Ironman 70.3 Bintan, Lomba Triathlon Kelas Dunia di Bintan

Ironman 70.3 Bintan bukan sekadar lomba triathlon berkelas dunia, melainkan juga ajang yang memamerkan keindahan alam Bintan. Ajang yang mengabarkan keelokan alam tropis Indonesia kepada dunia. Inilah yang menarik ribuan triathlet datang ke Bintan.

Minggu, 28 Agustus lalu, triathlet dari 50 negara berpartisipasi pada edisi kedua Ironman 70.3. Pertandingan berpusat di sekitar Ironman Village di area Plaza Lagoi Resort. Mereka berasal dari berbagai kalangan usia. Ironman 70.3 ini terbagi beberapa katagori, yakni katagori pro (atlet profesional), katagori umur 18-24, katagori umur 25-29, hingga katagori umur 75-79 dan 80 tahun ke atas. Jangan kaget kalau ada katagori umur 75-79 dan katagori 80 tahun ke atas. Peserta tertua pada ajang ini berusia 77 tahun. Meski sudah berumur, mereka manusia-manusia kuat.

Sejumlah atlet bintang kembali ambil bagian. Legenda Ironman dari Selandia Baru, Cameron Brown yang memenangkan Metaman Bintan pada tahun 2014 dan naik podium di sejumlah Ironman 70.3 kembali berpartisipasi. Ia hadir bersama juara Ironman lainnya, Kate Bevilaqua, yang akan berlaga pada katagori Profesional Wanita. Pesaing kuat David Dellow dan Clayton Fettell dari Australia,  Fredrik Croneborg dari Swedia dan rekan senegaranya Brown’s Fellow, serta lebih dari seribu triatleth lainnya.

Pagi-pagi mereka sudah tumpah ruah di Pantai Lagoi Bay. Penonton tak kalah ramainya. Sebagian turis, sebagian keluarga, teman dan suporter. Tak ketinggalan jurnalis dan blogger. Pertandingan dimulai sekitar pukul 06.00 WIB. Atlet profesional mengawalinya. Mereka mengenakan pakaian renang dan haircap karena lomba dibuka dengan lomba renang sejauh 1,9 kilometer di Pantai Lagoi Bay. Pantai yang berpasir putih, airnya sejernih kristal, dan hangat.  

Setelah rombongan atlet profesional dilepas, menyusul peserta katagori umur 18-24, dan seterusnya. Katagori atlet ini dibedakan oleh warna haircap yang dikenakan. Begitu peluit dibunyikan, mereka berlari ke pantai dan memulai berenang. Pantai yang tadinya tenang, riuh dengan kecipak air, teriakan suporter, dan dentuman drum yang ditabuh untuk menyemangati peserta. Dari bibir pantai, hanya punggung, kepala, dan gerakan tangan mereka yang terlihat. Air berkecipak seperti menari-nari.

Jarak sejauh 1,9 kilometer ditempuh selama puluhan menit. Peserta pertama yang sampai ke garis finish mencatat waktu 24 menit. Ketika mencapai garis finish, mereka segera berlari ke Ironman Village untuk melanjutkan lomba dengan bersepeda. Di Ironman Village ini, seluruh kebutuhan lomba peserta sudah tersedia. Mulai air minum, handuk, sepatu, hingga sepeda. Dijejer berdasarkan nomor urut dan nama. Jadi tidak ada yang bakalan keliru dan mengambil barang atau sepeda peserta lain.

Tidak ada aba-aba untuk mulai mengayuh sepeda. Mereka harus sesegera mungkin memacu sepedanya untuk menyelesaikan lomba dalam waktu sesingkat-singkatnya. Balap sepeda ini menempuh jarak sepanjang 90 kilometer. Rutenya dari Lagoi Bay, Ekang Anculai, Pelita Baru, Tanjunguban, Tanjungrambutan, Sebong Pereh, Sungai Kecil, dan kembali ke Lagoy Bay. Mereka melewati hutan yang hijau, padang rumput yang indah, pinggir laut dan pantai yang indah, pemandangan spektakuler dan perkampungan dengan warga yang hangat. Warga berbaris di pinggir jalan memberi semangat. Inilah yang disukai peserta dari tahun ke tahun.

Pemandangan indah yang dilalui sepanjang rute balap sepeda ini menggoda hingga ada peserta yang rela waktunya \'terbuang\' demi menikmati sajian alam Bintan. Untuk menyelesaikan lomba balap sepeda, peserta kembali ke garis finish yang berada di Ironman Village. Mereka menyimpan sepedanya ke tempat semula, lalu mengganti sepatu dengan sepatu khusus lari. Minum air. Mengolesi tubuh dengan sunblock. Kemudian berlari. Mereka harus berlari sejauh 21,1 kilometer.

Rutenya berada di dalam Kawasan Wisata Lagoi. Melalui padang rumput, hutan yang hijau dan danau buatan yang molek. Sayangnya keindahan itu tidak dilengkapi langit yang biru. Sepanjang lomba, langit berwarna kelabu dan matahari tidak pernah menampakkan sinarnya. Meski demikian, peserta tetap bersemangat. Tetap memacu larinya untuk mencapai garis finish. Untuk menjadi yang pertama di garis finish.

Menjelang pukul 10.00 WIB, peserta pertama dari atlet pro mendekati finish. Ia bukan sang juara bertahan Cameron Brown yang memiliki gelar mengesankan dengan 5 kali naik podium pada kejuaraan di Kona dan tercatat 12 kali menang pada Ironman New Zealand. Penyambutan pun disiapkan. Suporter dan penonton memadati tepian jalur menuju garis finish hingga gerbang garis finish.

Lamat-lamat, muncul pria berkostum warna merah. Bernomor urut 3. Badannya mungil dan posturnya tidak tinggi seperti orang Eropa pada umumnya. Ia atlet Swedia, Fredrik Croneborg. Ia langsung mengangkat tangan dan meraih pita yang dibentangkan begitu mencapai garis finish. Ia menyelesaikan lomba dengan waktu tiga jam, 59 menit dan 24 detik. Croneborg yang menempati posisi kedua pada tahun 2012 dan posisi ketiga pada tahun-tahun selanjutnya berhasil \'mengkudeta\' Brown.

Baca versi Bahasa Inggris di halaman selanjutnya (Read the English version on the next page).

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Ironman 70.3 Bintan, World Class Triathlon Competition in Bintan

Ironman 70.0 Bintan is not just a world-class triathlon race event. It is also the event displaying the natural beauty of Bintan, the event that announces the tropical natural beauty of Indonesia to the world. This attracts thousands of triathlets to come to Bintan.

Sunday, August 28, triathlets from 50 countries participated in the second edition of Ironman 70.3. This race was located around Ironman Village in the area of ??Plaza Lagoi Resort. They were of various ages. Ironman 70.3 was divided into several categories, namely pro category (professional athletes), 18-24 aged category, 25-29 aged category, up to 75-79 aged category and age category of 80 years and over. Do not be surprised if there were75-79 aged category and age category of 80 years and over. The oldest participant in this event was 77 years old. However, they were strong for humans.

A number of star athletes were back to take part. Ironman legend of New Zealand, Cameron Brown, who won Metaman Bintan in 2014 and went up to the podium in a numbers of Ironman 70.3 participated once more. He was there with another Ironman champion Kate Bevilaqua who would compete in Women’s Professional category. Strong  competitors David Dellow and Clayton Fettell of Australia, Fredrik Croneborg of Sweden and his fellow-countrymen Brown\'s Fellow, as well as more than thousand other triathlets.

Early in the morning they were already gathered in Lagoi Bay Beach. Spectators were also crowded. Part of them was tourists, families, friends and supporters. Not to forget journalists and bloggers. The race started around 06.00 local time. The professional athletes began. They wore swimsuits and haircaps because the race was opened with swimming competition of 1.9 kilometers far in Lagoi Bay Beach. White sandy beach, crystal-clear water, and warm.

After the group of professional athletes had started, they were followed by participants of 18-24 aged category and so on. These athlete categories were distinguished by the haircap colors. Soon as the whistle blew, they ran into the beach and started to swim. The beach was once quiet, became vociferous with splashing water, supporters’ shouts, and drums were beaten to cheer the participants. From the shore, only back, head and hand movements were visible. Water lapped like dancing.

The distance of 1.9 kilometers was reached for tens of minutes. The first participant who reached the finish line had the time record of 24 minutes. When reaching the finish line, they immediately ran to Ironman Village to continue the race of cycling. In this Ironman Village, all participants’ needs for the race were available, starting from drinking water, towels, shoes, to bicycles, standing in a row based on serial numbers and names. So no one would be wrong and took the goods or bike of other participants.

No cue to start pedaling. They should be as soon as possible to pedal their bike to finish the race in the shortest possible time. This bike race covered the distance of 90 kilometers. The route from Lagoi Bay, Ekang Anculai, Pelita Baru, Tanjunguban, Tanjungrambutan, Sebong Pereh, Sungai Kecil and back to Lagoy Bay. They passed through the green forest, beautiful grassland, seafront and beautiful beach. Spectacular scenery and villages with friendly people. People in rows on the side of the road gave spirit. This is what the participants love from year to year.

Passing beautiful scenery along the route of bike race was tempting to have participants who are willing to ‘waste’ their time to enjoy the nature of Bintan. To finish the bike competition, the participants were back to the finish line in the Ironman Village. They stored the bike into the same place and changed their shoes to running shoes, drinking water, using sunblock on the body, and then running. They must run 21.1 kilometers far.

The route was located in Lagoi ??Tourism Area, through the grassland, green forest and beautiful artificial lake. Unfortunately the beauty did not include the blue sky. During the race, the sky was gray and the sun never showed its light. However, the participants were enthusiast and kept pushing their run to the finish line, to be first at the finish line.

Almost 10 am local time, the first participant of the pro athletes approaching the finish line. He was not the defending champion Cameron Brown who had an impressive achievement of 5 times up to the podium at the championships in Kona and had a record of 12 wins at Ironman New Zealand. Welcoming was being prepared. Supporters and spectators gathered along the road side towards the finish line until the gate of the finish line.

Vague, a man in red costumed appeared. Numbered 3. He had small body and his posture was not like Europeans in general. He was Sweden athlete, Fredrik Croneborg. He immediately raised his hand and grabbed the ribbon stretched once he reached the finish line. He finished the race with the time of 3:59:24 seconds. Croneborg who finished second place in 2012 and third place in the years before succeeded to ‘coup’ Brown.