Spots are filling up fast for the 2010 ITU Triathlon Long Distance World Championship, to be held in Immenstadt, Germany on August 1. Registration has only been open for a few weeks, but already the national quota for German athletes is almost exhausted.

According to German Altenried, head of the organisation committee, athletes from more than 30 countries have already signed up for the event, which is being held in Immenstadt for the first time.

“We are absolutely delighted! However, we are slowly running short on places for German participants, as we can only allocate 500 places to the host nation. The remaining places are reserved for foreign federations,” notes race director Michl Rathke.

Currently, there are still plenty of spots remaining for the 28th annual Allgaeu International Triathlon, a standard-distance event, taking place one day prior to the Long Distance World Championship.

For capacity reasons, it is not possible to accommodate all athletes in Immenstadt itself, so registered athletes are encouraged to book accommodations as early as possible.

Last year’s ITU Long Distance World Championship, held in Perth, Australia, was won by American Tim O’Donnell and Great Britain’s Jodie Swallow.

“We look forward to an exciting showdown in the Allgaeu and I am really eager to see how the athletes from overseas cope with our extremely challenging cycle course,” said Rathke.

The bike course cuts through the mountains of the Upper Allgaeu and includes ascents of up to 18 percent grade.

The triathlon in Immenstadt will mark the culmination of the celebrations surrounding the town’s 650th anniversary.