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Looking for fun and games in the sun? If you are, head south to Phuket on the Andaman Sea in Southern Thailand, and on the morning of December 3 and make way to Luguna Beach. There you will find all the activity you could ever imagine. You will be too late to enter the competitions yourself, but don’t fret. You will soon witness one of the most dramatic and grueling sporting events ever staged since the Olympic games were first introduced in Greece 2,000 years ago.
The event is the 12th Laguna Phuket Triathlon 2005, a sport originally called the Iron Man Competition. Founded in Hawaii in 1973 when local sportsmen decided to add some alternative endurance activities to their traditional track workouts, they changed the name to Triathlon a few years later in 1978 when women entered the competitions. The first official meet was staged by the San Diego Track Club on Mission Bay that year.
As an endurance test, there is none greater than the Triathlon. Contestants must swim, run and cycle, and the first to cross the line is the winner.
Official standardization of the distances in Triathlon were set back in the early 1980s. Borrowing from the classic distances of the Olympic sports, the original U. S. Triathlon established that the swim would be 1,500 meters long, the cycling road race 40 kilometers, and the run 10 kilometers. In 1989, the international Triathlon Union (ITU) was established in Avignon, France, and soon after it was accepted in the Olympic format. Since that time, 140 countries have affiliated under the umbrella of the ITU. On September 4, 1994, the IOC’s general session ratified Triathlon into the Olympic Games. Six years and twelve days after that inclusion, the first gold medal was awarded in Sydney this year.
Following the standard of the Olympic Games, the competition will begin with a 1,800-meter swim course, followed by a 55‑kilometer cycling event and ending a12‑kilometer run
Spectators can position themselves along any of the courses. The
1.8k swim course comprises two bodies of water. Starting on the beach at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket hotel, competitors swim 1200 metres in the sea before sprinting 100 metres across the beach to swim the last 600 metres in a lagoon finishing at the Laguna Beach Resort Y-junction. Wetsuits are not allowed.
The bike course takes competitors out of Laguna Phuket onto narrow, winding roads. The actual route will be similar to the 2004 course with some steep hilly sections on the road to Naithon Beach north of Laguna Phuket
The run course will be similar to the 2004 course. The course is flat and leads runners north through the Laguna Phuket resort complex, towards Banyan Tree Phuket, before looping back through Canal Shopping Village and the Duist beach road to finish at the Laguna Beach Resort Y-junction.
Prize money has been upped this year to US$ 20,000 with the first price at US$3,000.
The Race Day begins 4 December 2005 but there is plenty of action and things to see on 3 December as well.
8:25am
Swim race begins at Sheraton Grande-Chao Jetty to Laguna Beach Resort Y-Junction
9:00am
Run begins at Laguna Beach Resort Y-Junction
9:40am
Bike race begins at Laguna Beach Resort Y-Junction
5:00pm
Meet the pros at Sheraton Grande Beach
6:pm
Award presentations at Sheraton Grande
All these time are approximate.
Remember the date December 3-4, and you don’t have to be a contestant to enjoy the games.
Flights/Bike Transportation
For information on flights to Phuket contact Thai Airways International or your local travel agent. Thai Airways International offers free bicycle transportation for athletes attending the Laguna Phuket Triathlon and this should be requested when making your flight reservations.
Travel Tips
For information on air travel and accommodation contact Royal Orchid Holidays, Thai Airways International or your local travel agent. Alternatively, book accommodation directly with one of the five official Laguna Phuket Triathlon hotels. See hotel contact details on www.lagunaphuket.com. Phuket is a very popular tourist destination so I suggest to book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Laguna Phuket
Asia’s finest integrated resort complex comprises five deluxe hotels, an 18-hole golf course, five luxury spas, boutique shopping village and an outdoor corporate training centre. All set amidst 600 acres of tropical beachfront parkland dotted with sparkling lagoons. Laguna Phuket is located at Bang Tao Bay on the northwestern coast of Phuket Island, only 25 minutes drive from the Phuket International Airport and 30 minutes drive from Patong Beach or Phuket Town.
This week I promised to take readers on diner cruises on the Chao Phraya but this Triathlon came up. Next week we will go dining on the river. |
Banners everywhere in Phuket for Triathlon 2005
Swimmers dash for the open sea
A runner begins
Swimmers arrive; bikers depart
Beneath the THAI emblem, the major Triathlon
sponsor
Biker in the lead
A second biker close in
A runner crosses the finish line
Cheering on the contestants
Happy moment, the last turn
Medics on hand
The heat, sweat and defeat for some
The reward, a cup of water
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