Kessler, Crawford top seeds for Kellogg's Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand

Image caption:  American Meredith Kessler, running along the Lake Taupo foreshore, is top seed for IRONMAN New Zealand next month in Taupo. Credit: Delly Carr.


American star Meredith Kessler will be chasing a slice of history in next month’s Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand in Taupo.

Kessler will be chasing her fourth straight victory in Taupo, which would make her the most successful international in the 31 year history of the world’s oldest IRONMAN qualifying race.

The 36-year-old has been awarded the top seeding for the race on Saturday 7 March, which will offer more than $NZ100,000 in prizemoney for professionals and 50 qualifying spots among the 1250 age group athletes from 53 countries for the IRONMAN World Championship.

The American, who has seven IRONMAN victories to her credit, currently shares three victories in New Zealand along with Australian Jan Wanklyn, although still behind the top kiwis Erin Baker with four wins and Jo Lawn with seven.

Kessler has carved out a niche in Taupo which has become her second home in recent times.
“When we were starting this journey, we never thought I would have the opportunity to win a race let alone win four in a row at one venue,” says Kessler, who won five of her eight races of the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 last year.

“If you haven’t competed in a triathlon race in New Zealand, you have missed the memo – it should be on everyone’s bucket list.

“Taupo and New Zealand is a haven. It is a place where the pace slows in a positive way and we can take a step back and breathe clearly for awhile.”

Second seeding has gone to New Zealand’s star performer, Gina Crawford, the 2009 champion, who has finished runner-up to Kessler in the last two years.

Crawford has enjoyed a remarkably consistent form, never finishing outside the top-10 in the last three years and in 2014 she followed her second in Taupo with third in IRONMAN Europe and eighth at the IRONMAN World Championship.

Auckland’s Melanie Burke, who could lay claim to one of the world’s best “amateurs”, is the third seed. While mixing a corporate career, Burke was a former national rowing representative before turning to duathlon to win the long distance world crown at Zofingen, in Switzerland. She represented New Zealand at the road cycling world championships and now performs in IRONMAN with podiums last year in Cairns and IRONMAN Australia.

Germany’s Mareen Hufe, twice runner-up in IRONMAN Western Australia, is fourth seed ahead of former American marine, Stephanie Jones, a latecomer to the sport who enjoyed five top-five finishes around the world last year.

The top women’s seeds are: Meredith Kessler (USA) 1, Gina Crawford (NZL) 2, Melanie Burke (NZL) 3, Mareen Hufe (GER) 4, Stephanie Jones (USA) 5, Conny Dauben (GER) 6, Erin Furness (NZL) 7, Jocelyn McCauley (USA) 8.

The men’s seeds named yesterday are: Cameron Brown (NZL) 1, Terenzo Bozzone (N ZL) 2, Joel Jameson (GBR) 3, Nick Baldwin (SYC) 4, Mike Schifferle (SUI) 5, Dylan McNeice (NZL) 6, Jose Jeuland (FRA) 7, Andrew Yoder (USA) 8, Simon Cochrane (NZL) 9, Todd Skipworth (AUS) 10.