I'm not familiar with the reasons why this might be the case and wondered if anyone else knows.

I pulled down the official course maps to see if the course would be interesting. I was a little surprised to discover that the ITU course that the Pros will do...and the Age Group course are COMPLETELY different.

ITU pros have a point-to-point race, bike through downtown and finish with a run loop from the Capital Hill through downtown. (Note: Definitely appears to be a solid route to maximize audience appeal as the pros will pass the same spectators...within a block or so...many many times on the bike and run.)

Age groupers have a different swim...bike a not so scenic route to the local mall...and finish with a run loop around the downtown area....but not the same run as the ITU pros. I can't tell if the Age Group is PTP...looks like it might...

Check out the course maps on the official site:

http://www.hy-veetriathlon.com