Elite Athlete Qualification

Athletes wishing to race as an elite triathlete/duathlete or off-road triathlete in any USAT sanctioned event must hold a USAT elite license in their respective category. Elite annual membership will be available to certain qualified, highly competitive, and experienced athletes who meet the qualifications respective to their license category as outlined below. Only athletes holding an elite license are eligible to compete in the elite wave of any USAT sanctioned event that offers a minimum prize purse of $5,000. The terms "elite" and "professional" are used interchangeably but USAT prefers that these athletes be referred to as "elites" in order to align with ITU and USOC.

Important Information
You MUST present proof of elite status at all USAT-sanctioned events; therefore you must carry your license to all events. If you have lost your license, you may print a temporary card at the membership section of the USAT web site or contact the National Teams Program Manager for proof of your status.

Unlike the amateur license, an elite license is based on a calendar year. It expires on December 31, regardless of when the license is purchased.

Depending on qualification criteria met, athletes must submit proper documentation (ex: race results, copy of elite UCI license, copy of national federation elite license) to the USAT National Office along with the elite license application. A printout of the actual race results must be provided with the application. A race resume, e-mails with race web site links or race results that have been cut and pasted are not acceptable. You only need to print out the first few pages of the results, but make sure to note the number of total finishers, the web site address and date of event at the top of the first page.

Once an elite license expires, an athlete can choose to go back to amateur racing but only when that card has expired.

Once approved as an elite, athletes must resubmit race results that extend their eligibility expiration date for three years from December 31 of the year they were approved. Updated Elite Eligibility Extension Exception Resolution 2/2011.

Application and race results must be received at least 14 days before the event at which the athlete wants to compete as an elite. Once an athlete has submitted paperwork, it is their responsibility to contact the USAT National Office for proof of their new status.

Amateurs must consider elite finishers when calculating their finishing place if the elite field raced the same course and format as the amateurs. For instance, if the elites are not drafting and racing the same race course, an athlete may have been first among the amateurs, but 11th when comparing their time with the elites of their gender.

Athletes registered as elite/pros CAN compete in events with less than $5k prize purses but: USAT recognizes five classifications within its elite licensing program:

• Elite triathlete license (covered as an elite in all categories)
• Elite duathlete license (covered as an elite in duathlon, amateur in triathlon)
• Elite off road license (covered as an elite in off road events, amateur in all on road events)
• Elite foreign license  
• Elite collegiate license  
• Special consideration  

*Please click on the above links for qualification information for each category.

Triathlete License
This license is for athletes wishing to race as an elite in any USAT sanctioned event at any distance (from sprint to ultra) and format (triathlons, duathlons, off road events, winter events, etc.). This license costs $39 and expires December 31 of the year in which it was issued.

Qualification criteria: Any athlete who chooses to compete as an elite triathlete must meet at least one of the six (6) criteria listed below:

CRITERIA A:
Finish within 8% of the winning elite time (on same course as elites) in three USAT sanctioned events that offer an elite/ pro prize purse.

CRITERIA B:
Finish top-10 overall and within 8% of the winner's time at ITU Age Group World Championships.

CRITERIA C:
Finish top-10 overall in the amateur field at Ironman World Championship.

CRITERIA D:
Finish top-5 overall and within 8% of the winner's time at the USAT Age Group National Championships.

CRITERIA E:
Finish top-5 overall and within 8% of the winner's time at USAT Collegiate National Championships.

CRITERIA F:
Finish top-3 overall in the amateur field at an Elite Qualifying Race. The list of Elite Qualifying Races is determined by the AAC each year and published on USAT's website. Please find the list below.
    
2011 Elite Qualifying Races:

All triathlons on US and Canadian soil that have a corresponding elite race in the same distance and format with $20,000 or more in elite prize money shall be Elite Qualifying Races. Please confirm prize purse amounts directly with race organizers. 

In addition, the following races shall also be Elite Qualifying Races:  
The Capital of Texas Triathlon
Memphis in May Triathlon
Philadelphia Triathlon
Wildflower Triathlon - Olympic Distance
Hy-Vee - Olympic Distance
Pacific Grove - Olympic Distance 
2011 USAT Elite Race Series Events*/ http://www.usatriathlon.org/events/190
 *only applies to results from the Olympic- distance amateur events held in conjunction with this series; results from an amateur sprint race in conjunction with this series will not be accepted.


