distance is two laps, and the First Tri is one and done. Back to T2 and then out on the run which follows the south side of Lady Bird Lake then crosses the Ann Richards Bridge famous for the largest urban bat colony in the U.S. and the millions of bats that take to the skies from its superstructure at dusk. Olympic distance athletes complete two laps of the run course and everyone finishes on Auditorium Shores to a jammin' Finish and Post-Race Festival.
