Ironman 70.3 Geelong Attracts Record Field

This weekend, Geelong will play host to the Australian leg of the international Ironman 70.3 Series, as IMG present the third edition of Ironman 70.3 Geelong.

The event has attracted a record field of 1,150 individual and 100 team entrants, who will take on the challenge of a 1.9km swim, 90.1km ride and 21.1km run. Ironman 70.3 Geelong doubles as the final race of the popular 2009/10 Australian Half Ironman Series, and offers 50 qualifying slots for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, held in Florida later this year.

The professional field has attracted 20 men and 15 women, and includes last year’s winner and reigning two-time Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander, as well as defending women’s champion, Sam Warriner (NZ).

Alexander will arrive in Geelong on Friday, straight from a whirlwind trip to the US where he collected the prestigious Male Triathlete of the Year award for the second consecutive year.
Technically Alexander is in his “off-season”, having only just resumed training after successfully defending his Hawaii Ironman title in October last year, however he lines up this weekend as white hot favourite.

One of Alexander’s main challengers will be 2008 race champion, Leon Griffin. Griffin comes in to Sunday’s race in terrific shape, following an easy win at last weekend’s local sprint triathlon held in St Kilda. Forced to watch last year’s Ironman 70.3 Geelong from the sidelines due to injury, Griffin will be looking for redemption after finishing an unlucky ninth at the 2009 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Other athletes to look out for this weekend include Australia’s youngest Ironman champion Tim Berkel, currently leading the Half Ironman Series, and a host of rising talent such as Matty White, Christ Dmitrieff, Joshua Rix, Clayton Fettell and local Geelong hope, Richard Thompson.

In the women’s race, the focus will be on the re-match between Warriner and Switzerland’s Caroline Steffen. They were separated by just 18 seconds when Warriner crossed the line ahead of Steffen at last month’s Port of Tauranga Half Ironman; in 2009, Steffen finished third at Ironman Australia and fourth at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, and many believe that she can break through for a win in Geelong.

Other challengers include current Half Ironman Series leader Lisa Marangon, and long course specialists Nicole Ward, Ali Fitch, Amelia Pearson and Carrie Lester.

Late entrant Christie Sym (NSW) could well be the “dark horse” of the field; Sym emerged as a rising star when she finished second at her Ironman debut in Western Australia just two months ago. Previously, Sym was best known for her achievements in adventure racing. Sym is playing down her prospects this weekend, stating that she’s just excited to be racing alongside such world-class athletes as Warriner and Steffen, however if she is able to put together a strong swim, she is likely to be right in contention with her super bike-run combination.

The race starts at Eastern Beach at 7am on Sunday morning, with winners expected to finish shortly before 11am. There is a free Ironman 70.3 Expo showcasing the latest triathlon-related products and services, from 9am to 5pm Saturday and 7am to 3pm Sunday.

Visit www.ironmanoz703.com for further details, including a detailed race weekend schedule.