IRONMAN’s First China Race IRONMAN 70.3 Hefei Wraps up Successfully
16.10.2016
IRONMAN 70.3 Hefei triathlon is held in Hefei on October 16.
Champion of male professionals Brad Kahlefeldt (Australia)
Champion of female professionals Radka Vodickova (Czech)
Top three male finishers celebrates after the race.HEFEI, China (October 16, 2016) – Tens of thousands of spectators helped set the scene in the capital city of Anhui province to witness for the very first time the spirit and excitement of IRONMAN as Brad Kahlefedlt (AUS) and Radka Vodickova (CZE) earned victories at the inaugural Hefei Wanda City IRONMAN 70.3 Hefei triathlon. Kahlefedlt took top honors in the men’s race with an overall time of 03:55:32, while Vodickova bested the rest of the women’s field with a time of 4:13:50. The top finisher from the host nation of China was Hao Miao who crossed with a time 04:07:44, good for eighth place overall.
The race – which comprised of a 1.2-mile (1.9km) swim, 56-mile (90km) bike and 13.1-mile (21.1km) half-marathon run – drew 1,600 registered athletes and saw 332 athletes cross an IRONMAN 70.3 finish line for the very first time.
The 2016 Hefei Wanda City IRONMAN 70.3 Hefei triathlon started with a swim that took place in beautiful Swan Lake located in the heart of Hefei. Athletes then enjoyed a bike from Swan Lake south through the city of Hefei reaching Chaohu Lake. Finally, athletes embarked on a two-loop run course that showcased the magnificent Wanda Cultural and Tourism City that includes the newly opened Hefei Wanda Theme Park and impressive Hefei Wanda Mall that holds an indoor water park. Representing 59 countries, competitors ranged in age from 18-78 years old. Celebrity relays racing the first-year event included the likes of three-time IRONMAN World Champion and two-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Craig “Crowie” Alexander; Olympic Gold Medalists Yin Jian (sailing), Jiao Liuyang (swimming), and Li Na (diving); popular male Chinese singer Sha Baoliang; the former top women’s badminton player in the world, Ye Zhaoying; and models Zheng Lixian and Zhu Lin.
One of more than 100 events in the global IRONMAN 70.3 Series, the inaugural Hefei Wanda City IRONMAN 70.3 Hefei triathlon offered a total professional prize purse of $25,000 USD and 50 coveted age-group qualifying slots to the 2017 IRONMAN World Championship, taking place on October 14 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. In addition, the event also offered 50 slots to the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship which will be held in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the United States.
A full race recap will be available at www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/ironman-life.aspx. Visit www.ironman.com/hefei70.3 for event information. Full results for the Hefei Wanda City IRONMAN 70.3 Hefei triathlon can be found at www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/asiapac/ironman-70.3/hefei/results.aspx.
Next up in China will be the inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Xiamen triathlon taking place on November 13, 2016. Continuing the expansion of race offerings in China, IRONMAN will be adding three new events in 2017 to join Hefei and Xiamen with IRONMAN 70.3 Liuzhou (April 1, 2017), IRONMAN 70.3 Qujing (May 28, 2017), and IRONMAN 70.3 Chongqing (September 24, 2017). China now has five IRONMAN 70.3 events taking place throughout the country next year.