Duathlete License
This license is for athletes wishing to race as an elite in any USAT sanctioned duathlon. Athletes approved for this license remain amateur in triathlon events.

This license costs $39 and expires December 31 of the year in which it was issued.

Qualification criteria: Any athlete who chooses to compete as an elite duathlete must meet the following criteria:

Finish top-10 overall and within 10 percent of the overall winner's time, according to gender, in at least two (2) USAT sanctioned duathlons that occurred within the past 12 months and had at least 200 participants.

Special consideration to the above criteria will be considered by a three-person committee made up of two elite duathletes (approved by the Athlete Advisory Council) and one member of the AAC who will consider an exceptions if the applying athlete meets at least one of the below criteria:

CRITERIA A:
Finish top-four overall and within 7 percent of the overall winner's time, according to gender, in at least one (1) USAT sanctioned duathlons with at least 200 participants that occurred within the past 12 months OR

CRITERIA B:
Finish top-two overall and within 7 percent of the overall winner's time, according to gender, in at least one (1) sanctioned duathlon with a minimum of 125 participants and a maximum of 200 participants that occurred within the past 12 months.

Off Road License

This license is for any athlete wishing to race as an elite in any USAT sanctioned off road event (i.e. XTERRA). Athletes approved for this license remain amateur in all on road events. This license costs $39 and expires December 31 of the year in which it was issued.

Any athlete who chooses to compete as an elite off road athlete must meet one of the three criteria below:

CRITERIA A:
Finish top-10 and within 10 percent of the overall winner's time, according to gender, in at least three (3) USAT sanctioned OFF ROAD events that occurred within the past 12 months and had at least 200 participants OR

CRITERIA B:
Any athlete who holds elite status in NORBA, UCI, USAC, AND/OR USAT&F OR

CRITERIA C:
Any athlete who has qualified as an Olympic athlete in swimming, cycling, or running.

Elite Foreign License

This license is for foreign athletes who compete in multiple USAT sanctioned events and want to avoid paying the $9 one day license fee multiple times. This license costs $39 and expires December 31 of the year in which it was issued.

Qualification criteria: Any athlete who chooses to compete as a foreign elite athlete must present proof of elite status from his/her National Triathlon Federation.

Elite Collegiate License
This license is recommended for current or soon to be NCAA athletes who do not want to jeopardize their NCAA eligibility but want to compete in elite events sanctioned by USAT to gain experience. These athletes are NOT eligible for prize money but may race when it is offered.

Qualification criteria: Any athlete who chooses to compete as an elite collegiate triathlete must meet at least one of the three (3) criteria listed below:

CRITERIA A:
Finish top-eight overall and within 8 percent of the overall winner's time, according to gender, in at least three (3) USAT sanctioned events that occurred within the past 12 months and had at least 500 participants. No exceptions will be made.

CRITERIA B:
Finish within 8 percent of the overall winner's time in at least two (2) ultra- distance events that included an elite field (offering $5k or greater in prize purse) that occurred within the past 12 months and had at least 500 participants. Ultra distance is defined as any distance equal to or greater than a 4K swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run. Events must have been sanctioned by USA Triathlon. No exceptions will be made.

CRITERIA C:
Finish within 8 percent of the overall winner's time in one (1) ultra distance event that included an elite field (offering $5k or greater in prize purse) that occurred within the past 12 months and had at least 500 participants AND finish top-eight and within 8 percent of the overall winner's time, according to gender, in at least one (1) USAT sanctioned event that occurred within the past 12 months and had at least 500 participant.

Special Consideration
Special consideration for exceptions to all elite membership rules will be granted by the AAC, who will only consider exceptions for athletes who meet the following criteria:

Applying athlete has been on a USA Swimming, USA Cycling or USA Track and Field Olympic or Pan Am team or National elite team (recognized by that NGB). And the athlete must have finished top-10 overall and within 10 percent of the overall winner's time in at least one (1) USAT sanctioned event that occurred within the past 12 months and had at least 200 participants.

OR

Any athlete that has finished top 10 and within 8% of the winner's time in the most recent ITU Triathlon World Championships in either the Junior or U/23 category.

*only athletes who meet the above criteria may apply for an exception to the qualification rules.

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