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NEWS UPDATES
March 6, 2012
A Heartfelt Triathlon Gesture - by Emma Bishop
 Everyone’s first triathlon is special and Shannon Jacob #336 was the youngest female athlete (24) to take part in the 5150 distance. What made Shannon’s story all the more special is she was a local athlete competing on guts, will and a rather oversize mountain bike.
It is widely agreed that the aim of anyone’s first triathlon should be to cross the finish line with a smile. If you are smiling you can be sure you will be back for more.
“I have never done a triathlon in my life. In fact it is not something I ever planned on doing or gave much thought to. Last year when Ironman 70.3 Sri Lanka and 5150 was announced, my swim coach Mike Anthoniez came up to me and said ‘you’re doing it’ (5150). And that was all it took.”
Photo Credit - Finisherpix.com
Shannon had serious doubts about finishing the Olympic distance. Running was something she was familiar with as was swimming. It was the cycling part that scared her.
“I love to cycle but did not have a bike on me to practice on.” Swim teammate Parveen came to the rescue. Parveen had joined the team to learn how to swim for the triathlon and was the most driven and passionate athlete Shannon had ever met. Besides inspiring Shannon to keep working hard, she took her under her wing and loaned her a mountain bike for training and the race.
“The more I rode, the more I got accustomed to it and learned to love it. Riding in heavy traffic and blazing hot sun. I have almost been run over by buses, yelled at by taxi drivers and terrified out of my life. It was a fantastic experience in all.”
Race day approached and Shannon found herself standing in the water for the start.
“I got kicked in the face in the first minute and my goggles filled up. My right leg tendon was badly injured the week before and I could not kick while swimming so I had to use only my arms. Even floating in the water hurt my leg so I had to just grit my teeth and carried on.”
Shannon made it to shore and ran to get on her mountain bike.
Out on the bike course, attired in orange beach shorts and matching T-shirt, Shannon had no idea of what to expect. She recalls her delight at cycling through the streets of Colombo and hearing the cheers of people and seeing the presence of so many police and volunteers.
“Every time I heard another athlete approach I would move to the side; and secretly wished with all my heart that I had a bike like them.”
Ecstatic to get off the bike and start the run as the end came into sight and with her family, friends and teammates cheering her on she put the pain aside sprinted to the finish line.
“I had Goosebumps all over me. I had completed a triathlon for the first time in my life!”
Sharlyn Stafford of Singapore (winner of her age group) approached Shannon post race. She had noticed the petite orange clad athlete on the over sized mountain bike (who could fail to miss her and her broad smile) and noted her number.
Looking for someone to ‘donate’ her bike to as she was returning home to collect a new one. Coach Mike and teammate Parveen recommended Shannon.
“Sharlyn approached me and asked if I was the girl in orange and that she wanted to give me her bike AND her shoes. I was thrilled. It was a dream come true!”
While words cannot express the delight Shannon felt at being the receiver at such a heartfelt gesture we know that next year Shannon shall be back and no longer looking like a newbie on her new machine. And we anticipate the same to be of a lot more local Sri Lankans too!
2012 Highlight Video
February 9, 2012
Med1 Named Official Emergency Medical Services Partner for Ironman® 70.3 Sri Lanka
February 9, 2012 (Colombo, Sri Lanka) – Organizers of Ironman® 70.3 Sri Lanka announced today that Med1 (Pvt) Limited will serve as the Official Emergency Medical Services Partner of Sri Lanka’s inaugural event scheduled for Sunday, February 19.
Med1 will provide all race day, on-location medical coverage for the registered athletes representing 35 countries competing in Sri Lanka’s first ever Ironman® 70.3 triathlon. The event includes a 1.9 km open ocean swim off of the Galle Face Green, a 90 km bike course including Marine Drive, downtown Colombo, extending to Parliament, then concluding with a 10 km run finishing at the Galle Face Green.
“As part of our strategic introduction of international quality Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Sri Lanka, Med1 is thrilled to be the Official Emergency Medical Services Partner at the first ever Ironman® 70.3 Sri Lanka event,” said Donnie Woodyard Jr, Managing Director & CEO of Med1. “During race day, in case of an accident or emergency, the professional athletes and spectators expect prompt, professional, international quality out-of-hospital medical services. To meet this requirement, we will deploy a combination of Advanced and Basic Life Support professionals. Additionally, because the race participants are representing 35 countries, we will have medical staff available to communicate in English, Singhalese, Tamil, Chinese, Russian, and Urdu languages.”
Ironman® 70.3 Sri Lanka is produced by HFP Racing in the United States. HFP Racing, owner and operator of over 25 events in the United States, including the Giant Eagle 5150 Triathlon in Columbus, Ohio.
“Sri Lanka is a perfect destination location to host an Ironman® event. Not only does it provide a beautiful course route, after the event participants and spectators can enjoy all Sri Lanka has to offer,” said Shannon Kurek, Triathlete and Founder of HFP Racing. “With athletes from around the globe visiting Sri Lanka for the ultimate endurance race, we’re happy to have Med1 as our Official Emergency Medical Services provider for Ironman® 70.3 Sri Lanka. For events of this nature, the presence of professional and international quality medical out-of-hospital medical services is critical. We are looking forward to working with Med1 as they provide their medical expertise and support for our athletes and spectators during this inaugural event.”
