New Ironman 70.3 Champions set to be crowned in Vietnam

The3rd edition of the Ironman 70.3 Vietnam Powered By Number 1 Energy Drinkwill see former Ironman 70.3 and Ironman champions competing for top honors in an event that has become a favorite destination among athletes from around the globe

Danang, VIETNAM (May 5, 2017) —Race week is upon us as Danang City prepares to welcome triathletes from around the world for the 3rdand largest ever edition of theaward winning Ironman 70.3 Vietnam Powered by Number 1 Energy Drink on Sunday, May 7th.

The 2017 edition will welcome over 1,330 athletes from 59 countries, including 19professional athletes and over 100 relay teams. Vietnam will once again be the largest country represented with over 390 athletes.Among the professional athletes racing will be podium finishers from the 2016 event and past Ironman and Ironman 70.3 World Champions. Also, worth noting is the addition of a Showdown category that will pit eleven of the top overall age-groupers in the region in a head-to-head challenge for top honors as the best amateur athlete in the region.

The 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21km run will follow the same stunning course as last year but will feature a new expanded transition area next to the Hyatt Regency Spa & Resort, the host hotel for the third year.

Racing for top honors on the men’s side will be Australian Tim Van Berkel who will look to move up one spot on the podium to take the title vacated by last year’s champion Cyril Viennot. Hot on his heels will be fellow Australians Luke McKenzie who finished 3rd last year and 2011 Ironman World Champion Pete Jacobs. Two-time Ironman 70.3 World Champion Michael Raelart of Germany and 2nd place 2017 Challenge Wanaka finisher Mike Phillips of New Zealand will also be athletes to watch.

With two-time defending champion Caroline Steffen missing the event this year, Australian Dimity Lee Duke, last year’s third place finisher will be the odds on favorite to take top honors among the female professionals on Sunday. Challenging her for podium positions will be fellow Australian Sara Lester, Hungarian Anna Eberhardt and New Zealander Laura Wood.

Complementing the Ironman 70.3 race will be several other events throughout race weekend,creating opportunities for the entire family to participate. Activities start on Friday, May 5th with the second Newborns Vietnam run-out from the Hyatt Regency Spa & Resort to the Danang Women and Children’s hospital to raise awareness for the work ofNewborns Vietnam, a Danang-based charity focused on reducing infant mortality in Vietnam. Over the last two years the event has helped raise over USD50,000 to support the Newborns Vietnam cause.On Saturday morning, May 6th, Ironkids will return for the second year with an expanded format to include an aquathlon (swim and run) in addition to a run-only event for kids 6 to 14.

The Sunrise Sprint, a shorter distance triathlon consisting of a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run will also make its debut this year on Sunday, May 7th after the start of the 70.3 race. This shorter distance event will attract new and experienced athletes seeking a challenge in a shorter format event and track a portion of the 70.3 race course.Altogether, over 1,700 athletes from as young as 6 to as old as 80 will be racing throughout the weekend making this the biggest annual international sporting event in the country.

The IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam 2017 powered by Number 1 Energy Drink serves as a qualifying race for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, with 30 qualifying slots available. There will also be 2 slots available for the top Vietnamese male and female.

ABOUT SUNRISE EVENTS VIETNAM
Sunrise Events Vietnam was established in 2015 and is the exclusive licensee of the World Triathlon Corporation for IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam, named Asia’s Best Long Course Destination Triathlon in 2016. The vision of the company is to stage world-class IRONMAN and other endurance events that will establish Vietnam as a sought-after sports tourism hub in Asia. Sunrise Events Vietnam is an affiliate of Sunrise Events, Inc. of the Philippines, organizer of World Triathlon Corporation-licensed triathlon events Century Tuna IRONMAN 70.3, Safeguard Active 5150, Regent 5150 and Cobra IRONMAN 70.3 which hosted the 2016 Asia Pacific Championships.

ABOUT NUMBER 1 – PRESENTING SPONSOR

Throughout its 22 year history, Number 1 corporation has been a market leader in providing healthy products from natural sources that contain no preservativesor industrial colorsincluding: Dr. Thanh Herbal Tea, Tra Xanh Khong Do, Number 1 Energy Drink and Number 1 Active. Number 1 products are exported to 16 countries around the world.

With the mission of “community health”, Number 1 Corporation sponsors many local and international sporting events in Vietnam including the Binh Duong Football – Number 1 Cup, An Giang female bicycle racing cup, boxing, traditional martial arts and the International Martial Arts festival to promote the improvement of physical fitness for Vietnamese and to also introduce Vietnamese culture to the international community. In 2017 Number 1 Corporation is proud to sponsor IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam for the 3rd time to bring the most globally recognized brand in triathlon and endurance sports to Vietnam.