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The global sporting spotlight falls once more on the kingdom as the world’s top triathletes compete in the Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship on Saturday.
And Ironman world champion Daniela Ryf could run off with a $1 million prize if she succeeds in taking the final third leg of the Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Triple Crown Triathlon Championship.
After winning the previous two races in the series – Challenge Dubai and the Ironman 70.3 World Championship at Zell am See in Austria – she is now the only athlete still eligible to take home the massive prize pot should she once again prove triumphant and make it a hat-trick of successes.
Resting at the Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa resort after flying into Bahrain, she said: “I’m ready and determined and in the shape of my life. I’m very excited to get out there. My preparation has gone very well and I hope I can show my best this weekend.”
Ryf, whose nickname is ‘angry bird’, given to her by her coach and teammates, will be one ‘happy bird’ should she walk off with the winnings. However, she insists she is not motivated by the money but a love of the sport and has ‘no idea’ what she would do with the cash if she won it. “I’m trying not to think about that,” she added.
The 28-year-old Swiss miss has recently been training in Thailand with her coach Brett Sutton in preparation for this weekend’s event.
Ryf will be swimming, cycling and running against more than 1,000 adult athletes, including her Bahrain Endurance 13 teammates such as Great Britain’s Jodie Swallow, Australian Caroline Steffen, American Benjamin Hoffman, Canadian Brent McMahon, South African James Cunnama, German Sebastian Kienle, New Zealand’s Terenzo Bozzone and German double world champion Jan Frodeno.
The team’s managing director, Michael Gilliam, said: “Daniela is setting new benchmarks for women in sport and we wish her all the best. She is a tremendous role model.”
Gilliam is also an adviser to the Bahrain Olympic Committee and personal adviser for Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, His Majesty the King’s Representative for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president, who will be participating in the event.
The triathletes will face the challenge of a 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride and 21km run, in what is known as a ‘half-ironman’ and the leading competitors train for around 30 to 45 hours-a-week to race to success.
Many local sporting enthusiasts have been following leading coach Andy Price’s essential tips published recently in the run-up to the race in GulfWeekly to prepare for the swimming, cycling and running competition.
His last piece of advice is simple. He said: “When you come to the starting line you should have one goal and make it something achievable. Finishing the race in itself will be a huge accomplishment, especially for first-time triathletes taking part.
“There are many Bahrainis and expats living in the kingdom entering and they have put in a lot of hard work. Bahrain has a thriving triathlon community.
“We started training at the Bahrain Triathlon Club around August and these guys are out all days of the week, cycling from 5am. It’s really inspiring to see the effort they have put in. They will have to have the mental strength to want to finish this gruelling challenge.”
Hoffman, who hopes to break the world record by completing this event in less than three hours and 34 seconds, agrees. “You have trained so hard, so make sure you enjoy the race.”
In a pre-race media call, at the Fitness First studio in Moda Mall on Sunday, he said: “It would be wonderful to break the record but it’s so ‘condition dependent’ that it’s hard to say. There really has to be cool temperatures and a helpful wind and everything has to go right on the day.”
The swim starts at 7am from Prince Khalifa bin Salman Park in Hidd, in the sea just north of a bridge connecting Bahrain and Muharraq. Afterwards, athletes will jump on their bikes and pass by Al Fateh Grand Mosque, the Bahrain Museum, Bahrain Bay and the Four Seasons hotel, Bahrain World Trade Centre, Bahrain Financial Harbour, the Dilmun Burial Mounds, past the National Charter Monument and on to the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) for the last 5km of a 90km ride.
The majority of the cycle route will be completely shut to cars and lorries with the remainder turned into a three-lane road with two of them dedicated to Ironman 70.3 Bahrain.
Athletes will then run one loop around the BIC before heading out of the venue to follow a course to and through Al Areen Wildlife Park.
Families, friends and supporters will be waiting for them to finish near the Formula 1 team buildings back at the BIC.
According to Price, who will also be competing in a team event, the best place for spectators to catch the action is where there are change-overs between the sporting disciplines.
For more information, visit https://eu.ironman.com/triathlon/events/emea/ironman-70.3/bahrain.aspx#axzz3sxkZdmYG
* The Bahrain Endurance 13 will also conduct a year-end camp with the Bahrain National Team and young elite athletes supported by the team. Its members have each committed to give a portion of their winnings from racing around the world towards training and development, opening opportunities for promising athletes in Bahrain to pursue triathlon as a professional sport.
