Abu Dhabi triathlon sets tough elite test

Abu Dhabi: A prize pot of $250,000 will attract the world's top ironmen to the capital for the first  "Abu Dhabi International Triathlon" on March 13, 2010.

The gruelling event, consisting of a 3km swim, 200km cycle ride and a 20km run will start at Emirates Palace and take in all the capital's major sights including the Zayed Grand Mosque, the Corniche, Saadiyat Island and will even see the competitors complete laps of the Yas Marina F1 circuit on their bikes.

At the event launch yesterday, Faris Al Sultan, the captain of the Abu Dhabi Triathlon team and world Ironman champion in 2005, told XPRESS: "It is a great time of year to hold it, but it will be hot for athletes coming from Europe, up to 36C in the shade. But there is no shade!

"It will start at 6am and will take the top guys around 36 minutes for the swim, 4hr 45min for the bike ride and 1hr 10min for the run.

"It is an Ironman-type event but without the full marathon at the end, so it will enable faster recovery times while the athletes are preparing for the season."

There will also be age group and shorter races alongside the elite athletes. For more information and entry details visit www.abudhabitriathlon.com