16: 27' 04/06/2008 (GMT+7)

Some 147 competitors including expatriates and locals joined a sporting competition for fun called 'Le Fruit Triathlon', organized in the seaside resort town of Phan Thiet over the weekend.

A photo featuring triathlon competitors riding bikes through a sandy road in Mui Ne over the weekend.

The triathlon was held in two categories, the 'long' and the 'short' events.

Contestants from France, England, Thailand, Belgium, the Netherlands and America among others raced each other in seawater, swimming either 500 in the long or 250 meters in the short competition.

Then they all got onto their mountain bikes and rode on small, winding paths in Mui Ne, covering 40 kilometers for the long ride or 20 kilometers for short.

The last leg was the most challenging, with an eight or four kilometer run on the sandy beach to the finish line.

Kristof Van Houdt of Belgium was the winner of the long triathlon competition followed closely by Do Van Tinh of Vietnam. Hazia Jean came in third. Meanwhile in the short triathlon competition, Veron Chaplin of the United States was the first one to cross the finish line, followed by Bridget Robertson in second and Stijn Plooij from the Netherlands in third place.

The event organizer, Vietadventure, was formed to create adventure events, focusing on the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside to raise awareness of nature protection. The annual friendly is usually held on the last Sunday of May, featuring beach games for expatriates and international travelers as well as the locals who want to unwind after work.

Viet adventure offers outdoors sports such as hiking, jungle running, mountain hiking, rock climbing, river or sea swimming.

Tags: The Seaside Resort, Resort Town, The Seaside, Triathlon Challenge, Phan Thiet, Le Fruit Triathlon,