Ironman And 70.3 Cairns Set For Sunday

Aussie-based pros dominate the start list for the 2014 Ironman Cairns and Ironman 70.3 Cairns, which will take place this Sunday, June 8, in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, near the Great Barrier Reef.

Cairns Airport Ironman Cairns

The full-distance Ironman Cairns is set in an iconic tropical location—at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. The two-lap, 2.4-mile swim starts at Palm Cove, Cairns’ most prominent beach and offers a picture-perfect balmy swim in view of a long sandy beach and rainforest-covered mountains. The 112-mile bike is one of the most stunning on the Ironman circuit and traverses the Captain Cook Highway, which hugs the coastline from Cairns to Port Douglas. The bike course is scenic, undulating and winding. The 26.2-mile, three-lap run takes place along the Cairns boardwalk and through the popular Cairns Esplanade. The course has had some changes since last year—the swim is now farther north in Palm Cove than previous years, the bike course now finishes back in the city, and the run course sticks to within the confines of Cairns.

Pro race:
In the men’s race, 10-time Ironman New Zealand champion and veteran pro triathlete Cameron Brown tops the start list. Brown, 41, is still racing strong with a 2:47 marathon in his runner-up Ironman New Zealand finish in March. His toughest competition will come from Aussie Tim Van Berkel, last year’s Ironman Cairn’s runner-up, who has been involved with Cairns since it was launched as Challenge Cairns in 2010. Other top athletes racing include veteran pro and three-time ITU world champion Peter “Robbo” Robertson (AUS), frequent Ironman podium finisher Jason Shortis (AUS) and 2012 Ironman Western Australia champ Jimmy Johnsen (DEN).

In the women’s race, Queensland, Australia-based Brit Liz Blatchford will return to defend her title—she won her Ironman debut at Cairns before an impressive season, which included a third-place finish at the Ironman World Championship. After earning plenty of points with her top 2013 Kona finish, she only needs to validate in Cairns to secure her spot on the Ironman Hawaii start line, but she still wants to have a good race. “All I really need to do is complete,” Blatchford said to Ironman. “Having said that, I am focusing on it with the aim to do the best I can. I’d love to go back and defend the title I won last year, so there will be no holding back.” Other top athletes include two-time Ironman champ Asa Lundstrom of Sweden, 2013 Ironman Australia champ Rebecca Hoschke and Japan’s Keiko Tanaka.

Pro Men
Cameron Brown (NZL)
Tim Van Berkel (AUS)
Peter Robertson (AUS)
Jimmy Johnsen (DEN)
Jason Shortis (AUS)
Casey Munro (AUS)
Matt Burton (AUS)
Jarmo Hast (FIN)
Todd Israel (AUS)
Courtney Ogden (AUS)
Luke Martin (AUS)
Brodie Madgwick (NZL)
Carl Read (NZL)

Pro Women
Liz Blatchford (GBR)
Åsa Lundström (SWE)
Rebecca Hoschke (AUS)
Keiko Tanaka (JPN)
Katy Duffield (AUS)
Hillary Biscay (USA)
Melanie Burke (NZL)
Hannah Lawrence (NZL)
Larisa Marsh (NZL)
Wendy McAlpine (AUS)

Visit Ironmancairns.com for more information.

Flight Centre Active Travel Ironman 70.3 Cairns

Ironman 70.3 Cairns will take place on the same modified course as Ironman Cairns—starting from the gateway of the Great Barrier Reef, traveling between rainforest and coastline on Captain Cook Highway and finishing in the heart of Cairns. The Sunday, June 8 race will include a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run.

Pro race:
In the men’s race, Courtney Atkinson of Australia will return to defend his title. His toughest competition will come from fellow Aussie and fellow two-time Olympian Brad Kahlefeldt, who was the runner-up in Cairns last year. Other top athletes include David Dellow (AUS), the 2012 Ironman Cairns champion, and Aussie Tim Reed.

Topping the women’s start list is defending champion and veteran pro Samantha Warriner of New Zealand, whose toughest competition will come from Ironman Asia-Pacific champ and multiple Kona podium finisher Caroline Steffen of Switzerland.

Pro Men
Courtney Atkinson (AUS)
Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS)
Tim Reed (AUS)
Clayton Fettell (AUS)
Sam Appleton (AUS)
Sam Betten (AUS)
David Dellow (AUS)
Michael Fox (AUS)
Alex Reithmeier (AUS)
Joseph Lampe (AUS)
Bradley Clark (AUS)
Monty Frankish (AUS)
Tim Green (AUS)
Justin Granger (AUS)
Adam Gordon (AUS)
Tom Rodgers (AUS)
Danny Soper (USA)
Matty White (AUS)

Pro Women
Samantha Warriner (NZL)
Caroline Steffen (SUI)
Lisa Marangon (AUS)
Kiyomi Niwata (JPN)
Michelle Duffield (AUS)
Kym Jaenke (AUS)
Ange Castle (AUS)
Belinda Granger (AUS)
Renee Baker (AUS)
Sarah Crowley (AUS)
Dimity-Lee Duke (AUS)
Tracy Douglas (AUS)
Kristy Hallett (AUS)
Candice Hammond (NZL)
Polly Mosley (AUS)
Anna Russell (NZL)
Holly Ranson (AUS)
Matilda Raynolds (AUS)
Tineke Stewart (NZL)
Maja Stage (DEN)

For more information, visit Ironman.com/cairns70.3