Abu Dhabi Triathlon

(Abu Dhabi, UAE) World class triathlon racing is now coming to the Middle East. Past Ironman world champion, Faris Al-Sultan, is a resident of the UAE and team captain of the Abu Dhabi Pro Triathlon Team that recently announced a new race on March 10th, 2010.

As someone who was raised in nearby Saudi Arabia and recently traveled back to the Middle East and witnessed the intense interest in endurance sports in communities with expat and Western populations, this is long overdue. The region already boasts world class events including; horse racing (camel racing too), adventure racing, race car driving, and now triathlon!

This event will draw the attention of all the heavy hitters from the international professional scene. It features an unique distance of a 3-k ocean swim, 200-k bike, and 20-k run. The temperatures in this part of the world was a factor in determining the distance, but possibly wanting to cater towards the strengths of their favorite, local hero, the race also suits the strengths of the powerful cyclist Al-Sultan. With a prize purse of $230,000, paying $50,000 to first place, it would be a surprise it other strong cyclists like Norman Stadler, Chris McDonald, Chris Lieto, Ain Alar Juhanson, Matty Reed, Massimo Ciagano, and their two wheeled peers opted not to toe the line. Surely, Chrissie Wellington and Julie Dibens will have their eyes wide open to a race like this.

A race like this will also provide a local race for expats to compete on the same stage as the athlete's they could previously only follow in the magazines and through on-line websites.

Here is a link to the Abu Dhabi Triathlon website: http://www.abudhabitriathlon.com/