A host of the world’s top female athletes are leading the charge for the inaugural US$250,000 Abu Dhabi International Triathlon (ADIT) as sign-up for the March event continues to swell, with more than 500 entrants from 25 countries already confirmed.
Current Ironman 70.3 and Xterra Triathlon World Champion and 70.3 distance world record holder, Great Britain’s Julie Dibens - widely regarded as one of the world’s fastest competitors - will be looking to add the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) organised event to her long list of accolades.
“I am super excited about making the trip to Abu Dhabi in March. It is a great opportunity for me to step up in distance and try to learn a lot about myself. With such a great organisation behind the race, and a great prize purse, it is set to attract a great field of top pro males and females,” said Dibens, who currently holds four world records.
“I am excited to travel to a part of the world that I have never been to before, and hope that my body is ready to deliver the goods on the day.”
However, the Netherlands’ Yvonne Van Vlerken, the 2008 Ironman World Championship runner up and past Ironman world record holder; Britain’s Leanda Cave, the past Olympic and long distance world champion; and American duo of Sam McGlone, previous Ironman 70.3 World Champion, and Hillary Biscay, who has notched up 10 top three Ironman finishes in the last two years, are amongst 20 other top-tier professional women currently registered for the adrenaline-pumping ADIT, taking place 13th March 2010.
"I can’t wait; I’m really looking forward to racing the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon. The race-distances, the course-design and professionalism of the organisation are promising to make this race a hotspot in the event’s calendar. The world will see triathlon at its best and I am thrilled that Abu Dhabi is adding triathlon to the list of successful world-class events,” said Van Vlerken.
Primed to be an ‘instant classic’, the ADIT is being raced across two unique lengths, a testing 223kms ‘pure power’ course and a second 111.5kms route. And with its first-of-its-kind format, with a finishing running leg shorter than typical Ironman events to allow for quicker recovery, athletes are looking forward to trying out the new distances.
“I am so excited to be part of a first-year race of this calibre; the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon is doing a great thing for our sport, and for long-distance racing, by upping the stakes and putting on a first-class event. Our sport needs more races like this! I am really looking forward to racing in a new part of the world and to lining up next to the best in the world. This race's unique distances and top-notch field are going to make for a very exciting event; I've been training hard all winter and am looking forward to seeing how I measure up!” said Biscay.
Aimed at attracting up to 1,000 triathletes, including the world’s top 50, ADIT has already secured competitors from Australasia, Europe, the Middle East, Americas, North Africa, the Far East, Russia and Africa – a clear indication of ADIT’s global appeal.
And with a pro-women field shaping up to the one of the best this year world-wide, and the event’s growing reputation as the ‘most hotly anticipated new race in 2010’ - as announced by US-based Triathlete magazine, the world's largest triathlon publication - ADTA believes ADIT will be a major draw for local and international competitors.
"There has been a significant groundswell concerning this event since we launched in November, which has continued to generate major interest from amateurs and professionals the world over. With its unique format, distances and route landscape, the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon has certainly put the emirate on the global racing map and continues to reinforce our pursuit of becoming a major adventure athletics destination of distinction,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Head- Major Events Division, ADTA.
To enhance the accessibility of the event, ADTA has introduced a relay element for the 111.5kms route, where a team of three can each take on a single discipline choosing the 1.5kms swim, a 100kms cycle or a 10kms run, which it believes will be perfect for aspiring athletes and corporate involvement.
Both ADIT routes, which are open to amateurs and elites alike, will take in a host of Abu Dhabi city landmarks with the event’s opening swim leg taking place in the lagoon of the hallmark Emirates Palace, one of the world’s most luxurious hotels, and the cycling section passing some of the destination’s most iconic sights including the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the world’s largest, and along Abu Dhabi’s signature Corniche - all under the safety of completely closed roads.
The route will then go east of the city over Saadiyat Island, the 27 square kilometre natural island which is 500 metres offshore Abu Dhabi city, and on to the destination’s emerging entertainment hub of Yas Island - home to the highly successful 2009 Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – where they will compete on the same circuit as many of the world’s top race drivers.
