Kiwi Triathlon Stars Set To Battle At Ironman New Zealand

Eight-time Ironman New Zealand winner Cameron Brown will, of course, be back to defend his title on Saturday. Brown owns the course record and will be tough to beat. While she doesn’t have eight wins in Taupo under her belt, New Zealand’s Gina Crawford (formerly Ferguson) will also be looking to defend.

Written by: Liz Hichens

Both Brown and Crawford will face the athletes who almost beat them last year. For Brown, the competition will come from another New Zealander in Terenzo Bozzone. Last year, Bozzone finished second at this race in his first attempt at the distance. This time Bozzone comes in with three Ironman finishes under his belt, including an 11^th place finish at the Ironman World Championship. The athlete who will most likely lead out of the swim and will be tough to catch on the bike is New Zealand’s Kieran Doe. Doe finished third at this race in 2008 and will be looking to move up the podium. Needless to say, there’s a strong possibility of an all-New Zealand podium on the men’s side.

Unlike the new rivalry between Brown and Bozzone, the two New Zealand stars on the women’s side have been racing against each other for years. While Crawford passed Joanna Lawn on the run last year to take the win, Lawn has a winning history at this event with victories in 2007 and 2008. Lawn is also coming off of a successful 2009 season, which she finished off by placing seventh at the Ironman World Championship. In Crawford’s case, this will be her first time racing here since she was diagnosed with a heart condition in the middle of last year. Crawford already raced at Challenge Wanaka and walked away with her third win in a row there, showing that despite the condition she can still race her way to the front. The women’s professional field includes several up and comers from both New Zealand and Australia. One of the only women not from the region is The United States’ Kim Loeffler. Loeffler won’t be able to swim with the Kiwis, but if she can catch them on the bike she may be a threat on the run.

Check back for complete results and a photo gallery after the race.

Men’s Professional Lineup

Cameron Brown (NZL)

Chris Waterhouse (AUS)

James Bowstead (NZL)

Jason Crowther (AUS)

Jim Lubinski (USA)

John Carey (AUS)

Jozef Vrabel (SVK

Keegan Williams (NZL)

Kieran Doe (NZL)

Marek Nemcik (SVK)

Rich Munro (AUS)

Stefan Lüscher (SUI)

Terenzo Bozzone (NZL)

Women’s Professional Lineup

Ali Fitch (AUS)

Britta Martin (NZL)

Christie Sym (AUS)

Gina Crawford (NZL)

Joanna Carritt (GBR)

Joanna Lawn (NZL)

Jodie Scott (AUS)

Kate Bevilaqua (AUS)

Kim Loeffler (USA)

Meshy Holt (NZL)

Nicole Ward (AUS)

Rebecca Eveleigh (AUS)

Sarah Pollett (AUS)