Dubbed as the “Triathlon with a Soul”, this year’s edition of the Herbalife Bali International Triathlon (HBIT) once again did not disappoint. The successful event concluded with great applause from its participants on 14 August 2016.
The Race
The 2016 HBIT offered three categories for participants with different competitive levels and was successful in attracting a turnout of 1,754 participants from 26 countries, including top triathletes such as Andi Wibowo and Jauhari Johan and model Kelly Tandiono.
The longest-distance category in the event – Olympic Distance Course, consisted of a 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and a 10km run. The shorter Sprint Distance Course featured a 500m swim, 20km bike ride and a 5km run.
In both distance courses, participants embarked with a swim off in the waters of Mertasari Beach, followed by a bike sprint from Bypass Sanur to Bypass Gianyar, before reaching back to the beach to finish the last leg of the course with a road run through the streets of Sanur.
Race Results
Indonesia’s Andy Wibowo clinched top position in the Men’s Olympic Distance Course with a timing of 2:03:35. Fellow Indonesian – Jauhari Johan came in second with a timing of 2:06:58. Australia’s Chris Boyle took the last podium standing with a timing of 2:07:21.
In the Women’s category, Australia’s Samantha Bennett was crowned champion with a timing of 2:16:03, followed by fellow Australian – Kate Bramley clinching the second place with a timing of 2:22:41. Britain’s Rosanna Bille came in third with a timing of 2:28:42.
Moving on to the Sprint Distance Course, Australia’s Simon Hearn emerged victorious in the Men’s category, coming in with a timing of 0:58:35. In second place was Indonesia’s Fauzy Fannyla with a timing of 1:05:24 and the last podium standing was taken by Italy’s Nicola Russo with a timing of 1:05:39.
Australia’s dominance in the Women’s category was clear with Hannah Blanchett and Shari Livingston sharing the pole position with a timing of 1:10:10, and Caitlin Knight taking third place with a timing of 1:13:06.
A Culture-Infused Race Experience
Famed for its iconic race location as well as its unparalleled race experience, this year’s HBIT took place in the largest traditional village in Bali – Mertasari Beach, Sanur, in conjunction with the week-long 11th Sanur Village Festival.
The coexistence offered participants a unique race experience infused with the Balinese culture.