The athletes will then run back to the Corniche through the Heritage Village to the west of the city.
Current Ironman 70.3 and Xterra Triathlon World Champion and 70.3 distance world record holder, Great Britain’s Julie Dibens - widely regarded as one of the world’s fastest competitors - will be looking to add the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) organised event to her long list of accolades.
“I am super excited about making the trip to Abu Dhabi in March. It is a great opportunity for me to step up in distance and try to learn a lot about myself. With such a great organisation behind the race, and a great prize purse, it is set to attract a great field of top pro males and females,” said Dibens, who currently holds four world records.
“I am excited to travel to a part of the world that I have never been to before, and hope that my body is ready to deliver the goods on the day.”
However, the Netherlands’ Yvonne Van Vlerken, the 2008 Ironman World Championship runner up and past Ironman world record holder; Britain’s Leanda Cave, the past Olympic and long distance world champion; and American duo of Sam McGlone, previous Ironman 70.3 World Champion, and Hillary Biscay, who has notched up 10 top three Ironman finishes in the last two years, are amongst 20 other top-tier professional women currently registered for the adrenaline-pumping ADIT, taking place 13th March 2010.
"I can’t wait; I’m really looking forward to racing the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon. The race-distances, the course-design and professionalism of the organisation are promising to make this race a hotspot in the event’s calendar. The world will see triathlon at its best and I am thrilled that Abu Dhabi is adding triathlon to the list of successful world-class events,” said Van Vlerken.
Primed to be an ‘instant classic’, the ADIT is being raced across two unique lengths, a testing 223kms ‘pure power’ course and a second 111.5kms route. And with its first-of-its-kind format, with a finishing running leg shorter than typical Ironman events to allow for quicker recovery, athletes are looking forward to trying out the new distances.
“I am so excited to be part of a first-year race of this calibre; the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon is doing a great thing for our sport, and for long-distance racing, by upping the stakes and putting on a first-class event. Our sport needs more races like this! I am really looking forward to racing in a new part of the world and to lining up next to the best in the world. This race's unique distances and top-notch field are going to make for a very exciting event; I've been training hard all winter and am looking forward to seeing how I measure up!” said Biscay.
Aimed at attracting up to 1,000 triathletes, including the world’s top 50, ADIT has already secured competitors from Australasia, Europe, the Middle East, Americas, North Africa, the Far East, Russia and Africa – a clear indication of ADIT’s global appeal.
And with a pro-women field shaping up to the one of the best this year world-wide, and the event’s growing reputation as the ‘most hotly anticipated new race in 2010’ - as announced by US-based Triathlete magazine, the world's largest triathlon publication - ADTA believes ADIT will be a major draw for local and international competitors.
"There has been a significant groundswell concerning this event since we launched in November, which has continued to generate major interest from amateurs and professionals the world over. With its unique format, distances and route landscape, the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon has certainly put the emirate on the global racing map and continues to reinforce our pursuit of becoming a major adventure athletics destination of distinction,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Head- Major Events Division, ADTA.
To enhance the accessibility of the event, ADTA has introduced a relay element for the 111.5kms route, where a team of three can each take on a single discipline choosing the 1.5kms swim, a 100kms cycle or a 10kms run, which it believes will be perfect for aspiring athletes and corporate involvement.
Both ADIT routes, which are open to amateurs and elites alike, will take in a host of Abu Dhabi city landmarks with the event’s opening swim leg taking place in the lagoon of the hallmark Emirates Palace, one of the world’s most luxurious hotels, and the cycling section passing some of the destination’s most iconic sights including the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the world’s largest, and along Abu Dhabi’s signature Corniche - all under the safety of completely closed roads.
The route will then go east of the city over Saadiyat Island, the 27 square kilometre natural island which is 500 metres offshore Abu Dhabi city, and on to the destination’s emerging entertainment hub of Yas Island - home to the highly successful 2009 Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – where they will compete on the same circuit as many of the world’s top race drivers.
The athletes will then run back to the Corniche through the Heritage Village to the west of the city.
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