Triathlon Daily

From the Shanghai Tri Club…

Cool water, big gears and supportive shoes will be Ironman China’

If you’re looking for an event with a cultural experience and ‘something a little different’ then the inaugural K-Swiss China Ironman and the CLSA China Ironman 70.3 events on April 20 might just be the ticket. As China rapidly embraces the 21st century the Ironman China race course will capture the amazing contrasts of this fascinating country.The Southern island of Hainan, said to be the ‘Hawaii of China’ hosts the inaugural K-Swiss China Ironman and the CLSA China Ironman 70.3 events in the capitol city of Haikou. Haikou is a rapidly expanding metropolis with a population of 1.5 million people. This eagerly awaited, and some would say, long time coming, latest addition to the Ironman family will definitely not disappoint.

The initial 45 minute taxi ride from the international airport through the heart of Haikou, for first time visitors to China will instantly feel the culture shock. This will dissipate as you head through the City along Bin Hai Avenue, which makes up a good part of the race course. Your thoughts and views may vary wildly as you catch a glimpse of the ships, yachts and catamarans at play in the South China Sea. Along the esplanade families walking, children roller blading, 50 meter public swimming pools and of course the many extravagant hotels, apartment complexes and golf club welcome gates all serve to add to the cultural exchange that is China in 2008.The race course itself is the true attraction and what will ultimately become the drawing point for Ironman China as Triathletes look for a race with a difference.
The swim course is picturesque and could be any pacific island start. The backdrop of the Sheraton Haikou and its vast gardens and pools is every bit a paradise in itself. The ocean is clear and clean and come race day, will likely provide a perfect temperature for a fast swim, perhaps just cool enough for the use of wetsuits.Out of the Sheraton Hotel and onto Bin Hai Avenue you’ll be greeted with a wide three lane, smooth, low traffic road. Heading toward the first highway stretch there will likely be a slight, welcomed tailwind.  The road narrows at the 10km mark as you head west past the many duck breeding ponds and agricultural fields toward the new,  fast section of the West Expressway. A wide smooth highway with slight undulations, sections of tailwind and at times very fast. It was big gear, head down, hitting 65km per hour in some sections. The turnaround at 37km routes back along the expressway bringing with it the exact opposite of what you just experienced, a slight incline and headwind slows the return before the real fun starts.A right turn off the expressway takes you into ‘another world’ the rural and old China you were expecting. A winding, still smooth quality road past small farms, water buffalos, decades old tractors and farmers with very puzzled looks on their faces as you ride past on your space age machines. Who knows what the locals will think on race day when they see hundreds of matching race suits and aero helmets fly past their normally quiet neighborhood.It will be hard not to be distracted by the sights and smells as you climb gently through the tiny village of Dao Tang.  A narrow concrete road passes snugly through small shops, houses and outdoor market stalls. The many ‘helllooos’ from the smiling faces of little kids will inspire and help you to forget about what remains of your long challenging day ahead. You will hear a lot of ‘JIA YOU’ or ‘Jar Yao’ from the locals as you charge past them, this basically means ‘Go Go Go’ or ‘Come on’. You can also use this term at the gas station when filling up your car, go figure. I can imagine there will be a speed restriction and a ‘no passing’ rule imposed on this part of the course.The course heads along another narrow road and across a small bridge which routes over a new section of highway, the day before we cycled over this bridge and looked down on a dirt road, today it had fresh bitumen for hundreds of meters.  The Chinese know how to build stuff, and build it fast so I have no idea what this section will be like come race day but rest assured it will be good and ready.  Along the road a kilometer or so and through the slightly larger market village of Shi Shan you come to the only true climb of the course. This ‘climb’ if you like, is a 400 meter section that will spike the heart rate monitor for a minute or so and force you to refocus after the village distractions. I still had a 12/27 rear cassette on my bike from training and racing in Thailand which came in handy only in this section of the course, come race day I’ll be back to my standard 12/23 which will more than suffice on this, for the most part, fast Ironman course.After the climb there is a fast downhill section, which at the time of writing had several speed bumps the width of the road.  We are told these won’t be there on race day.  About a kilometer or so on the left there is a volcano tourist park so I’m guessing the ‘climb’ was up one side of this small volcano.  At the entrance to the park the course turns sharp left onto the fast green path road back towards Haikou.

At the bottom of Nan Hai Avenue there is a left turn back onto Bin Hai Avenue for a likely tailwind and a 15km flat, fast ride to the transition area. For the full Ironman athletes its back out for another lap of the same, for the 70.3 competitors its a great section of the course to recover, refuel and focus on what it to come, that rare treat of a point to point 21km half marathon run to the finish line.Almost entirely flat, runners will return back along the palm tree lined, ocean front boulevard of Bin Hai Avenue. I will point out at this stage for the bigger athlete or anyone with a previous injury you might consider a running shoe with more sole support then usual.  I found the concrete surface to be really hard and I have discarded the Asics ‘noosa’ Tri shoes for a pair with a softer ride. The course makes it way through parts of the city with many new high rise buildings only ever meters from the waterfront.  You run across the canals before finishing in the vast expanses of Wen Lu Park in downtown Haikou. The park has two small lakes joined by a bridge and we have been told by the race organizers there will be a spectacular like never before seen for an Ironman finish, ‘Hollywood style’ was the term used. Something to really look forward to.Wen Lu Park has many busy area full of stalls and people walking and playing. We are sure the ‘Ironman show’ will provide a truly unique atmosphere for the locals who we believe will come out in force to experience the cultural diversity of this new sport.  Something we hope, they will get for many years to come.The full 42km marathon run will take in 2 laps of the flat, fast Bin Hai section before completing a similar final route as the 21km run near the end.  The full Ironman run will also finish in Wen Lu Park but will be separated from the 70.3 finish.As with most of China, there is a huge variety of accommodation options, food choices and experiences to be had. All adding up to a truly unique Ironman experience and one that can be shared by a growing band of triathlon junkies from all walks of life. In the words of Lou Reed, “take a walk on the wild side” and be a part of this historic event, you won’t regret it.