Since its inception in 2006, the Ironman® 70.3 Series has become the fastest growing triathlon series with over 50 events around the world. Med1 (Pvt) Limited is a Board of Investment approved company implementing comprehensive Emergency Medical Services in Sri Lanka. Med1 believes the foundation of a strong system is high quality training and top-notch standards. Med1 is the only American Safety and Health Institute approved training institute in Sri Lanka, and offers a full range of training ranging from community first aid to advanced emergency medical courses for doctors.
For more information, please visit www.med1.lkor www.ironmansrilanka.com
January 21, 2012
IMSL staff inspects swim exit and entrance
On a beautiful Sunday evening, Ironman Sri Lanka Executive Director, Race Director and Communications Director inspected the swim entrance and exit. There was some concern that a reef was going to make it dangerous to enter or exit the water. After inspection it was found that this was not the case as proven by the hundreds of locals out for an evening swim. This is good news for all participants and will provide an opportunity to do a pre-race swim for anyone wanting to do so during race week.
January 19, 2012
Official Athlete Guide - Version #1 available
The first version of the official Athlete Guide is now available for a sneak peek of all the details on this exciting event. There will likely be several more versions before we get all the important details into the Athlete Guide and before it makes it into your race bag on race weekend. We’ll post each update here when it is available.
January 17, 2012
Extra Dinner Tickets Available
Don’t forget to get your tickets for your spouse or friends traveling with you to Sri Lanka for the Welcome Dinner on Friday, February 17 and the Celebration Dinner on Sunday, February 19 after the race - you don’t want to miss this party. Your credit card statement will show a charge from HME Events, LLC dba HFP Racing.
January 16, 2012
FREE Race Clinic - January 20th
Click Here for more info
January 16, 2012
RACE PEEK - By Emma Bishop (from Trititude.com)
Come 19 February 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka, will play host to the first Ironman 70.3 event in South Asia and the first 5150 (a name coined from the Olympic distances of 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run) race in Asia. [Read More]
January 11, 2012
National Federation for the sport of triathlon endorsing Ironman Sri Lanka
 Sri Lanka Triathlon, the national federation for triathlon in Sri Lanka is fully endorsing and supporting the Ironman Sri Lanka weekend. Along with supporting the event through assistance with the local organizing committee with volunteers, Sri Lanka Triathlon is providing the race draft marshals* to oversee the bike portion of the race. Sri Lanka Triathlon will also be a offering FREE Triathlon Workshop at the Ironman Sri Lanka headquarters. Details are below.
*No drafting of another athlete or vehicle is allowed. The draft distance BETWEEN bikes is 7-metres (4 bike lengths) measured from the rear edge of the back wheel of the leading bike to the leading edge of the front wheel of the bike behind. Athletes must only pass another athlete on the right hand side.
January 10, 2012
Hammer Nutrition replaces Powerbar as official fuel of Ironman Sri Lanka
 Hammer Nutrition will be providing all the on course fuel for Ironman 70.3 Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka 5150. Look for ice cold HEED fluid replacement drink on the bike (in bottles) and on the run (in cups). Hammer Gel will also be available on the bike and run along with Endurolytes electrolyte replacement capsules to keep you from cramping up.
December 19, 2011
Al-Sutan, Granger commit to Sri Lanka
It’s no secret; Sri Lanka is a jewel of South Asia waiting to be discovered. Romantic island hideaways, a rich culture and a food lover’s paradise, Sri Lanka has it all. But if that isn’t enough there is now another reason to put Sri Lanka on your destination hit list as the countdown is now on for the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Sri Lanka and 5150. [ Read More]
December 17, 2011
Casa Colombo named official boutique hotel
 Casa Colombo is a 12 suite Retro-chic hotel that blends a contemporary deigner style with the charms of a magnificent 200 year old Moorish mansion. Built by one of the wealthiest Indian trading families at the time, the mansion is adorned with acres of Italian and Indian mosaic floors, carved arches, molded ceilings and Moorish styled balconies, and is one of the few remaining treasures of its era. A significant part of creating this hotel involved restoring the building back to its former grandeur.
Located in Bambalapitiya in Colombo 4, it is in the heart of Colombo’s business district, however as its neatly cosseted away from the busy Galle road by its own cul de sac, it is a gated and very private hotel. The Casa Colombo was recently given the World Travel Award Winner for 2011 as a leading hotel in Sri Lanka.
Casa Colombo
"Official boutique hotel of Ironman Sri Lanka"
231, Galle Road, Colombo 4, Sri Lanka
Reservations : reservations@casacolombo.com
Tel : (94) 11 4520130
Fax : (94) 11 4520150
Star Rating 5
An easy 3k from the race site.
December 10, 2011
Ironman Sri Lanka staff move into new headquarters
Thanks to the generosity of the Sri Lankan Government, Ironman Sri Lanka staff was able to move into their new headquarters. The move provides for much needed space for upcoming supply shipments and group volunteer training.
New Address:
Ironman Sri Lanka
Artistic Resort - Western Province
No. 275/75, Stanley Wijesundara Mw
Colombo, Sri Lanka 07
November 22, 2011
Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team Members to compete in Sri Lanka
 Ironman Champions Faris Al Sutan and Kristin Möller to compete in Sri Lanka 5i50 and Ironman Sri Lanka 70.3. Additionally, perennial Ironman podium finisher, Swen Sundberg will also be racing. For Faris the season was highlighted with an Ironman European Championship and for Kristin two Ironman wins highlight her season at Ironman Wales and Ironman UK.
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