Ironman 70.3 Desaru Coast race participants starting out on a 1.9km swim from The Westin Desaru Coast Resort.– Courtesy photos
THE increasing appeal of the triathlon in Malaysia was showcased at the 2023 Desaru Coast Multisport Festival in Johor, which drew over 1,250 participants from more than 50 countries.
Among the participants were Malaysian siblings Daniel John Chen and Esther Joy Chen, who dominated the Ironman 70.3 Desaru Coast race as the fastest Malaysians.
Esther, who had only just recovered from a bout of Covid-19, beat her older brother with a finishing time of 05:03:09.
The 2022 SEA Games triathlete admitted that she did not know what to expect on her debut Ironman 70.3 race.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better performance in my first race.
“I didn’t expect to do this well and to outrun my brother, especially after recovering from Covid-19 a week ago,” she said.
Daniel, meanwhile, finished with a time of 05:03:44.
Besides the Ironman 70.3 Desaru Coast, the three-day multisport festival featured a host of events for beginners and seasoned athletes alike, including the 5150 Triathlon Desaru Coast, Desaru Coast Sprint Triathlon and the Ironkids Desaru Coast.
The Ironkids Desaru Coast also provided plenty of fun for more than 70 children.
This year’s event was made even more appealing by the fact that there were 55 qualification slots to the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland, on Aug 26 and 27.
Twenty-five of those slots were reserved specially for women.
With so many world championship slots to grab, the recent Ironman 70.3 Desaru Coast race turned out to be a hugely engaging affair, with close to 900 participants starting out on a 1.9km swim from The Westin Desaru Coast Resort.
They soon transitioned to a 90km bike course along the long straight, shaded roads before finishing off with a 21km run that culminated with the finish line back at same resort.
On the other winners, Harry Sinclair was crowned the overall fastest male finisher after the Australian turned in a strong and consistent performance to cross the finish line in first place under Desaru’s scorching conditions.
The 26-year-old said this was the most challenging race he’d ever endured.
“This was a big mental game and I had to keep grinding.
“I am glad I got it done, this is the hardest race I have ever done.
“It was a tactical race, I was at the front and I had to keep pushing to get the win,” said Sinclair.
Choo Ling Er, meanwhile, continued to make Malaysia her happy hunting ground.
The Singaporean, who won last year’s Ironman Langkawi 70.3, was the fastest overall female finisher with a time of 04:49:52.
“It was a good day for me. The plan was to swim steady, go hard on the bike and hold on to the run for the win,” she said.
“The weather was brutal, but I’m from Singapore and we have experienced a heatwave, so it was a good acclimatisation for me,” she said.
The oldest female finisher was Michiyo Sekiya, 62, from Japan who finished at 07:12:13, whereas the oldest male finisher was Japan-based Michael Turoczy, 70, with a time of 07:54:25.
Another notable participant was 2023 SEA Games duathlete Tahira Najmunisaa who finished third in her age group of 30-39 with a time of 05:31:11.
While Ironman 70.3 made good as the marquee event, fringe events such as the Sprint Triathlon and 5150 Triathlon also proved valuable experiences for participants who wanted a first-hand Ironman experience.
The Desaru Coast Sprint Triathlon started out with a 750m swim, before transitioning to a 20km bike ride and finishing off with a 5km run.
The 5150 Triathlon Desaru Coast provided a more challenging experience with a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run.
For this Olympic distance category, former national triathlete Thiang Choong Yoong was the fastest overall male finisher and the fastest Malaysian with a time of 02:19:28, while Australian Leanne Szeto finished as the top female by clocking 2:24:13.
The Ironman 70.3 Desaru Coast race turned out to be a hugely engaging affair, with close to 900 participants.
Effarezan Abdul Rahman, meanwhile, took home the honours as the fastest Malaysian female with a time of 3:13:50.
The Ironkids also provided plenty of fun for the more than 70 children who participated, with a comprehensive crew of marshals and security personnel ensuring a safe zone for the children to swim, bike and run.
This year’s Desaru Coast Multisport Festival also served up an array of side activities.
It included the Milo x Wavvy Hub Surfskate Clinic, 5 Club Speed Golf and the Desaru Coast Festival Village.
Ironman Asia managing director Jeff Edwards said yet another successful series in Desaru only highlighted the significance of this venue as a pivotal race in the Ironman calendar.
“The success of back-to-back Ironman races here in Desaru Coast shows what an important event this is not just for Asia, but globally as well.
“We saw great representation from not just Malaysians, but also triathletes from all over the world and it is an indication this race will only grow bigger and more successful,” he said.
Desaru Coast managing director and chief executive officer Roslina Arbak pledged the venue’s commitment to hosting the Ironman.
“Desaru Coast had the immense pleasure to host this three-day international sporting gala at our integrated destination resort for the second time.
“It was heartening for us to watch guests enjoy not only the races but also the festivities and activities throughout the three days.
“For this reason, we are determined to continue growing the festival.
“In continuing our commitment to host the Desaru Coast Multisport Festival presented by Ironman, we hope that in the years to come Desaru Coast and Johor will become synonymous with the Ironman brand in the international circuit, making sports tourism a collective pillar of success for us,” said Roslina.
