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Tri-Factor to swim, bike, run across Asia

SINGAPORE – Compared to its more popular cousins — marathon running and cycling — the sport of triathlon has a much smaller following among endurance sports enthusiasts here, drawing a percentage of the some-50,000 participants who turn out yearly for marquee events such as the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS).

The start of the Tri-Factor Series swimming leg in 2016. Since the inaugural event in 2009, which had 3,000 entrants, it has grown steadily with more than 11,000 taking part last year. Photo: Orange Room

The start of the Tri-Factor Series swimming leg in 2016. Since the inaugural event in 2009, which had 3,000 entrants, it has grown steadily with more than 11,000 taking part last year. Photo: Orange Room

SINGAPORE – Compared to its more popular cousins — marathon running and cycling — the sport of triathlon has a much smaller following among endurance sports enthusiasts here, drawing a percentage of the some-50,000 participants who turn out yearly for marquee events such as the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS).

But slowly and surely, events such as the Tri-Factor Series have built a strong following in Singapore over the past seven years, with participation numbers jumping from just over 3,000 in its inaugural race in 2009 to more than 11,000 across all four legs of the event last year.

And now event organisers Orange Room is hoping to take their winning formula — which allows participants to progress through the different disciplines in each leg (swim, bike, run, triathlon) — beyond Singapore’s shores next year.

The local company, founded by Elvin Ting and four fellow sporting enthusiasts, will kick off the Tri-Factor Series Asian Championship in Thailand with a preview at the Sattahip Naval Base on Nov 6.

Details on the dates and venues of the 2017 four-leg series — Tri-Factor Swim, Tri-Factor Bike, Tri-Factor Run, Tri-Factor Triathlon — are expected to be announced next month.

Plans are also under way to add two more stops to the Asian Championship by 2019, with the series likely to travel to the Philippines and China in future. Possible locations include Luzon Island’s Subic Bay in the Philippines, and Hainan or Shanghai for China.

The Asian Championship will crown a male and female series champion in each country, before announcing an overall Asian winner for men and women at the end of the two-year season (2017/2018, 2019/2020).

More races could be added after 2020, with the company also eyeing a slice of the triathlon pie in Australia and New Zealand.

Orange Room managing director Ting told TODAY they are aiming to attract some 100,000 participants across the Asia Pacific for the Tri-Factor Series Asian Championship.

Citing the increasing cost of organising endurance events here in Singapore, Ting said it made commercial sense to expand beyond the Republic’s shores.

“The Philippines and China are suitable for triathlon events as the markets there are growing,” he said.

“It’s a no-brainer for me … Ironman was bought over by Wanda (Group) recently and this is a growing sport in China. China is a market that we cannot ignore as that’s where the money is.

“Singapore is pricing everyone out as organising costs have gone up. The commercial costs and economic climate have forced us to think differently and think outside Singapore as it’s just not sustainable.

“Singapore is still important for us, but in the long term, as it gets more expensive, we may de-prioritise it or downscale and do fewer events.”

Endurance sports have been on an upward trend worldwide in recent times, with British Triathlon reporting a jump in numbers over the last six years from 120,000 in 2009, to more than 196,000 in 2014.

They have also become more commercially lucrative, with the British community generating £363 million (S$620 million) in 2014, while studies estimated the American triathlon market to be worth US$3 billion (S$4.1 billion) in the same year.

Over in Asia, China’s biggest property firm, Dalian Wanda Group, took a big bet on endurance sports last year, paying US$650 million to acquire the Ironman triathlon series.

Wanda also recently entered into an agreement to acquire Spectrum Worldwide, organiser of the SCMS, and Ironman Endurance Asia will organise the marathon from this year until 2025 after signing a 10-year deal with Sport Singapore in June.

However, Ting stressed that it was not all about dollars and cents for his company, which started seven years ago with a vision to get more people involved in the sport, and to dispel the misconception that triathlon is only for elite or high-level athletes.

He added: “Our strategy is to help people do triathlon, and educate people to do the sport. Revenue is second to us — my vision is to inspire 100,000 people to try Tri-Factor, and experience the sport.”

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