IRONMAN Israel (pr photo)
The IRONMAN Israel-Middle East Championship triathlon was held Friday in Tiberias with the participation of 2,500 competitors from all over the world. This was the first time that such a competition was held in Israel and the athletes needed to brave rain and high winds – an Israeli fall – in addition to the already grueling race.
From outside of Israel, there were 800 competitors who came from 58 different countries, including, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco, Ukraine, Germany, England, the USA and Israel. Athletes competing in Israel from the UAE and Morocco is a really big deal since those two Arab nations only made peace with Israel in the past two years under the Abraham Accords. And, of course, Ukrainian athletes competing showed that the people of that nation are able to continue with life under an 8 month long Russian invasion.
The IRONMAN competition is considered the most prestigious triathlon competition in the world, consisting of three parts: swimming, cycling and running. The non-stop triathlon allows participants a limited time to finish each segment, challenging them to the limit – physically and mentally. As part of the event in Tiberias, there were two races: a full-distance race that includes a 3.8 km swim in the Sea of Galilee, a 180 km bike ride and a 42.2 km marathon run. The second is the IRONMAN 70.3 km race that includes a 1.8 km swim in the Sea of Galilee, 90 km of cycling and 21.1km running. Over 800 Israelis and 400 international competitors competed in the full distance, while 1,500 Israelis and 360 competitors from abroad competed in the 70.3km race. Notably, over 90 professional competitors from around the world registered for the competition.
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The event marked the first time that the competition included the full distance of the international IRONMAN brand in the Middle East, and 75 places have been awarded for the 2023 World Championship to be held in Kona, Hawaii.
The competition was brought to Israel courtesy of Businessman and Philanthropist Sylvan Adams, Israel’s Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Municipality of Tiberias, Comtec Group, the Jordan Valley Regional Council, and the Israel Triathlon Association.
In the men’s PRO category, Patrick Lange from Germany finished in first place and won the title of “IRONMAN Israel-Middle East Champion” after completing the grueling competition with a personal record of 07:42:00; In second place came Daniel Bækkegård from Denmark with a total time of 07:43:40. The third place was taken by Gregory Barnaby from Italy with a total time of 07:47:02. Israel’s senior triathlete Dan Alterman finished the full competition in a total time of 08:54:18.
In the Women’s PRO category, Ruth Astle from Great Britain finished in first place and was awarded the title of “IRONMAN Israel-Middle East Champion” after completing the grueling competition in a time of 08:41:13; In second place came Daniela Bleymehl from Germany with a total time of 08:50:13; In third place came Barbara Riveros from Australia with a total time of 08:55:49.
Dan Alterman was the fastest Israeli, finishing the race in a total time of 08:54:18
Sylvan Adams, Businessman and Philanthropist: “To have the IRONMAN Israel-Middle East Championship here in Israel, on the beautiful banks of the Sea of the Galilee, with runners from across the world and the region, is a true testament of the ability of sport to bring all peoples together. The friendships built today will last a lifetime. This is just one international sporting event that we are bringing to Israel, and we hope to have many more in the future.”
