New Zealand's most successful endurance triathletes, Cameron Brown and Joanna Lawn, have confirmed their entries for next month's Port of Tauranga Half Ironman.
Brown is an eight time winner at Mt Maunganui and a seven time winner of Ironman New Zealand while Lawn, a two-time winner of the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman, is a six-time champion at Ironman New Zealand.
The 21st Port of Tauranga Half Ironman, which doubles as the official Triathlon New Zealand national championship, is on Saturday 9 January.
Brown, second to Taupo's Duncan Milne in 2009, has a question mark over his appearance after suffering from a niggling calf injury in recent weeks.
"I have a micro tear in the calf and first two runs back had it tighten up again," Brown said. "I had the last seven days off again before Christmas and plan to run again this week to test it out.
"So it is very touch and go at this stage. I'm trying to leave the decision as late as possible as I really want to be on the start line."
He was thoroughly impressive in 2009 when only a puncture, which took eight minutes to fix, cost him victory.
Brown will face a stellar field including defending champion Milne, the 2008 winner Kieran Doe (Auckland), and Ironman Western Australia winner Tim Berkel, who ventures across the Tasman for the first time on the back of five top-10 finishes in USA over the 70.3 distance in 2009.
There's also a group of outstanding young talent keen to knock off the more fancied stars including Glenbrook's James Bowstead, third at Mount Maunganui last year, his brother Mark, who won the Tinman triathlon on the course earlier this month, and Auckland's Jamie Whyte, who has been fifth twice in the last three years.
Lawn, 31, has overcome some issues to return to outstanding form with a strong seventh placing at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
Remarkably a chance visit to a bike shop in Germany led to a diagnosis that her poor position on the bike was due to her jaw and now has a special plate in her mouth which has corrected the problem. At the same time she addressed a longtime eating disorder which had threatened her career.
Re-energized and enthused, Lawn is excited about the prospects for 2010.
"Looking back at this now I can see how crazy it was, but during that time nothing and no one could have made me eat anything I didn't want to. I thought as long as I was eating fat-free and sugar-free then I was fine," Lawn said.
"I've noticed the change. I have my old power back on the bike and I have energy to train well and love what I am doing."
Lawn faces arguably the best field of female triathletes in the event's 21 year history including Olympian Sam Warriner, who won for a second time in 2009 and smashed the race record in the process.
Three time champion Rebekah Keat is returning along with two other super-talented Australians in the 2008 winner Kate Bevilaqua and Alison Fitch.
Australian based Swiss athlete Caroline Steffen will pose a serious threat after she finished fourth in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship last month while other talented kiwis include Nelson-based German Britta Martin and Auckland's Michelle Simpson and Fiona Eagles.
The race starts at 6.30am on Saturday 9 January with a sold-out field of 1250 competing.
