More than 1,200 participants from 37 countries took part in the Bintan Triathlon held at the Nirwana Gardens and Nirwana Beach Club on Saturday.

The fourth instalment of the popular Asian triathlon saw two variations of the race run last Saturday - the full Olympic distance (OD) consisted of a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike ride, and a 10 km run, while the shorter 'Sprint' consisted of a 750 m swim, 20 km bike ride, and a 5 km run.

Sunday saw the younger, but no less serious, junior triathletes competing in 'Youth' and 'Kids' races.

FAMILIAR FINISH

George Lawson (R) has become a fixture at the race formerly known as the Aviva Bintan Triathlon, and he blew the competition away this year with a time of 2h 6min 56s.

The 38-year-old has had a strangle-hold on the title for his age-group for the past four years, and with the professional triathletes noticeably absent this year, he cruised home to victory.

Second-place finisher AJ Anderson, also from Australia, could only manage a time of 2h 10min 47s.

Singapore's top male and female finishers were Wille Lu and Jeanette Wang who finished in overall 7th and 59th respectively.

WELCOME MOVE

Last year's race was held at Bintan Lagoon Resort, but organisers moved this year's race start point to the Nirwana Beach Club, which sits on the site of the former Mana Mana Beach club.

Resorts in the area reaped the benefits from the deluge of triathletes and their supporters on the island with Club Med Bintan, Banyan Tree Bintan, and Angsana Resort & Spa all reporting full occupancy.

Nirwana Gardens closed their bookings a full three months ahead of race weekend.

The athletes seemed to have embraced the new venue as well, singing praises of the challenging course that now incorporates undulating stretches.

"The swim is good, and the bike leg is a bit hilly at the start and end," said Sprint event champ, Fred Viargues, who hails from France.

"(But) the running route is like this you know," said the 46-year-old, tracing a wavy pattern in the air with his hand.