Athletes will be competing for 50 slots to qualify for the 2017 Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, when the debut race of the world-famous Ironman 70.3 triathlon series in China gets underway here on Sunday.
The 2016 Hefei Wanda City Ironman 70.3 Hefei triathlon is one of over 90 events in the Ironman 70.3 series of long-distance triathlon races as well as the first-ever offering in China of the Ironman series after the brand was sold to Dalian Wanda Group last year. The triathlon has attracted more than 1,600 athletes from 58 countries and regions.
One of the biggest stars to highlight the China debut is three-time Ironman world champion and two-time Ironman 70.3 world champion, Craig Alexander of Australia.
On Sunday, athletes will begin with a one-loop 1.2-mile counterclockwise swim in beautiful Swan Lake before embarking on a 56-mile bike ride that heads south through the city of Hefei, to Chaohu Lake and back to the Wanda Cultural and Tourism City. Participants conclude the three discipline race with a 13.1-mile run along Chaohu Lake and through the Wanda Cultural and Tourism City before finishing in front of cheering spectators in the heart of the city.
Apart from 50 slots for the 2017 Ironman World Championship, Ironman 70.3 Hefei will also offer 50 slots to qualify for the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship which will be held in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the United States.
Ironman, which is the crown jewel of endurance sports, makes a giant step forward in expanding its brand with the Ironman 70.3 event in Hefei and then later in Xiamen of Fujian province in November.
The Ironman 70.3 Xiamen triathlon slated for Nov. 13 will offer 40 qualiyfing slots to the 2017 Ironman World Championship.
