Ironman 70.3 Hefei will offer 50 age group slots and Ironman 70.3 Xiamen will offer 40 allocated proportionally for the 2017 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. The remaining 10 slots will be awarded to top performing athletes who complete both races.
The move, declared by Ironman CEO Andrew Messick in an email to all registered Ironman athletes, makes them the only Ironman 70.3 (1.9km swim/90km bike/21km run) triathlons in the world to provide standard age-group qualification slots for Ironman's flagship 3.8km/180km/42.2km event, held in Hawaii since 1978.
Ironman 70.3 Hefei takes place in an iconic capital city in the eastern China Anhui Province. Hefei boasts a local culture and history that dates back more than 2,000 years. Well known both at home and abroad as a historic site famous for the Three Kingdoms Period, it's also the hometown of Lord Bao.
Located between the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River and beside the Chaohu Lake, the city boasts an impressive collection of botanical gardens, temples, and other historical sites to help make your visit truly memorable.
At Ironman 70.3 Xiamen, located on the southeast coast of China, athletes will be treated to the picturesque Island Ring Road and coastal avenues on the mainland that reflect the seaside city. The city's name means "Garden of the Sea," and it is both a modern port city and a prestigious tourist destination.