Taipei, Sept. 21 (CNA) A 226-km triathlon will be held for the first time in Taiwan in a three-day international competition, presenting what the organizers claimed in a press conference Thursday will be the "ultimate challenge" for competitors from eight countries.
The 161 participants will swim 3.8 km, cycle 180 km and run 42.195 km in the "iron distance" competition Sept. 29 in the southern county of Pingtung, said Taiwan Triathlon Association (TTA) Secretary-General Cheng Wen-chang.
A 51.5-km triathlon, which is the Olympic distance and includes a 1.5-km swim, a 40-km cycle and a 10-km run, will be held Sept. 30 with 478 racers. The third competition -- a children's triathlon -- will be held Oct. 1.
The iron distance could last as long as 17 hours and poses a big challenge to the competitors, said TTA President Pan Meng-an.
However, challenge is what brought Shane Dennison to the competition. Dennison, who married a Taiwanese girl and currently lives in Taiwan, said he loves the mental challenge of an iron distance more than the physical challenge.
"And the competition is being held in Taiwan. That saves me a lot of money because it costs at least NT$100,000 to compete in similar competitions overseas, " he said.
"Pingtung County has successfully hosted three medium distance (113-km) triathlons in the past three years and is confident of presenting an exciting and successful event this year, " said Pingtung County Magistrate Tsao Chi-hung.