IRONMAN races to challenge Chinese fitness enthusiasts

As more and more Chinese embrace exercise, organizers of an international triathlon series are hoping the grueling sport's popularity will gain momentum in China.

Sporting enthusiasts in China have long embraced swimming, cycling and distance running as part of their regular exercising routine. But all three events together?

The introduction of two half-triathlon races under the World Triathlon Corporation's umbrella this year will provide new platforms for Chinese athletes to test their physical and mental toughness. They will feature a 1.9 km swim, 90 km bicycle ride and 21.1 km run — in that order and without a break.

The first race will be in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, on Oct 16, and the second will be in Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian province, on Nov 13. Both races have been recognized as official IRONMAN 70.3 events, the half-length series named for the total distance in miles, on WTC's world calendar.

Landing the two races cemented Chinese property and entertainment conglomerate Wanda Group's pledge to bring an active and healthy lifestyle to Chinese people when it purchased WTC for $650 million in August.

"With an increasing number of Chinese, especially among the elite group in the society, embracing fitness exercise as a life necessity, the demand for more challenging exercise such as triathlon will significantly grow, thus bringing new business opportunities," said Liu Pei, an executive from Wanda Sports Holding Co.

Since it was first organized in 1978, the IRONMAN triathlon series under WTC has expanded to more than 250 races around the world, including the prestigious IRONMAN World Championship held in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, every October and the IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds, which heads to a new country every year.

To inspire greater participation in the event, WTC announced recently in Beijing that each of the Chinese races' top 15 finishers will earn an automatic berth to compete in the IRONMAN Worlds, while the top 50 participants will be qualified for the IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds.

The Chinese races are expected to help the triathlon, which annually attracts more than 250,000 athletes, mostly from Western countries, to gain a solid foothold in China, said Christopher Stadler, WTC's chief marketing officer.

"I am really confident that triathlon will become a new fitness fashion in China for its unique charm of combing three disciplines into one, as well as exposing participants in natural environments," said Shui Pi, chief editor of China Times, the media group that markets and promotes the two races as a co-organizer.