Triathlete James Easson of England survived three tough races on the Senggigi coast in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, to win the 2008 Emaar Lombok International Triathlon on Sunday.
Easson completed a 1.8-kilometer swim, 55-kilometer bicycle ride and 12-kilometer run in 3 hours and 24 minutes, to come out ahead of the pack of around 300 triathletes in the triathlon's second ever running.
"Swimming is the toughest part of the race. The cycling course is also tough, with hilly roads and steep turns to beat," the 28-year-old told reporters during the post-race medal ceremony.
The victory was Easson's first in his three-year triathlon career.
Australia's Michael Outhred came second in a time of 3 hours and 27 minutes, while home favorite and last year's runner-up Mohammad Kadri settled for third place with 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Kadri also took home the winner's purse of Rp 5 million out of the total Rp 12.5 million on offer to local competitors.
The competition, which looked more like a fun run than a professional contest, saw many amateurs bringing up the rear with a big time difference. The last triathletes took more than five hours to complete the race.
"The essence of this event is not about winning the race, but about taking part. That's why we don't have a cut-off time for participants to complete the entire race," said race director Matte Vijverberg from event organizer Tribob.com.
Natalie Marquet, a Tribob.com executive, said she hoped the Lombok triathlon would become one of the biggest triathlon events in the region.
"With a bigger number of participants in future events, we can start inviting professional triathletes and the country's top triathletes to help spice up the competition," Marquet said.
"There will be higher cash prizes up for grabs," she added.
West Nusa Tenggara Governor Zaenal Majedi, who officiated the race, praised the event's ability to draw in many foreign tourists.
"This race should be made an annual event because it helps promote tourism here," he said.
Lombok, known for its pristine beaches and exotic scenery, lies close to the world-renowned resort island of Bali. But the absence of international flights and infrequent domestic flights to the local Selaparang Airport has kept this resort island off the tourist radar.
Earlier, the race organizers said some competitors could not make it to the race because of problems in scheduling flights.
"Yes, we've heard many triathletes couldn't come due to flight problems. We will follow up on this immediately," said the newly elected governor.
"We are now finalizing negotiations with some airlines to up their frequency of flights to Selaparang Airport as part of our efforts to boost tourism."
Maureen Ferry Cuellar, assistant director of development for main sponsor Emaar Properties, announced her company would continue sponsoring the event in coming years.
"This is just the beginning, since we have a number of activities and projects here," Cuellar said at a press briefing.
Under the Lombok Project, the Dubai-based property giant plans to build a premium resort and residential complex in Central Lombok spanning more than 1,200 hectares.
Sumber : www.thejakartapost.com
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar