Hefei, the capital city of Anhui province, aspires to turn itself into a "city of sports" by holding a world-class triathlon event in October.

According to China Daily, around 1,500 athletes, 542 of whom are foreign participants, had registered to take part in the upcoming 2016 Hefei Wanda City Ironman 70.3 as of September 8. The triathlon event will take place on October 16.

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To attract more competitors, the event will provide 50 qualifying positions for the upcoming 2017 Ironman World Championship which will be staged in the city of Kailua-Kona in Hawaii. The Ironman 70.3 is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). It is also known as the "Half Ironman."

The Florida-based corporation has a 91-percent share of the long-distance triathlon market. WTC licenses, organize, and promotes the Ironman Triathlon, the 5150 series of triathlon races, Ironman 70.3 and several running, cycling and multisports competitons.

Chinese multinational conglomerate Wanda Group acquired WTC in 2015 and chose to bring its leading Ironman 70.3 event to the world's most populous country.

Following Hefei, Xiamen in Fujian province will be hosting an Ironman 70.3 event in November.

The figure of "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles (113 km) that will be covered by participants in the race, which consists of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run.

"We chose Hefei as the first host city because of its well-developed infrastructure and captivating natural scenery as well as the city government's great support for the race and global vision," China's Managing Director of IRONMAN Stefan Petschnig told reporters at the news conference. "We hope to enable more triathlon lovers in China to experience the uniqueness of Ironman and inspire a wider range of people with 'Ironman spirit' to challenge themselves."

The first Ironman Triathlon event took place in Hawaii in 1978. It was won by the American Gordon Haller, a US Navy Communications Specialist, with a registered time of 11 hours, 46 minutes, 58 seconds. 

Tagsironman 70.3, Hefei, World Triathlon Corpoartion, wanda group, Gordon Haller