Abu Dhabi: Thousands run, bike and swim to the finish line at Yas Marina triathlon

More than 1,000 athletes tested their endurance limits at the world-famous Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.

Both seasoned triathletes and first-timers participated in the 11th edition of TriYAS, which was initially postponed at the beginning of the year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

TriYAS, hosted by Adnoc, is open to all ages and abilities, with 10 different categories and distances for athletes to complete in, including Olympic and sprint. Kids, too, competed across two distances, as TriKIDS returned for the little ones.

The triathlon event was one of the first to return after the summer and remains one of the biggest community participation sporting events in the region. In addition to the thousands of athletes who competed, a strong number of spectators also gathered at the racetrack.

The event saw emotional moments as athletes crossed the finish line. The site was equipped with food trucks for spectators and on-site physiotherapy stations for weary athletes.

A strong ProFIELD, 19 male athletes and 17 female athletes once again battled each other for victory.

The male winner of the ProFIELD Elite category was Rafael Domingos who completed the 750m swim, 22km bike ride and 5km run in 57:39, whilst Natalie Castro claimed the victory in the female ProFIELD with a time of 01:04:32 across the same distance.

The 11th edition of the event saw the addition of a duathlon sprint for the very first time, which involves a 5km run and 21km bike ride, before concluding with another run over a 2.5km distance.

Emirati athlete Saud Al Zaabi claimed the inaugural victory in the men’s field, while the UK athlete Jill Lawson dominated the female field.

AlTareq AlAmeri, CEO of Yas Marina Circuit, said: “It’s been wonderful to see Triathletes of all ages and stages in their triathlon journey back on the circuit this weekend, following the postponement from 2020. TriYAS Presented by Adnoc, continues to be a special community event for athletes to push their limits and family and friends to support and enjoy the day at Yas Marina Circuit.

“We continue to see the event grow with new categories and distances each year; this year’s addition of the duathlon meant we could welcome a whole new group of athletes. There have been exceptional achievements across the board today so congratulations to all for, not only their success today, but for the long training regime they’ve been working on to get to this point,” he said.