Chris McCormack, a Challenge Global Ambassador, met a group amateur triathletes at Puteri Harbour Marina last Saturday, offering advice to the passionate participants of the sport.

The two-time world champion and triathlon legend also spoke of his excitement ahead of the Challenge Iskandar Puteri race on Saturday and expressed the growing enthusiasm of the people in Asia keeping fit.

“Preparing the mind and the body for a triathlon can be a daunting task, and often it helps to have some kind of mentorship and inspiration,” said McCormack.

“I saw how passionate these people are. They just need the right structures and someone to guide them through the process. It’s just amazing. Suddenly every marathon, free run, triathlon are full, and everyone is looking for occasions to keep in shape, be fit, and practice sports. This is good for sports and also for people as they gets to lead a healthier, fitter life.”

Those in attendance were in awe of McCormack and kept asking for advice long after the clinic was intended to finish.

One of the attendees said: “It’s not every day you get to meet such a legend. McCormack is one of the greatest in this sport. As an amateur, I just feel like going on picking his brain forever, I just didn’t want to let him go!”

Keld Kristiansen, Executive Chairman for event organisers Carbon Sports said:  “Our goal is to promote this kind of lifestyle … to bring the opportunity to practice this sport to the locals. We aim at making this area an international hub for all things triathlon and fitness”.

McCormack visited the penthouse of one of the building still under construction in the area upon invite by developers UEM Sunrise, who are also the title sponsors for the Challenge Iskandar Puteri, and the Australian felt the area could be groomed into a destination perfect to host triathlon and other sporting events.

The Triathlon Challenge Iskandar Puteri event proper will be held on August 13 and a day earlier (August 12) a Kids Race and a 5km fun run will be held. In addition to the above, several side attractions such as Muay Thai, Floor Ball, Zumba, and Titan Challenge will be held.

The 5k Run Race, which starts and ends at Puteri Harbour Marina, involves over 750 runners on Friday morning as a teaser to Saturday’s main event. The fun run takes the participants around the Johor state government offices in Kota Iskandar.

On Friday, 12 Aug, a High Performance Forum will be held, where the professional athletes will discuss topics such as training, diet, racing and lifestyle, and then interact with the audience in a Q&A session.

The Challenge Iskandar Puteri event is supported by Malaysia Major Events, a division of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia.