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Challenge Bahrain champion, Michael Raelert, has praised the kingdom on staging a ‘fantastic’ triathlon event and is already setting his sights on next year’s race.
The four-time Ironman 70.3 world champion from Germany completed the first edition of the middle-distance event in Bahrain in three hours 36 minutes and four seconds, clocking the second fastest time of his professional sporting career.
The 34-year-old won the overall title and first place in the men’s category ahead of fellow countryman Andreas Dreitz (3:38:23) and Australian Tim Reed (3:39:26). Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and president of Bahrain Olympic Committee Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa bettered his personal record with 4:21:11, finishing fourth in the general category.
Raelert said: “I have competed in many races around the world for 20 years and have never seen a race like this. It was a game changer for me. The weather was a bit windy and it did get hot but I pushed through and the victory was worth it.
“I would like to thank Bahrain and the Royal Family for putting together such an amazing event. Bahrain has created such a high standard for other event organisers to try and match. I enjoyed it so much that I don’t want to go to other races. It really was that incredible.
“It’s not even just the race, it’s the overall experience. I spent one week in Bahrain and fell in love with its people, landscape, sights and food.
“The other athletes and I have been talking about the event and we all agree that while we loved the race, we loved the experience of being in Bahrain even more. This has been a memorable experience for all of us and I can’t wait for next year.”
Dane Helle Frederiksen won the women’s title with a total time of 3:55:50 and she was followed by Britain’s Rachel Joyce (3:58:15) and fellow Briton Jodie Swallow (3:58:39) in third.
The three-leg event was a huge success attracting more than 1,000 athletes from 51 countries. All eyes were on Bahrain with more than 20 million people watching a live stream of the race over the internet.
People witnessed the triathletes endure a 1.9km swim across Bahrain Bay, followed by a 90km bicycle race through Manama and Muharraq and a 21km run that started and concluded at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) after circling Al Areen Wildlife Park in Sakhir.
The event, offering a total prize fund of $500,000, was organised by the Challenge Family and Nasser bin Hamad Foundation.
According to Challenge Bahrain general manager and president of the Bahrain Triathlon Association, Dr Shaikh Saqer bin Salman Al Khalifa, while many residents may have suffered from the roads being closed, it was all worth it in the end because the race highlighted the true beauty of Bahrain.
Dr Shaikh Saqer said: “We had a big responsibility to put on ‘the perfect’ event, especially as we were competing with already established triathalons around the world. Other countries have staged triathlons of this scale repetitively and for us to do the same was a big challenge that we were ready for.
“There were many sleepless nights for the entire team to ensure that the athletes’ safety came first and that we would not disrupt the lives of the people in Bahrain.”
“Blocking the roads was safer for participants and a temporary closure was announced. However, a lot of people decided to use their normal routes and there were a lot of delays due to that. But we honestly did this for Bahrain. If roads were opened and an accident occurred to one of the athletes then it would have hurt the entire country.
“We as a team felt the pain of every single citizen and expat stuck on the street. We didn’t want that to happen but their suffering, though, led to the triumph of the country and I am sure if they knew how successful it was then they would understand that this was the best type of investment anyone can do for a country.
“We had 20 million visitors on our site and we received a tremendous economic, social and health return. I apologise to the Ministry of Culture as I heard that some of the tourist buses at the port were delayed.
“We need people to understand that what we did was for them, that’s what kept us moving forward and awake at night. We have a great passion for this country and the leadership and a lot of responsibility was on our shoulders.
“I know that the people of Bahrain are the most forgiving people around the world and will eventually thank us for the event. The world was smiling at Bahrain on Saturday. They saw the real Bahrain and not what is normally portrayed in the international media.
“We showed them, live, everything about Bahrain – its people, architecture and scenery. The race was routed throughout the whole island and showed everyone how safe the streets are and beautiful the kingdom truly is.”
Dr Shaikh Saqer received the orders on Monday morning that the event will be back on next year, targetting December 5, 2015, a Saturday, for the big day.
He added: “We will open registrations soon. In the meantime, we decided that the roads will not be fully closed next time. We will allow cars but we will monitor the traffic and make sure that it doesn’t affect the designated lanes for participants.
“We will make sure that on Saturday morning people can still go wherever they want and the maximum delay that can happen won’t be more than 10 minutes. It will be a slower speed but not a halt.”
Results
Men (top 3):
1. Michael Raelert (GER) 3:38:23
2. Andreas Dreitz (GER) 3:39:26
3. Tim Reed (AUS) 3:41:06
Women (top 3):
1. Helle Frederiksen (DEN) 3:55:50
2. Rachel Joyce (GBR) 3:58:15
3. Jodie Swallow (GBR) 3:58:39
Full results are available by visiting www.challenge-bahrain.com.bh
