New Zealand’s Mike Phillips Back to Defend Title in Ironman 70.3 Bintan

By Wires August 16, 2018

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2017 male elite champion Mike Phillips of New Zealand will be back to defend his title at the 2018 Ironman 70.3 Bintan. A total of 17 professional triathletes will toe the startline to compete for thepro purse and qualifying points for the 2019 Ironman 70.3 World Championship to be held in Nice, France.

Phillips will be the definitive favorite in the men’s race, having won last year in Bintan but will have his hands full with the presence of 2016 Ironman 70.3 World Champion Tim Reed. Out to spoil Phillip’s quest for a repeat are Guy Crawford (NZL), Luke McKenzie (AUS), Matt Burton (AUS), Kibby Mitchell (AUS), Levi Maxwell (AUS), Blake Kappler (AUS) and Mark Bowstead (NZL).

In the women’s race, it will be an open race with the absence of defending champion Amelia Watkinson of New Zealand. Early favorites to win the female elite title are Beth McKenzie (USA), 2016 Champion Kate Bevilaqua (AUS) and Anna Eberhardt of Hungary. Completing the female pro line-up are Sabrina Stadelmann (CHE), Kirralee Seidel (AUS) and LIsa Tyack of Australia.

The 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 Bintan will see more than 1,300 athletes representing 39 countries start the race on Sunday, the 19^th of August.

One of more than 100 events in the global IRONMAN 70.3 Series, the 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 Bintan triathlon will take the athletes along a 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike and 21-km run on the beautiful island course of Bintan, Indonesia. Voted Overall BEST long-distance triathlon race in Asia in 2017, Bintan treats athletes to a paradise of calm crystal-clear waters, lush green forests, rolling hills and lively local crowd.

Athletes will begin their day to start in the white sand beach of Bintan and take off in a 1 lap swim. The swim course, voted as Asia’s best by AsiaTRI.com, is characterized by having excellent visibility with calm, no-swell conditions. Once off the water, triathletes will be greeted by one of Asia’s best bike course on a single lap of endless views of lush, dense green forest to fantastic coastal scenery. The triathletes will end their day in a 2-lap run course that offers a more varied scenery. A long out and back section also gives participants the opportunity to see their fellow athletes. Fun spectating spots are introduced this year to enhance the experience both for athletes and spectators.