Following a rapid sell-out for the 2012 event this time last year, Triathlon Western Australia has announced that the 1650 individual entries for the SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton 2013 event have reached capacity. Entries for the event opened at 20:00 local time on 24 October and were full by 25 October.
The team/relay component of the event still has entries available.
Event Manager, Ashleigh Davis said, “This is an exciting time for our sport and for the town of Busselton, especially during the non-peak tourism season. The event attracts over 15,000 visitors to this great location on the event weekend.”
SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton is the largest IM 70.3 in Australia and now a major event on the sporting calendar in Western Australia.
“It’s an iconic event that is held in an iconic location and has quickly become a must do for many athletes within WA and from around the world,” said Davis.
With local organisation by the Triathlon WA team, in cooperation with Ironman brand owner World Triathlon Corp (WTC), the SunSmart Busselton Festival of Triathlon comprises a series of 3 day events culminating in the SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Triathlon on Saturday 11 May 2013.
In the lead up to the festival, professional athletes travelling from all around Australia will impart some of their esteemed knowledge and skills to local coaches, schools and triathletes.
The festival begins on Thursday 9 May with the ‘Chat with the Pros’. Friday morning is host to the Charity Breakfast at The Goose Café in Busselton, followed by the Village Expo opening at 09:00 local time with local and national retailers exhibiting. There are also numerous activities for all the community to join in during the day.
Friday afternoon sees the SunSmart Kids Triathlon, which forms part of the triathlon calendar for many of the local and visiting children. Saturday is race day for the SunSmart Ironman 70.3 and Teams event. The festival concludes on Saturday evening with the Athlete Function/Medal Ceremony.
Western Australia is privileged to have three world-class international triathlon events drawing athletes from across the globe to participate. The City of Busselton is seen as an ideal racing environment – with the crystal clear swim in Geographe Bay alongside the Busselton Jetty and fast flat roads for the cycle and run, Busselton boasts a strong community spirit to support these events.
Davis added “We are thrilled with the response from the Australian and international triathlon community for the 2013 SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton.”
Triathlon booming Down Under
The sport of triathlon is reported to be booming across Australia, in particular the Triathlon Western Australia region.
The national governing body Triathlon Australia has over 10,000 annual members. Triathlon WA has around 2,700 members, most of whom also belong to the 15 main affiliated clubs around the Western Australia region. (In the 2011/12 season, more than 135,000 race participants were recorded throughout Australia.)
Triathlon WA has grown significantly over the past 5-6 years, with much of its success ‘relating to every day participants enjoying the thrill of triathlon.’ The organisation notes a sport that was once seen as elitist is now accessible to all, with race distances varying from the short novice events (e.g. 200m swim, 6K bike, 2K run) to the iron distances of 3.9K swim, 180K bike and 42K run.
Davis noted, “Our membership at Triathlon WA has increased by 58% since 2007. It’s fantastic to see the sport grow, and more and more participants out there swimming, cycling and running. To have the [SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton] event sell out in less than 12 hours with such a strong local, interstate and international field is a credit to Triathlon Western Australia and the continued pulling power of the Ironman 70.3 brand.”
www.busseltonhalf.com
www.triwa.org.au
www.ironman.com
