During a visit to the Da Nang Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital last Friday, representatives from the organising board of the IRONMAN Triathlon promised to raise around 40,000 USD from participating athletes and international organisations to help the hospital buy medical equipment.

The VNG IRONMAN 70.3 Viet Nam Triathlon, the first of its kind to be held in Viet Nam, took place in Da Nang on Sunday morning.  The event saw the participation of over 1,000 athletes from 54 countries and territories around the world.

First place in the men’s professional athlete category went to South African James Cunnama who finished the 113km race in a time of 3 hours 51 minutes and 29 seconds.  Behind him were Timothy Reed from Australia in 3 hours 55 minutes and 44 seconds, Terenzo Bozzone from New Zealand in 3 hours 57 minutes and 7 seconds, Cyril Viennot from France in 3 hours 57 minutes and 39 seconds, and Josh Amberger from Australia in 4 hours and 24 seconds.

In the women’s category, Caroline Steffen from Switzerland took the 1^st prize in a time of 4 hours 21 minutes and 40 seconds, whilst Liz Blatchford from Australia finished second in 4 hours 23 minutes and 48 seconds, and another Australian, Dimity-Lee Duke, came third in 4 hours 31 minutes and 10 seconds.

Here are some photos, taken by reporter Bao An, showing the toughness of the endurance race.

Getting ready for the 1.9km swim

The contestants in the swimming race

After finishing the swim, the contestants next started a 90km bike ride

The first female finisher in the bike ride

An athlete tries to cool down

Local volunteers provide water for an athlete along the way

A male contestant’s determination shows on his face

Despite the hot weather, these two contestants are smiling

South African athlete James Cunnama winning the men’s category

Caroline Steffen from Switzerland winning the women’s category