More than a thousand athletes compete in Ironman 70.3 triathlon on the Peruvian coastline
More than 1,250 athletes from different parts of the world will compete today, Sunday, in the international triathlon event “Xmart Ironman 70.3”, which returns to the coast of the Costa Verde of Lima, Peru, after four years without being held.
The race starts with a 1.9-kilometre swim in the waters of Agua Dulce Beach, located in the capital’s Chorrillos district, continues with a 90-kilometre bike ride in a three-lap circuit along the Lima coast, and ends with a 21.1-kilometre run in two laps along the boardwalk.
The Ironman 70.3 or Half Ironman distances are half the distances of the regular Ironman (3.8 kilometres swim, 180 kilometres bike and 42.1 kilometres run).
In this fourth edition of the competition, which had not been held since 2019 due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus, athletes from 32 countries are participating, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Spain, Peru and Venezuela.
The organizer of the event, Daniel de Montreuil, explained to Xinhua that holding the event in Peru puts the country “in the world’s spotlight” as it demonstrates its capacity to organize events of this scale.
“Having so much international presence, so many countries participating, showing the city and the beauty of Lima’s Costa Verde,” he said and considered that “it is essential for the outside world to see us, to know us, and clearly in the future events of this kind will continue to be held in our capital.
On this occasion, he said, the event represents an excellent opportunity for athletes because it provides quotas for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, to be held in the Finnish city of Lathi on August 26 and 27.
The country with the most registered athletes is the host country, with approximately 750 athletes, Salvador Ruiz-González and the brothers Ada and Rodrigo Bravo.
De Montreuil considered that Peru aspires to be “among the top 10 of the podium” to continue progressing in this way.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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