Last year’s winner, Otago boy Dougal Allan, is back to defend his title, but he will have a couple of Australians to get past first.
Allan and Australians Luke McKenzie and Luke Bell make up three of the four top elite males competing. The fourth is Per Bittner, from Germany, who is returning for his second Challenge Wanaka.
McKenzie and Bell are experienced multisport athletes and both have a top-five placing at the Kona Ironman in Hawaii. Allan, who is based in Oamaru, said his main focus for the year had been coming back to Wanaka to defend his title.
"This is my A race and all my preparation is focused on the Challenge and winning here again."
Allan said the past few months had been quiet in terms of racing but he was "full steam ahead’’ behind the scenes working on his preparation.
Other than a familiarity with the course, the New Zealander might also have an advantage when it comes to the swim and the temperature of Lake Wanaka. Both McKenzie and Bell said they were not fans of Lake Wanaka’s cold water and were hoping it might rise a couple of degrees before tomorrow. McKenzie said he competed at an event in Queensland two weeks ago where the water was about 32degC. Lake Wanaka is sitting at about 16degC.
"I’m absolutely worried about the water temp,’’ Bell said.
McKenzie, who has competed in more than 30 Ironman events, said he was "blown away" by Wanaka.
He would target the cycle section, in which he believed he might have a slight advantage.
"The bike leg is where I like to separate myself and get in a good position, so I’ll look to do that here. It looks like a hard man’s course, so we will see."
Bell said he was excited to compete against Allan.
"When you look at the starting sheet and you see the names of guys you know and competed against before, it motivates you ... anything can happen on the day."
In the women’s elite race, Dutch athlete Yvonne van Vlerken is back to defend her title but so is runner-up Laura Siddall, from the United Kingdom. It was always a difficult prospect coming back to a race the year after winning it, van Vlerken said.
"Last year, I wasn’t really well prepared.
"I had about three weeks’ training before the race but this year I have been in training for about double that, so I’m better prepared."
Siddall, who spends part of the year training in Christ-church, said she felt as if her time spent in New Zealand conditions would help her.
"There are always concerns about the conditions but they are the same for everyone ... Though I would like it to be windy as hell."
More than 20 professional athletes are racing in this year’s event.
