Ironman have announced that from next year there will be a 70.3 race in Auckland, New Zealand.
Ironman 70.3 Auckland will be designated as the official Asia Pacific Championships. This provides an additional opportunity for athletes to qualify for the annual Ironman 70.3 Worlds in Las Vegas, USA.
The race will take place on Sunday 20 January, 2013 and will showcase iconic Auckland landscapes with a swim in the Viaduct Harbour, a bike course that includes the Auckland Harbour Bridge and a run along the Auckland waterfront.
Ironman 70.3 Auckland brings the Ironman series full circle back to Auckland. The city was the fist international race venue chosen when the Ironman brand began its growth in the mid-80s.
A mainstay in the Ironman series, Ironman New Zealand was staged in Auckland for 14 years, based at Mission Bay and then St. Heliers, before moving to Taupo in 1999. The race has attracted more than 22,000 participants, with more than half of those hailing from overseas.
Ironman 70.3 Auckland is expected to attract more than 1,200 professional and age-group participants annually including a significant number of international athletes. The event will offer a professional prize purse of $75,000 USD, 1500 professional points for the elite field and 45 age-group qualifying slots for the Ironman 70.3 Worlds.