Singapore OSIM; other Spring Tris in SE Asia

I'll check at work tomorrow and send you a  link for races in Taiwan.  I seem to recall that many are on Sundays... the only ones I can really do since I have Saturday morning classes this semester... blah!!!

Thanks for the offer! I probably wouldn't go to Taiwan to race unless it matched up with a school break or long weekend, as it's a fairly long flight from here.  But the info may be useful to others on this forum. I know there are some people in Hong Kong and maybe others in Asia with more flexible work schedules who can travel more to compete.

It is just a big challenge to get anywhere to race from here in that window of 3:30 Friday to late night Sunday, esp. with bikes! We're still looking at Bintan and maybe OSIM--the latter doesn't seem to have  updated their website yet. I'm also planning to race in Honolulu in July, Vietnam Tri in Sept., Laguna Phuket in Nov., and that's probably it tri-wise for 2011--I think all I can handle physically, logistically, and financially!  I met one of our Taiwanese parents the other day and discovered he's a triathlete. He said he would forward some event info in case anything would work out.

Edited by Hot Runner 2010-11-17 7:31 AM

Here is a listing of events I found... It includes running and triathlon races.

http://www.taipeimarathon.org.tw/contest.aspx?lang=en-US

If you can work it out with work, I would definitely recommend Bintan Tri.  It's well run (by Tribob) and the course is well planned (1 loop swim in calm & clear waters, 1 40km bike loop w/ "undulating" hills, 2 x 5km run with some hills).  I've done it the past two years and love it.  If you have a family, it's also a great family vacation..

I wouldn't recommend OSIM.  I've strayed away from it the last two years from all the negative feedback from my training mates.  There are way too many ppl (many are well versed in tris), it's not very organized & well run.  Many have said that the event planners are more focused on getting as many ppl to participate to make as much money as possible and they don't consider safety a top priority.. One person drowned two years ago...

Singapore sprint series is a great to start off the year. I've done all events and it gets my body into the racing season.  Tribob does a fantastic job organizing this & all other events that they host.  Other events I would recommend:

- Singapore Duathlon (I believe this is new. I'm signing up for it): http://www.singaporeduathlon.com/
- Singapore Biathlon (well established & competitive): http://www.safra.sg/page.aspx?pageid=84
- Trifactor (2011 will be their 3rd year running the series, it's well run & they provide extended distances for each event): http://trifactor.sg/
- Port Dickson International Triathlon, Malaysia (well establish & competitve) don't think they have the 2011 date set yet: http://www.triathlonmalaysia.com/race-details.php?eventID=20
- Laguna Phuket Triathlon (Extended OD and a must do!) you'll need to sign up early!: http://www.lagunaphukettriathlon.com/ 

Hope this helps. Happy planning!

Thanks for the info about OSIM. I think I might pass in that case. The swim safety concerns me, particularly if it's a mass start. I'm a strong distance swimmer, but not a fast starter and not experienced with getting in position. If there's not a safety good set-up, that's worrying. My tri buddies are slower and would suffer even more.  I think we will just sign up for Bintan and hope the logistics work out. I'm also signing up for Laguna Phuket--maybe it would be a good transition to trying a HIM the following year if employed and healthy. I don't think I will go beyond that for the time being! Even half-marathon training right now is getting to be a real struggle with lots of year-end school activities eating into training, sleep, etc.  Just trying to stay healthy at this point!

Err, if you don't like mass starts then the Bintan OD is bit of a shocker. I did the Bintan 2010 OD and 400 people started in my wave!  OSIM OD waves seem to be 90 to 120 max based on my 2009 and 2010 races.

Singapore has 4 triathlon races annually.
I) Aviva half ironman 70.3 (20 mar 2011)- great experience to 'tour' Singapore, voted one of the top city races & top qualifiers are invited to join Florida Clearwater 70.3
II) Tribob sprint (1may 2011)- good for beginners, a little pricey.. My 2009&2010 tribob race location wasn't too favorable, especially the one in 2010, the swim distance was reduced to 500m instead of 750m due to low tides + very muddy & murky swim
III) Osim sprint & OD (18-19jun 2011)- most experienced organizer, favorable routes & value-for-money!
IV) HP Tri-factor (sep 2011)- new kid on the block, cheapest of all sg races, race plan/organizing fare poorly against other races due to lack of funding & manpower.

Races outside & close to Singapore are:I) Port Dickson triathlon OD (~July 2011)- affordable but haven't tried it myself
II) Desaru half-ironman and sprint (~Oct 2011)- traveling expenses + registration fees are equivalent or less than the registration fees to Singapore Aviva 70.3- situated next to beach resorts, ideal for a getaway- tougher conditions , hilly versus Singapore flat city roads
III) Bintan & Bali- both races r pricey as they are organized by companies based in Singapore- offer similar resort holidays..
IV) Laguna Phuket Triathlon- one of the tougher races around, calm sea swim, hilly bike n run routes - star studded race, registration gets snapped out with hours!Racing in SE Asia is usually challenging due to the hot climate or otherwise, occasionally rainy weather. However, there's a good mix of international competitors which would be worthwhile for u to drop by and join in the fun!

Hope these helps! 

Thanks for the further info. It looks like there's a variety of opinions about OSIM. At any rate, the later 2011 date doesn't work too well for us--we were looking for races March to May. We then will focus on the Vietnam Tri in Sept.

My tri buddies and I live and work in Saigon, Vietnam about 10 months a year, so we do know about the heat.  At this point we are looking at the Singapore Biathlon (convenient not to have to pack/assemble/disassemble the bikes over a 48 hour period) and Bintan. We have all survived a mass swim start with hundreds of people at least once, and a few have done Bintan before.  I'll definitely keep the Aviva in mind for 2012--aiming to do a HIM that year and Singapore is just a short flight away!  The timing would also be great as I'd be training most intensively during the coolest time of year and it's close to our spring break.

Thinking about Laguna-Phuket as a transition to HIM, but it conflicts with my favorite half-marathon at Angkor Wat and is at a really tough time at the end of our school term. It might be better to do the HM again, then focus more on the bike part before the HIM.  Decisions, decisions!

I've heard nothing but good things about Bintan (now THAT's a rarity for any race!) and have coached several people to do it as their first triathlon or first International distance.

It's very well organized, flat flat flat, and doesn't have to be expensive; there are economical alternatives to using the luxe holiday package.

(Bali, by the way, is NOT organized by a company in Singapore, never has been. Race fees are on lower end for the distances and include three days' worth of activities and several free meals.)

Laguna Phuket, while stellar and star-studded indeed, may not be the best choice as a "first-time past international distance." The swim is usually calm and easy ... until you have to get out, run a couple hundred meters, then swim the last 300m in a yucky lagoon ... the bike course is murderous in terms of terrain and sometimes surface ...

... but I've never heard any regrets for doing it, either, much to the contrary.

Oh, one more alternative may be Subic Bay in the Philippines (March? May?) ... bit far, but you never know.

http://www.triathlon.org.ph/events.htm

Hmm...it sounds like given the timing and bike course, using Laguna Phuket as a "transition" might be worse than just moving directly to a HIM. Think I will just do Olys and HM using a HIM plan and then really hit the bike next winter. The bike (plus figuring out nutrition/hydration) would no doubt be the toughest for me.  The run and swim distances would be a pretty normal weekend workout already.