Following the success of the first edition of IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo 2018 which took place in the country early this year and which had managed to attract over 880 participants and over 2,300 friends and families from 63 countries, and foreign exchange contributions close to USD 3 million, the organizers have once again joined hands to hold the triathlon for the second consecutive year.
The upcoming triathlon is which is due to be held on 24th February 2019, will be conducted by Pro Am Serendib (Pvt) Ltd. in collaboration with private and public sector organisations such as Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Ministry of Tourism.The IRONMAN 70.3, which is also dubbed as Half IRONMAN, is part of a series of long distance triathlon races held globally, which was initiated by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The “70.3” in this segment denotes the total distance (113.0 km) covered in the race and consists of a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim, a 56-mile (90 km) bike ride, and a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run. So, each of these distances, comprising of the swim, bike, and run segments is half the distance of that segment in an Ironman IRONMAN triathlon.
The 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo 2019 triathlon is an age-group only race offering 30 qualifying slots for the forthcoming 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Managing Director, Sutheash Balasubramaniam said, “Through events such as IRONMAN, our aim is to spread the message about Sri Lanka as a 365 day destination and leverage on existing tractions such as the sun, sea and sand which Sri Lanka enjoys in abundance.”