The 17th Laguna Phuket Triathlon and inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship are highlights of a unique week-long endurance sports extravaganza set to make this paradise Thailand island a mecca for professional and amateur triathletes worldwide.
The annual Laguna Phuket Triathlon on Sunday, November 28, 2010 will kick-off a calendar of sporting and social activities leading up to the Ironman 70.3 event a week later on Sunday, December 5, 2010. The fitness fiesta is set to reaffirm Laguna Phuket's stature as a venue of world-class sporting activities and magnet for international tourism.
Triathlon: Laguna Phuket Triathlon
When: Sunday, November 28, 2010 @ 7:00 AM
Where: Laguna Beach Resort, Laguna Phuket, Thailand
Distance: 1.8km Swim, 55km Bike, 12km Run
Website: www.lagunaphukettriathlon.com
"As Thailand recovers from the effects of political turmoil earlier this year, events such as this are crucial to rebuilding tourist confidence," said Laguna Phuket Triathlon event director Debbie Dionysius.
"Close to 1,000 international entrants are expected for each event and global attention will be focused on Phuket. This will be a sporting and tourism showcase of the best that Thailand has to offer the world," she said.
Activities staged throughout the week will allow entrants to rub shoulders with professional triathletes - some of whom have entered both endurance events and will be at Laguna Phuket for the whole period. Training sessions, entertainment and social events are planned to provide all entrants with opportunities to mix with the professionals.
Laguna Phuket, a resort of deluxe hotel and villa properties on the northwest coast of the island, was awarded the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship in recognition of its world-class facilities, reputation for staging major athletic events, and ease of travel from all major cities.
The Laguna Phuket Triathlon is dubbed "The Race of Legends," due to its ability to attract and challenge the world's best professional triathletes.
These have included the likes of Simon Lessing, Craig Alexander, Paula Newby-Fraser, Michelle Jones, Samantha McGlone and Chrissie Wellington. The 2009 event was won by Olympic triathlon gold medalist Jan Frodeno of Germany.
Now Laguna Phuket has ramped-up the challenges of its triathlon course to meet the increased demands of an Ironman 70.3. "The Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship will be a turbocharged version of our triathlon course," said Debbie Dionysius.
Triathlon: Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship
When: Sunday, December 5, 2010 @ 7:00 AM
Where: Laguna Beach Resort, Laguna Phuket, Thailand
Distance: 1.9km Swim, 90km Bike, 21.1km Run
Website: www.ironmanphuket.com
For the first time the bike course will run into the picturesque and undulating northeast coast, courtesy of a purpose-built bike ramp across Highway 402, the island's main north-south traffic artery.
The new bike ramp is being built on an existing pedestrian bridge, after Laguna Phuket and the World Triathlon Corporation gained approval from the Phuket government.
"The ramp traverse will be a spectacular highlight adding a cycle-cross element as athletes will be have to dismount and push their bikes up the ramped foot bridge," said Debbie Dionysius
Source: Phuketindex.com Magazine Article
