IRONMAN 70.3 Bintan 2016 – Southeast Asia’s Premier Iron-distance Triathlon
Following the success of its inaugural edition last year, Southeast Asia’s premier iron-distance triathlon, the IRONMAN 70.3 Bintan Race will again highlight the tropical island of Bintan in the Riau Islands Province on 28th August 2016. The thrilling sport competition will also be one of the first qualifying races for the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.
Centered at Lagoi Bay, a beautiful resort with a swathe of white-sand beaches, lagoons, comprehensive facilities, and first class hotels, the course for IRONMAN 70.3 Bintan will take athletes on a spectacular journey around Bintan Island. The event will begin with swim in pool-like conditions and water so clear the ocean floor is visible. A scenic one-lap bike course on smooth, wide roads will follow, with a spectator-friendly three-lap run course topping off this spectacular event.
Naturally still and calm, the serenity of the waters on the race morning will only be disturbed by 1,000 excited swimmers. The water temperature is expected to be around 29 degrees Celsius, so wetsuits are not allowed. Participants have to complete 1 lap of a largely square 1.9km swim course, with marker buoys every 50m. The swim will be started off in a multiple wave start, split by category. The swim start and finish are in close proximity to the transition area and event venue.
The bike course consists of a single 90km lap of the island for participants. The route meanders through the north-western part of the island, which, save for a few villages full of enthusiastic flag-waving spectators, still lies in its natural state. The scenery changes from lush, dense green forest to fantastic coastal views. The elevation of the course varies between rolling hills inland and fast flat sections trailing the coast. The hills are short, nothing over 60m, but numerous. The road surface is mostly smooth tarmac with a low rolling resistance.
The fast and flat run course consists of 3 laps of 7km and follows a paved track around the man-made lake of Lagoi Bay, through manicured gardens skirting the tropical rainforest. The multi-lap format, passes by the festive finish area several times, giving spectators the opportunity to see and support the athletes in this final discipline of the race.
IRONMAN 70.3 Bintan will also include an IRONMAN 70.3 relay, a great opportunity for new comers to set foot in an IRONMAN 70.3 race. The endurance challenging event also offers a $25,000 USD professional prize purse and 30 qualifying age group slots for the 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
More Information available at: http://ironmanbintan.com/
