An easy course made difficult by intense high temperatures.

Well organized, accessible race. 

Swim was a rolling dive start off a pontoon so no warmup.  One lap rectangle with alot of contact.  Take water to the start to wet your cap, goggles, head.

The most unique part of the bike was seeing someone puking while riding.  All over her aerobars. 

Aid stations on the run were excellent.  Had anything you'd need.  lots of ice!.

Personally, this is a one-and-done race.  Good experience but not sure i'd travel back for it.

If you want a hard day out, then Putrajaya 70.3 is a race for you.

The course is not particularly challenging, but when combined with the weather it becomes an experience you won't forget in a hurry.

The race is based in Putrajaya which is the administrative centre of Kuala Lumpur. The city is an interesting place, full of imposing government buildings and grand architecture. A city built to be pretty.

The race itself is based around the centre of the city. The swim takes place in Putrajaya Lake, the ride is two laps on a motorway surrounding the city centre and the run is two laps of the central island.

The swim is not to be underestimated. The lake is freshwater and in 2015 the water temperature was around 30 degrees. No wetsuits here. Fresh hot water makes for slow swim times. The upside of it being in the lake is that it is flat as a tack. With a lane rope around the entire course and large sighting buoys, navigation is a breeze. Visibilty in the water was close to zero, but the water quality seemed fine, although I wouldn't necessarily drink to much of it. Also worth noting that for 2015 the swim was a rolling start for age groupers. I would be lying if I said I enjoyed this swim, the heat and the freshwater made it very hard work

Once out of the swim it was onto the two lap bike course. As is often the case you probably won't feel hot on the bike, but it doesn't mean that you aren't. Probably not a good place for a TT helmet. Hydration and electrolytes are also key here. The bike leg is almost entirely on motorway, so the surface is good, the roads wide and navigation easy. The course has a lot of rolling hills for a total elevation gain of around 600m. The ride leg is not exactly scenic, but it isn't ugly either. It is a nice simple leg that you can get your teeth into.

The run leg of this race is where the challenge really settles in. If you have overcooked the ride, or haven't hydrated enough, this is when you will find out. The run leg is two laps around the central island of Putrajaya and as such is almost entirely flat. This section of the course is probably the prettiest. The course runs you past impressive buildings like the Iron Mosque, but also through pretty parklands. Depending on how your race is unfolding you may even be enjoy yourself. The run is where the heat and humidity of Malaysia makes itself felt. You will need to be hydrating and keeping yourself as cool as possible. Luckily the aid stations are well stocked with fluids and tubs of water pour over yourself. Even still, be prepared to dig deep to get through this one.

Beyond the race, the organistion side of this event is okay without being brilliant. The expo, registration etc work fine, but the shuttles put on by the organisers were a shambles in 2015. If you are from out of town you will find yourself having to rely on the shuttles or taxis. The shuttles were completely unreliable and it seemed impossible to catch a taxi from the centre of Putrajaya. It made getting around very frustrating sometimes and is hopefully something that will improve in 2016.

Malaysia isn't your typical race venue but this race was a great option if you want something different! It's an early season race but not so early that you can't be ready in time.

Putrajaya is a lovely clean city housing all the Government members, it was surprisingly green everywhere, especially the race HQ venue which was set amidst gardens by the side of a vast lake.

The lake, which forms the swim, is warm all year round - it was actually 30 degrees on race day so was really hot! But it will always be a non-wetsuit swim here. As it started early the heat wasn't so bad until half way through the bike course, although air temperatures of 36 degrees and 60% humidity can really affect you if you're not acclimatised.

I spent 10 days training in Thailand prior to the race, so if you are coming from anywhere outside of this climate I suggest an acclimatisation period is the best prep!

The bike course was surprisingly undulating - it wasn't steep but just plenty of gradual undulations on large, wide highways, which meant that incrementally it felt harder than I expected and clocked a total ascent of nearly 2,000ft over the course.

The run was INSANELY hot so hydration is key here, as is electrolyte consumption. I had salt sticks on the bike, with solid food, and electrolyte gels on the run. I had to stick ice down my trisuit and put cold wet sponges all over me at every aid station. It's intense but manageable if you can cope in heat and humidity.

Not a PB course for Westerners, purely because of the heat and humidity which makes for really tough conditions, but it was one of the most interesting and different races I have competed in. Loved it, and will definitely be back to do more racing in Asia, it's fantastic to travel the world while racing!