TRIATHLON: The hugely popular sport of triathlon has a new event coming to Phuket later this year after the Tri Iyara Triathlon was officially confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday (July 18).
Scheduled for the weekend of September 9-10 at Sirinath National Park, the event will be of an international standard incorpating the usual bike ride, run and swim races and is an opportunity to showcase Thai triathletes to the world, organisers said at Tuesday’s announcement at Central Festival in Kathu.
For individual competitors there will be the option of two race distances, Olympic and Sprint, in addition to duathlon competition incorporating the bike and run races, while mixed-gender teams of three members is also available in the “corporate” category.
The distances for the bike race are as follows: Sprint – 1 lap of 21 kilometres; Olympic – 40km over 2 laps; Duathlon – 40km over 2 laps; Corporate – 40km over 2 laps.
The distances for the run are as follows: Sprint – 5km over 2 laps; Olympic – 10km over 4 laps; Duathlon first run – 10km over 4 laps; Duathlon second run – 5km over 2 laps; Corporate – 10km over 4 laps.
The distances for the swim are as follows: Sprint – 1 lap of 750 metres; Olympic – 1,500m over 2 laps; Corporate – 1,500m over 2 laps.
Tuesday’s press conference to officially announce the event was presided over by Thammawat Wongcharoenyot, President of the Phuket Sports Association, Thanet Thantiphirya, President of the Phuket Tourism Business Association, and Danai Sunantarod, Vice Governor of Phuket.
“Triathlon is a hugely popular sport among multi-sport enthusiasts in Phuket, typified by the success of the annual Laguna Phuket Triathlon, which has been running for 28 years and gained international acclaim,” commented Vice Governor Danai.
“This new and creative triathlon event, Phuket Tri Iyara, has received excellent cooperation and support from both public and private sector entities locally and nationally and is a further opportunity to showcase the province’s identity and culture to the world.
“The use of elephant imagery to convey Thai culture via sports is a particularly clever way to promote and can contribute strongly to a successful event which can further boost Phuket’s claims as a Sports City while providing an economic boost to local businesses and the community,” he added.
Mr Thanet further explained that successful sports events can contribute significantly to raising the profile of Phuket which in turn can create many business and economic opportunities. The construction of world-class sports training centres, for example, is an excellent way to attract foreign talent to use Phuket as a base for training in their respective sporting disciplines, he said.
The Tri Iyara Triathlon is also an excellent way to promote the potential of Phuket-based athletes to the international stage, Mr Thanet said.
Other guests at the press conference included celebrated Thai triathlon coach and athlete Jaray Jiaranai, who shared his personal experience of preparing for competitions and explained the challenges and rewards of the sport.
Additionally, Meiji Arnoma Cook, a famous health, sports, and travel blogger, provided her insights and opinions on Phuket’s potential as an ideal location for international sports competition, emphasising the island’s abundance of natural resources, world-class beaches, comprehensive services and, most importantly, its people. Phuketians, have a positive attitude and are ready to adapt and develop, a crucial factor for progress which creates a lasting impression on athletes and tourists from all walks of life who visit the island, Ms Meiji explained.
The press conference also served as an opportunity to introduce several of the supporting partners of the event, each of whom were presented with commemorative items as a sign of appreciation. Among these are: Central Phuket, which provided the venue for the press conference and media support; Naiyang Beach Resort and Spa, the official accommodation provider; Good Start, the producer of high-quality sports apparel, including the Stealthor brand which is the sponsor of the event’s commemorative shirts; the popular sports energy drink Pocari Sweat; Bike Zone, responsible for bike mechanics and transportation; Stage Find The Real, a sports training center; and Taro Lighting.
A special expression of thanks and appreciation was extended to Juergen Zack, the legendary German triathlon champion and founder of Z-Coaching, who has been promoting the triathlon community in Phuket for over 10 years.
Organisers confirmed the initial 500 applicants for the triathlon can participate in the race for free. To secure the right to compete, applicants must transfer a total of B1,200, comprising of a participation deposit (B1,000) and a mandatory accident insurance fee (B200). The participation deposit will be refunded upon participation in the event and returning the timing chip to the officials after crossing the finish line.
Registration Link : http://race.thai.run/PhuketTRIIYARA
More information can be found at the Phuket Tri Iyara Facebook page.
