Attracting a total of over 2,000 athletes from around 50 countries and territories worldwide, the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship 2019, which took place in Da Nang on Sunday, proved greatly successful, hereby re-affirm the city’s stature as an ideal destination for international-scale sporting events.

The athletes competing in a bike course

Former IRONMAN 70.3 world champion Patrick Lange from Germany Patrick Lange got his triathlon season underway with a win at the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship 2019, marking his first title from the race in Viet Nam.

Finishing in 3:49:09, Lange held off challenges from Tim van Berkel (3:50:57), and Tim Reed (3:52:14) to secure an emotional win.

In detail, Lange came out of the water in 22:31 in a group with all the other favorites including Tim Don, Terenzo Bozzone, Mauricio Mendez, Tim Van Berkel, Craig Alexander and Tim Reed. On the bike Tim

Reed took the initiative, and opened up a lead of 2:3 on the group by the end of the 90-km bike. Lange once again showed his running prowess in the hot half marathon - his 1:15:55 split was the fastest of the day and earned him the victory.

“I was so happy seeing the finish line,” Lange said after the race. "It’s a tough race in the warm and humid conditions in central Viet Nam.” “Techcombank Ironman 70.3-Asia Pacific Championship was the first race of the season, and I chose it on purpose,” he said. “It was also my first chance to see where my fitness is right now.”

On the women’s side, Holly Lawrence from the UK led from start to finish and took the win in a record-setting time of 4:04:41. She was followed by Sarah Crowley from (4:08:55) and Radka Kahlefeldt (4:11:04). A particularly strong swimming and cycling performance laid the foundation for Lawrence’s victory at this challenging event.

The race started at 6 a.m. on Sunday, with the ocean swim course taking place first, followed by the bike course and finally the run course.

Despite scorching weather, the contestants showing their strong determination to gain their best possible results

Under the event’s rule, participants were treated to a fast and scenic course that began with a 1.9–km ocean swim in front of the beautiful Hyatt Regency Da Nang Resort & Spa, host hotel and race central. From there, athletes enjoyed a scenic two–loop 90–km bike course on smooth, well paved roads that run along Da Nang's pristine coastline and pass some of the city's key landmarks. The final 21–km out–and–back run course was flat and passed many of Da Nang's famous beach resorts before returning to the Hyatt for a stunning beach front finish.

The weather on Sunday morning was nice with a decent amount of sunshine and small-medium size waves.

According to Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports Huynh Van Hung, with the racing route stretching through 5 districts, the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship 2019 brought new emotions to the athletes, and offered an opportunity to stimulate the development of the city’s tourism industry as well.

Ironman Asia Pacific CEO Geoff Meyer happily remarked that in recent years, more Vietnamese nationals have shown their interest in triathlon. This year’s event saw a total of about 1,000 Vietnamese participants, 20 times higher than they were in 2015, and accounting for 50% of the registered athletes.

According to the formal statistics released by the Sunrise Events, it is estimated that each athlete spent an average of 2,250 USD / person for travel, accommodation, dining, shopping services and other demands during their stay for IRONMAN 70.3 in the previous years.

The city's tourism and services brought in revenue of 9.2 millionUS$ from the 2018 VNG Ironman 70.3 Viet Nam. These figures clearly demonstrated great benefits this international-scale sporting event brought to Da Nang.