Da Nang, Vietnam plays Host to the 2019 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championships

By Mike Fielder May 8, 2019

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2-time Ironman World Champion Patrick Lange of Germany Headlines a solid startlist of Professional Athletes

As part of the 5 th year anniversary of the Ironman 70.3 Vietnam, it will also be tagged as host to the IRONMAN 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship for the first time ever this May 12. The reputation of this event continues to grow each year and it has been identified as one of the best races in the region. From a single event in 2015, the event has become a multi-day, multi-sport festival that attracts athletes from across the globe and has inspired more and more Vietnamese athletes to embrace the sport and the healthy lifestyle that comes along with the challenge of completing one of the hardest, single-day endurance challenges in the world.

“It is exciting to have the IRONMAN 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship return to Southeast Asia again in 2019”, said IRONMAN Asia Managing Director, Geoff Meyer. “Having Vietnam host this championship event reflects the incredible growth of the sport in this country as we have witnessed a 10-fold increase in Vietnamese participants since the inaugural event in 2015.

The event is expected to attract a large field of professional athletes given the large prize purse of 75,000 USD. Additionally, the TECHCOMBANK IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam Asia-Pacific Championship will have 50 qualifying slots for the 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France.

The 2019 edition will see many professional athletes return, including reigning IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam and 2016 70.3 World Champion, Tim Reed, who is eager to return to defend his title. “The 2019 TECHCOMBANK IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam combines all of my favorite aspects of triathlon into what will be one amazing weekend; an incredibly beautiful location, a very unique cultural experience, world class
competition and a championship IRONMAN 70.3 event run by the very best triathlon organization in the business, Sunrise Events – I can’t wait!”

Leading the strong field of male pros out to dethrone Reed is 2-time Ironman World Champion Patrick Lange of Germany. Lange has been staying and training out of Phuket in Thailand as part of heat acclimatization training. 45-year old 5-time World Champion Craig Alexander will also start and has enjoyed a strong start to his season, having won Ironman 70.3 in Liuzhou and Busselton as well as a strong runner-up finish in Davao. Tim Don (GBR), Mike Phillips (NZL), Mauricio Mendez (MEX) and Terrenzo Bozzone (NZL) are all expected to toughen up the championship race which includes a total of $75,000 Pro Prize purse.

Radka Kahlefeldt, the 2018 TECHCOMBANK IRONMAN 70.3 Vietnam female champion and reigning Asia-Pacific Champion has already committed to returning to one of her favorite race destinations in the world and shared, “I will be back as Vietnam is one of my favorite countries. It is also easy to travel to and is not only a great race but also a fun race week and very family friendly. There is so much to do that I would recommend coming with family and friends and staying a few days longer after the race to enjoy beautiful Vietnam, and experience the local food and wonderful hospitality.”

Out to dethrone Kahlefeldt in the women’s race are Holly Lawrence (GBR), Ellie Salthouse (AUS), Sarah Crowley (AUS) and Amelia Watkinson (NZL).