The final three-week IRONMAN VR Team Challenge competition cycle is coming to a close in the Asia Pacific region. Teams representing Japan, the Philippines and Australia will be racing in Sprint, Olympic and Half-Distance virtual duathlons – kicking off on Thursday, May 6th.
A preview show was aired on the IRONMAN Now Facebook Watch page on Wednesday, May 5, at 19:00 ET. Week one of the virtual racing in Asia Pacific, an Olympic Distance triathlon, gets under way today (Thursday, May 6).
Three team captains and their respective teammates will continue to compete in their own three-week-long competition cycles covering Sprint, Olympic and Half-Distance virtual duathlons. Each teammate is tasked with competing in either the run or bike segment to help build a total score for the team captains.
The region’s team captain with the most cumulative points at the end of the three-week-long competition will receive a US$5,000 donation to the charity of their choice from the IRONMAN Foundation Your Journey, Your Cause fundraising campaign.
Team Asia-Pacific Team Captains
Asia Team Captains include, Sam Sakai, an IRONMAN U Coach and Japan Community Manager of IRONMAN Asia. Sam is a strong advocate for endurance triathlon in Japan and finisher of multiple races across Asia, including the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.
Ines Santiago from the Philippines is a mother of two and owns a garment manufacturing and retail company that specializes in hand-smocking and hand embroidery. She is a multiple podium finisher at IRONMAN 70.3 races in Asia.
Representing Australia, Melissa Urie, is a mental health nurse from Melbourne, Australia, who is an accomplished competitor in ultra triathlon, IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events. She is also a mental health nurse and is an avid triathlete who has competed in several multisport events in Australia.
These captains are tasked with forming a duo or trio of athletes to join them each week for the competition scoring.
Weekly schedule
Wednesday, May 5
07:00 GMT+8 / 09:00 AEST (19:00 ET) – IRONMAN VR Team Challenge Asia Pacific Preview show and introduction of team captains
Thursday, May 6
07:00 GMT+8 / 09:00 AEST (19:00 ET) – Asia Pacific Week 1: Olympic Distance triathlon
Thursday, May 13
07:00 GMT+8 / 09:00 AEST (19:00 ET) – Asia Pacific Week 2: Sprint Distance triathlon
Thursday, May 20
07:00 GMT+8 / 09:00 AEST (19:00 ET) – Asia Pacific Week 3: Half distance triathlon
