After a five-year hiatus, the IRONMAN Group announced it will once again return to Kenting, Taiwan with the addition of IRONMAN® 70.3® Kenting through licensee Taiwan Triathlon Corporation.
Taking place on April 25, 2021, IRONMAN 70.3 Kenting, Taiwan will serve as an early season race for the IRONMAN 70.3 Asia racing series, taking place two weeks after the IRONMAN 70.3 Desaru Coast in Malaysia on April 11, 2021. The race will bring the total number of IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races in Asia to 18.
"Kenting is a stunning destination that we have looked forward to getting back to ever since our first IRONMAN Taiwan event in 2010," said Jeff Edwards, Managing Director of Asia for The IRONMAN Group. “Having an IRONMAN 70.3 event in Taiwan in April will provide athletes with a great way to race early in the season in what is one of the best coastal towns in Asia.”
Including the new event, Taiwan will now host three events under The IRONMAN Group portfolio: IRONMAN Taiwan (March 21, 2021), IRONMAN 70.3 Kenting, Taiwan (April 25, 2021), IRONMAN 70.3 Taiwan, Taitung (September 12, 2021).
"Kenting was the host city of both the first IRONMAN and first IRONMAN 70.3 races in Taiwan, so we are very delighted to be returning with races back to the origin, and home of IRONMAN in Taiwan,” said Renny Ling, CEO, Taiwan Triathlon Corporation.
IRONMAN 70.3 Kenting, Taiwan starts with a two-lap 1.9km (1.2-mile) swim in the calm and crystal-clear fresh waters of The Little Bay. Athletes then make their way towards the stunning two-loop 90km (56-mile) bike course that takes riders along the coastline of Southern Taiwan, through the local sights and scenes of Pingtung, before making a U-turn close to Kenting National Park to start lap two before returning to transition area at Howard Beach Resort. The bike course will be completely closed to traffic so that cyclists are able to have an enjoyable and safe ride. With a flat and fast two-lap 21.1km (13.1-mile) run course, athletes will head into an out-and-back route along the southernmost coastlines of South China Sea, surrounded by rich nature, before finishing at Howard Beach Resort.
Air temperatures in Kenting, Taiwan in April are expected to be around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) with water temperatures generally hovering around 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit).
The 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 Kenting triathlon will offer 40 age-group qualifying slots to the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission.
General registration for 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 Kenting, Taiwan will open on December 17, 2020 at 12:00pm GMT+8. For more information, please visit www.ironman.com/im703-kenting, or direct inquiries to kenting70.3@ironman.com.
For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com.