Bintan Lagoon’s triathlon course
A record number of athletes competed in the 3rd AvivaBintan Triathlon held May 26 and 27, 2007 at the picturesque Bintan Lagoon Resort in
The $30,000 triathlon, the largest in
The final 10 km run course is one of the toughest in the world, with a lung-busting, undulating course around the attractive resort’s golf course. The steep sections of the triathlon course are so tough that many participants are forced to walk on the steep sections of the 10 km run.
Leading the race for the top prize of $6,000 this year were 12 international professional tri athletes with Australians dominating the first four positions in the men’s professional race. Defending champion Courtney Atkinson of
Other placers included Richie Cunningham who captured second spot. Levi Maxwell and Brad Beven, four-time World Cup champion who was previously ranked number one for four consecutive years, finished third and fourth respectively. Philippine national team member Arland Macasieb took sixth spot with a time of
In the women’s pro event, Scottish elite athlete and Bintan defending champion Alice Hector kept her title with a time of
Inspirational speaker, painter, paraplegic athlete and Paralympian Gregory Burns of the
Women’s division winner Hector, a master’s student in
Hector says that during the race, although she was swimming well, she felt cramp in her feet which she figured was due to dehydration. She says that the heavy rains helped her as she was concerned about the heat having left
With respect to the sponsors and the prize money, Hector said, “Aviva are fantastic sponsors and the money I earned from the race makes such a big difference for me. I can now train professionally over the summer without having to worry about finances, which in turn will hopefully lead to better performance and the chance to continue my professional triathlon career.”
Fourth placer Beven gave his own account of the race: “Bintan is one of the most challenging races in the world in a spectacular setting. Even the storm was enjoyable. Hot and hilly coming from
Macasieb says epic is the only word to describe the bike segment of the race. As it had been raining continuously throughout the week, an afternoon shower was expected. About 10 kilometers into the bike segment, the few drops of rain progressed into a downpour, almost like a typhoon. The rain was so bad that Macasieb could not see the road through his sunglasses which quickly fogged up – but then the alternative was to have the hard pellets or rain beat into one’s eyes. Macasieb says riding through four puddles of rain that looked like small rivers formed from the runoff and negotiating a cobblestone section of the road made the course very dangerous.
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