When: 12th March 2011
Where: Abu Dhabi
Details: Sixty-one elite athletes – who together hold 24 World Championships – will contest next month’s Abu Dhabi International Triathlon (ADIT), making the UAE capital event one of the most highly anticipated races of the year.
The stellar line up includes four-time World Champions Chris McCormack and Craig Alexander and defending champions Spain’s Eneko Llanos and Great Britain’s Julie Dibens.
On March 12th, the start-line will feature global athletes who together hold more than 50 Ironman titles and over 100 national titles.
The women’s field easily rivals the men’s – boasting 14 of the World Championship titles, seven Ironman wins and over 35 national and regional titles. Leading the pack is Julie Dibens – ADIT defending champion and 2009 Ironman 70.3 World Champion and three-time Xterra World Champion (07, 08, 09). Diben’s will have Leanda Cave in hot pursuit – a past World Champion with a string of 70.3 podiums to her name is excited to race the event’s unique 223kms ‘pure power’ course.
Cave said, “It’s an epic event, it plays to my strengths of the swim and bike and I love a challenge -which is exactly what this course is. It’s not only the race I am looking forward to but also exploring the culture and sites of Abu Dhabi.”
The field is crowded with strong contenders including Jo Lawn seven-time Ironman New Zealand champion and Caroline Steffen, who won the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships and got second-place at Ironman World Championships Hawaii – she also won many 2010 Ironman events including Asia Pacific, Switzerland, Singapore and Geelong, Australia.
This year’s event will be raced across three lengths. Professionals will contest a 3kms swim, a 200kms cycle and 20kms closing run. The shorter version, at half the length, has a 1.5kms swim, a 100kms cycle and a 10kms run, with both courses eligible for a share of the US$250,000 prize purse.
Also a first for this year’s edition, ADTA has also launched a unique ‘sprint’ distance as an entry platform for aspiring athletes. Comprising a 750m swim, 50kms bike and 5kms run, the new ‘sprint’ course is aimed at boosting uptake from novice racers across the Arabian Gulf and can be raced as an individual or as a team.
Current Professional Start-line
Women’s Elite Field
Julie Dibens
Leanda Cave
Caroline Steffen
Heather Gollnick
Belinda Granger
Jessica Jacobs
Rachel Joyce
Jo Lawn
Emma-Kate Lidbury
Kristin Lie
Amy Marsh
Melanie McQuaid
Kristin Möller
Catriona Morrison
Angela Naeth
Edith Niederfriniger
Rachael Paxton
Lisa Ribes
Christie Sym
Sonja Tajsich
Inka Wachter
