.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} What Wimbledon is to tennis, the America’s Cup is to sailing and the Ryder Cup is to golf.

This is how Jeff Goodman, a triathlete and president of the Des Moines Triathlon Club, describes the Hy-Vee World Cup Triathlon coming to Des Moines on June 17.

In its first year, the event is expected to attract thousands of contestants, tens of thousands of fans and have an economic impact of more than $2 million. It also could put Des Moines on the world map with international coverage.

“Our ultimate goal is to have triathletes think about Des Moines and the Hy-Vee Triathlon the way golfers think about Augusta, Georgia, and the Masters,” said Hy-Vee Inc. Chairman and CEO Ric Jurgens. “That will only happen if the event is ongoing and successful for many years to come.”

In its first year, Hy-Vee has already been successful in bringing an International Triathlon Union world cup to Des Moines, making it the only U.S. city and one of 16 in the world to host such an event this year.

The BG ITU Hy-Vee World Cup Triathlon will attract 150 elite athletes from as far as China and Australia, all of whom will be in the top 125 of the ITU world cup rankings. The BG Group, an international energy company specializing in natural gas, is the main sponsor of the ITU.

The athletes will compete for a total of $700,000, with the first-place male and female winners each receiving $200,000 and an H3 Hummer. “We wanted to kick open the doors wide in this sport,” said Beth Damm, director of marketing projects at Hy-Vee and one of the main organizers of the event. “In order to attract these athletes from around the world, we knew a large prize purse would help get their attention.”

This event has also caught the attention of several amateur athletes who will compete in the Olympic distance Hy-Vee Triathlon, which entails a 1.5-mile swim, 40K bike ride, and 10K run. About 1,100 people are signed up from 38 states and Canada so far. If Hy-Vee reaches its cut-off point of 2,000 contestants, it will be the ninth-largest amateur event in the country. It also will host the junior national championships for ages 13 to 19 on Saturday, June 16.

In addition to the competitors, The Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates 30,000 people will watch the races.

With all this traffic coming to the city, the CVB estimates $2.1 million could be generated. Greg Edwards, president and CEO, said the figure is conservative. Already 2,700 hotel room nights have been booked.

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An event of this size has attracted many major sponsors, including Hummer, PepsiCo, General Mills, Lipton and Crystal Light. “I think it was a great fit for them because the event is all about promoting health and fitness and healthy lifestyles,” Damm said, “something they’re all trying to emphasize.”

Supporting health and fitness is part of Hy-Vee’s strategy to draw attention to its products and services that can help its customers lead a healthy lifestyle. It also wants to show community support and will donate all of the proceeds from the event to Variety – The Children’s Charity.

The triathlon will be a catalyst for drawing attention to Des Moines as “a worldwide leader in fitness, health and athletic competition” as well, Jurgens said.

NBC Sports will tape the race and air it on July 15, which ITU predicted would reach 200 million homes worldwide. During the one-hour program, Des Moines, West Des Moines and the Iowa Department of Economic Development each will have the opportunity to air two 30-second commercials.

“We’re excited about the opportunity,” said Naomi Hamlett, a planner with West Des Moines’ community and economic development department. “We’ve never had a national commercial before.

“This is our chance to show the country what West Des Moines is.”

Seeing this event could inspire other groups to host similar events in Des Moines, Edwards said.

In addition, Tom Hamilton, an All-American amateur triathlete and president of The Hamilton Group, said the triathlon event itself attracts a demographic that cities and advertisers want to reach. They’re “well-educated, like to travel, into sports, type-A doers and drivers and business leaders,” he said.

It’s also an event that people of all ages and abilities can participate in “with the right training and commitment,” Damm said.

The announcement of the Hy-Vee triathlon has inspired several local residents to get into shape. The Des Moines Triathlon Club alone has skyrocketed to 236 members from the 28 it had when it transformed from Central Iowa Multisport Club into its present non-profit organization in 2005. Goodman, the club president, expects to have more than 300 members by 2008.

The idea of having a triathlon in Des Moines began around 2003 with Hamilton and Jason Halfpap’s initial efforts to work with city leaders.

“Every city that’s progressive in this great country of ours has a good triathlon in it,” Hamilton said. “Des Moines needs this in their community to be a part of the offerings of the activities and for economic development.”

By 2004, the effort grew to include about eight business leaders, community leaders and athletes. Hamilton said he began visiting with Jurgens, who belonged to the same health club. After Jurgens biked the relay leg of the Big Creek Triathlon in 2005, he became interested in hosting the event.

“I was impressed by the energy created by the event,” Jurgens said. “Participants and family members were very upbeat and excited, and the feeling of accomplishment was palpable.”

Jurgens presented the idea and a preliminary budget to the Hy-Vee board of directors who approved it. From there, Hy-Vee has run with the logistics.

To put on an event of this size, Hy-Vee has 70 people on its triathlon committee, the majority of whom have taken on the new responsibility in addition to their regular position. The company also hired Bill Burke of Premier Event Management in Louisiana to be the race director.

The cities of Des Moines and West Des Moines have also been busy preparing for street closures and other logistical elements, including working with residents and businesses affected by the racecourse. Though the event is on a Sunday, when many families attend religious services, and on Father’s Day, Candi Reindl, assistant manager of the city of Des Moines, said most people have been understanding.

Several retail districts are working on plans to promote their areas during the triathlon weekend as well. The Iowa Historical Museum in the East Village will try to make athletes aware of its Blues Before Sunset concert on Friday night and the Jordan Creek Town Center is considering having tents with refreshments for spectators coming to watch the biking portion of the amateur race.

“This is a huge opportunity,” said Jim Miller, executive director of the Historic Valley Junction Foundation. “Even if it’s just doing water station for the many people going by with the crowds, we need to capitalize on our front door.”

Though the event has blossomed in its first year, it still will be a test year for Hy-Vee. Having dropped the Hy-Vee Classic senior women’s golf tournament in favor of this event, Hy-Vee will likely be committed to the triathlon for several more years.

“Our plans are to look into the future and see how we can make it bigger and better in the years to come, whether that means more participants, additional events tied into the triathlon,” Damm said. “There are a lot of possibilities that are being reviewed and discussed. The first year is very important for setting the stage in future years.”