Over the past two days, temperatures in Chengdu have risen noticeably. If you’re looking for the most energetic spot in Chengdu these days, it has to be the triathlon venue in Jintang. After more than five months without any competitions, the Jintang Triathlon, serving as the national season opener, brought together triathletes from all over the country. Over the course of two days last weekend, they sweated it out with great passion. A total of more than 800 athletes competed, over 600 of whom were amateurs. Chen Xiaoran, Secretary-General of the Chinese Triathlon Association, noted that aside from the eye-catching skills of the professionals, each competition is more like a big gathering for amateur athletes. Our reporter also personally took part in the men’s amateur full-distance race and achieved a commendable fifth place in the 20–29 age group.
Triathlon
The full-distance standard race covers 51.5 kilometers (1.5 km swimming, 40 km cycling, 10 km running), while the half-distance is 25.75 km (0.75 km swimming, 20 km cycling, 5 km running).
Early race time, low water temperature
Amateur athletes frequently voice complaints
Compared to last year, this year’s Jintang International Triathlon saw almost no changes in format or course. However, due to the relatively low temperatures in April—especially the drop in temperature since the Qingming Festival—many triathletes were hesitant to participate, making water temperature a major concern for athletes nationwide.
Fortunately, by the time of the professional races on Saturday, temperatures had risen somewhat, but the water temperature remained below 21°C, so wetsuits were allowed. These suits provide added buoyancy and can improve performance slightly, which is why they are prohibited when the water temperature exceeds 21°C. The next day, temperatures continued to climb, but at 8 a.m., the water was still only 19°C. For athletes without wetsuits, it was quite a challenge. During the race, several amateurs chose to withdraw by boat due to the cold.
After exiting the swim and running about 200 meters to the transition area to switch to the bike, our reporter observed during the race that many amateur triathletes used carbon fiber bikes, with quite a few even riding triathlon-specific bicycles—their gear even surpassed that of the professional teams from the day before.
This is also a characteristic of triathlon: “Amateur enthusiasts treat it as a hobby, so they’re often willing to invest. And the performance gains from that investment are immediate,” said one triathlete from Shanghai.
Yesterday’s course had virtually no headwinds or crosswinds, making for very favorable biking conditions. It’s worth mentioning that there’s usually a critical point when transitioning from cycling to running—the legs feel weak and powerless—but generally, pushing through for a while helps alleviate the issue.
Flourishing from the ground up
Chengdu’s level continues to rise
One highlight of this event was that, in addition to international participants, the emergence of local triathletes in Chengdu was also a major draw.
Although Sichuan is an inland province, its triathlon level is quite high. Bai Faiquan [Weibo], who won third place in the men’s elite group, as well as the first and third place winners in the women’s elite group, all come from the Chengdu Military Region.
Currently, the strongest amateur triathlon team in Sichuan is the Triathlon Team of Luzhou Medical College. In the Chengdu area, besides the Chengdu-based first triathlon club we reported on earlier—Tuojia Daijia Triathlon Club—there are also athletes from the Chengdong Winter Swimming Triathlon Club, Chengdu Youyong Triathlon Team, Chengdu Terrence, and CCN Chengdu Power Triathlon Team appearing on the results list, many of whom achieved excellent rankings.
Not only has the quantity increased, but the quality has improved significantly as well. The reporter’s result, which would have been second place last year, could only manage fifth this year.
“Paging Brother” Xiang Pei participated in the half-distance race, winning sixth place in the men’s 40–44 age group with a time of 1 hour and 26 minutes. “Although I usually focus on cycling, triathlon is really a fun sport. I may not travel to other places to compete like some enthusiasts, but as long as Chengdu hosts the race, I’ll definitely be there.”
Additionally, the triathlon-on-campus initiative has seen promising results in Chengdu. He Yangchun, a member of the Chengdu Tuojia Daijia Club, had twin daughters who placed third and fourth in the elementary school division.
“Amateur Number One”
Dang Qi defends his title
Moving up from the 30–34 age group to 35–39, his performance remains outstanding. With 29 domestic championship trophies under his belt, Dang Qi is a prime example of defying age. Yesterday, he won the men’s amateur group championship with a time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 52 seconds, finishing over 7 minutes ahead of the second-place foreign athlete. He even beat his own time from last year by over 40 seconds.
Right after the starting gun, Dang Qi—who comes from a swimming background—quickly took the lead and exited the water in just 21 minutes. During the cycling leg, our reporter happened to see Dang Qi on his second lap during the first circuit. Following him closely for two laps, the reporter noticed Dang Qi maintained a steady pace throughout. By the third lap, he could no longer keep up and had to drop back. Dang Qi’s final cycling time was 1 hour and 2 minutes. Dang Qi’s most distinctive trait is his signature smile—he seemed tireless during the race, always appearing cheerful in front of the camera, which is actually a sign of his solid strength.
The “standard distance” triathlon (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run) feels almost like routine training for Dang Qi; perhaps only the “long course” truly counts as a challenge. After yesterday’s race, Dang Qi told reporters that he will be heading to Austria in June to compete in a super-endurance event consisting of a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike ride, and a 42.195 km run.
One-armed rider competes in half-distance for the first time
“Next year I’ll do the full distance”
At yesterday’s triathlon, three one-armed athletes appeared, drawing amazed reactions from the audience: “So inspiring!” Among them was 43-year-old Xiong Hongjing, a one-armed rider who had braved snow and climbed over the 4,500-meter-high Balang Mountain with our reporter just during the Qingming Festival. With almost no preparation, he completed the half-distance race in an impressive 1 hour and 31 minutes. “I haven’t gotten in the water yet this year,” said Brother Xiong, who dove straight into a 750-meter open-water swim and completed it in just 22 minutes—beating many able-bodied athletes. “The water quality was great, but the temperature was low, and I didn’t have a wetsuit. It was tough at the start—I thought I wouldn’t make it to the first turn—but I gritted my teeth and kept going. By the second turn, once I got used to the cold, it got better.” Brother Xiong said he felt “confident” once he got out of the water.
Riding a mountain bike and treating climbing Longquan Mountain as a daily routine, Brother Xiong finished the biking leg in just over 30 minutes, despite the challenge of transitioning with one hand. His running form was also very standard—he ran using a forefoot strike style—and completed the 5 km run in 26 minutes.
With this year’s triathlon “test run,” Brother Xiong is full of confidence: “Next year, I plan to do the full distance!”