Building upon the success of the global TriClub program, IRONMAN today announced the expansion of the Regional TriClub Championship Series into Asia. The inaugural IRONMAN Asia TriClub Championship will be hosted at the 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 Hefei in China on October 16, 2016.
To the race comes a very special guest: Craig “Crowie” Alexander will serve as an IRONMAN Pro Ambassador not just for the Hefei championship, but for both of the new races in China. Alexander is a three-time IRONMAN world champion (2008, 2009, 2011) and two-time IRONMAN 70.3 world champion (2006, 2011), and is most recently fresh off his victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Subic Bay.
“China is the next big frontier in our sport. I am really excited to be heading up there in October and November to attend the two new IRONMAN 70.3 races. It will be great to help spread the word about what an amazing sport triathlon is and the lifestyle that accompanies it,” said Alexander.
In Hefei, Crowie will race as part of a relay team for the international TriClub with the most athletes competing. In addition, he will also participate in a pre-race training run for the Chinese club who brings the most athletes. At IRONMAN 70.3 Xiamen in November, Crowie will compete in the professional field for a piece of the $25,000 USD prize purse.
For the IRONMAN Asia TriClub Championship, top ranked clubs from Asia will be invited to participate in the capital city of Hefei based on their 2015 ranking. Each division champion will be determined by each club’s top five race performances at Hefei.
For the 2017 IRONMAN Asia TriClub Championship, TriClubs will qualify by finishing in the top three of their division at one of the designated seven qualifying events throughout Asia in 2016.
The IRONMAN 70.3 Hefei triathlon and the IRONMAN 70.3 Xiamen triathlon will each offer 50 age-group qualifying slots for the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship taking place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. In total, 30 slots to the 2017 IRONMAN World Championship will be allocated to top finishers of the 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 Hefei and 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 Xiamen events.
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