T

he seventh edition of the Bali International Triathlon is slated to take place on June 23 in Nusa Dua, with three-time champion and 2009 world championship runner-up Chris Lieto seeking his fourth win.

The event, which is jointly held by telecommunication and multimedia company Biznet, Bali Discovery and the Bali Hotels Association (BHA), is expected to attract 1,200 participants from around the globe.

'Last year we were able to gather more than 900 participants from some 30 countries. We hope there will be more to come this year considering the triathlon is a growing sport,' Bali Discovery sports division manager Wahyu Chandra told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Online registration has been open since Sept. 1, 2012 and will close on June 21.

The triathlon consists of three Olympic events: a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 42-kilometer bike ride and a 10-kilometer run.

Outside the triathlon, a sprint and five-kilometer fun run have also been arranged for the participants.

'All three events will commence on the beach at the InterContinental Bali Resort,' said Wahyu.

The swimming event will kick off the triathlon at 7 a.m., followed by biking down the Ngurah Rai Bypass and ending with running, while the sprint distance event, covering roughly half the distance of the Olympic event, will start approximately an hour and a half later.

Once the two triathlon events are underway, the five-kilometer fun run will follow, with participants scheduled to run down the beach and up 'heartbreak hill' toward the Ayana Resort and Spa Bali.

Wahyu said the organizer and Lieto, the founder of More Than Sport, which encourages athletes to give back to communities, will cooperate with the Bali Sports Foundation to raise funds through various side events to purchase sports wheelchairs for wheelchair basketball and other wheelchair athletes.

Indonesian three-time Olympian Richard Sambera also confirmed his return to the event.

'This year's competition will be more interesting than before because for the first time the run route will pass through the Jimbaran hills. This will demand physical stamina and the reliability of the participants,' he said through a press release.

He said this would be his fifth time participating in the event and that he would continue to take part in it for years to come.