Events
Heartland Triathlon Cancellation
May 8, 2023
For immediate release:
It is with great sadness that we announce the cancellation of the Heartland Triathlon. This event has been
our pride and joy for the past 18 years, but we have failed to rebound from the COVID shutdown with two
years of significant financial losses. Sadly, we have made the gut wrenching decision that we cannot
afford to continue the event. The main reason for the cancellation is a ‘perfect storm’ of both costs
increasing over 200% in the past five years (especially in areas of safety, traffic management and the like)
and athlete attendance steadily declining by over 50%. We have made every effort to minimize expenses
– even moving to a one-day event format for 2023 – but, at the end of the day, the participant numbers
still do not currently cover the cost of the event.
Over the past 18 years, we have fallen in love with over 5,000 unique athletes that have participated, are
proud to have donated in excess of $150,000 back into our community, and take pride in how the
Heartland Triathlon has become a staple in many athletes' annual racing calendar. We have loyal
sponsors that have helped to offset our costs and we are forever thankful to them for their years of
support as well.
As we close down the event, we will be working to refund all current year paid entries and hope to have
that wrapped up by the end of June. I would like to encourage you to look for other events like the
Sommer Sports and Integrity Multisport Events to fill the void we have created. These are both great
locally owned series who are working hard to grow the sport of triathlon here in Florida. While we have no
plans to return in this current climate, we remain hopeful that the sport will rebound and participant levels
will return to their previous highs. We leave the door open to possibly return with a far more optimistic and
triumphant press release in the future.
However, in closing, thank you for years of support of the Heartland Triathlon! We have made friends for
life through our event and the sport of triathlon and look forward to watching your successes at other
events around the State. Please be safe, be respectful and race all the way across the line!
Warmest Regards,
The Heartland Triathlon
Place
355 West Center Ave.
Sebring, FL US 33870
Description
Celebrating over 17 years of racing in Central Florida, join us for the 2023 Heartland Triathlon, featuring Sprint and Olympic distance triathlon, duathlon and aquabike! SUPER EARLY BIRD pricing is in effect with lower prices throughout. We can't wait to see you again!! Thank you all who attended and made 2022 such a fun, successful event!
You’ll come for the fast-paced Heartland Triathlon, but you could end up staying for the slower-paced quality of life that is Sebring and surrounding areas.
The heart of Heartland Triathlon weekend is City Pier at 315 W. Center St. in Sebring. Nestled among Altvater Cultural Complex, Highlands Little Theatre, Sebring Public Library, Sebring Historical Society and Sebring Civic Center, the transition area parallels Lakeview Drive and is accompanied by an expo representing multi-sport interests.
On the bike, our triathletes get a taste of our rural lifestyle as their ride takes them from Sebring’s center and circumnavigates Lake Jackson clockwise bringing them to U.S. 27 then back onto Lakeview Drive then further north through the citrus groves that breathed life into Highlands County. A brief ride up “killer hill” as our amateurs affectionately dubbed it in 2006 and the cyclists return south toward Lake Jackson for the fast ride to T2.
With helmets off and visors/hats on, the running leg provides the final kick through Sebring’s historic and beautiful downtown include the famous Circle Park that is the epicenter of Sebring. Runners coming down Center Street into the finish line chute are greeted with cheering crowds and one of the best emcees in the business to call out their bib number, or even their name.
As Highlands County’s geographic center, Sebring is the county’s largest community, boasting attractions such as Sebring International Raceway, Military Sea Services Museum, Children’s Museum of Highlands County and more.To the north, Avon Park’s attractions include recreation opportunities at Avon Park Air Force Bombing Range ( for civilians, active duty and retired military) and Avon Park’s Depot Museum is a popular attraction with residents. Lake Placid, about 15 minutes south of Sebring, is known as the Caladium Capital of the world but is also loved as the Town of Murals. Lake Placid is home to Lake Istokpoga, Florida’s fifth largest freshwater lake.
All three of Highlands’ bigger communities are known for the down-home downtown “Main Street, Anywhere, USA” feel, from historic architecture to friendly faces and warm welcomes.
Local cyclists, runners and swimmers consider themselves fortunate, if not privileged, to reside in what is slowly emerging as the new Mecca for individual, outdoor recreational pursuits. Less traffic means safer roads for cycling and running. In addition, a recreation trail of more than 13 miles circumnavigates Sebring’s Lake Jackson (in which you’ll begin your favorite triathlon or aquabike) and extends west across U.S. 27 to Highlands Hammock State Park. Don’t even get us started on the lakes … too many to list!
Race Contact Info
If you have any questions about this race, click the button below.
Race Website
Additional race information can be found at http://www.heartlandtri.com.
Get a Refund By Referring Friends
Sprint Registrants: For every one person whom you refer and registers, you'll get a $5 refund up to $50!
Olympic Registrants: For every one person whom you refer and registers, you'll get a $10 refund up to $100!
Check your email confirmation for the shareable link and let your friends know where they need to race in June!
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