Reed, Carfrae Back To Defend Ironman 70.3 California Titles

American Matt Reed and Australian Mirinda Carfrae will head to Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday, March 27 to defend their 2009 titles. Both Reed and Carfrae used wins on the Southern California course in 2009 to propel themselves to their best seasons of their careers. Reed went on to win a total of seven races for the season, and Carfrae earned the runner-up spot at the Ironman World Championship.

Both Reed and Carfrae will face tough competition from some of the best athletes in the sport. American Andy Potts took the Oceanside title in 2007 and 2008 and will be hungry to re-gain the title in the first race of his 2010 season. Both American Tim O’Donnell and German Michael Raelert took World Championships last year and will be racing this weekend. O’Donnell is the reigning ITU Long Distance World Champion and has established himself as one of the top Americans in long-distance triathlon. One year ago Raelert’s name wouldn’t have drawn much attention, but after a convincing win at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships last year everyone will have their eyes on him. The flat, fast run course suits Raelert’s style and he could be tough to beat if he can hang with the front pack on the hilly bike. Other names that could find themselves on the podium are Rasmus Henning (DEN), Tim DeBoom (USA), Michael Lovato (USA), Richie Cunningham (AUS) and Paul Amey (GBR).

Carfrae will face several past winners at this race including Samantha McGlone (CAN), Kate Major (AUS) and Michellie Jones (AUS). Despite the tough competition, there is no doubt Carfrae is the heavy favorite. The biggest threat to Carfrae’s defense could come from McGlone. While McGlone is not quite as strong of a runner as Carfrae, she has a bit of the edge on the bike. McGlone had a disappointing race at the Abu Dhabi Triathlon and will be coming in with high motivation to perform well. New Zealand’s Samantha Warriner will also be toeing the line. Warriner was expected to challenge for the title last year in Oceanside, and ended up struggling to a seventh place finish. She has proven she can compete at this distance and could be in the mix in the final miles. Australians Jones, Major and Pip Taylor are not favorites to win, but each knows how to compete at this distance and will try to contend for the podium. Other possible top finishers on the women’s side include Americans Amanda Lovato, who recently won the 2010 Ironman 70.3 Pucon title, Heather Wurtele and Caitlin Snow.

Professional Lineup

Men
1. Matt Reed
2. Richie Cunningham
3. Torsten Abel
4. Michael Lovato
5. Tim DeBoom
6. Michael Raelert
7. Jordan Rapp * Will likely not compete due to injuries suffered in a bike accident.
8. Andy Potts
9. Paul Amey
10. Jonas Colting
11. Mike Neill
12. Chris Casey
13. Karl Bodine
14. Juan Carlos Ramirez
15. Tim Snow
16. Rasmus Henning
17. Jonathan Hotchkiss
18. Tim O’Donnell
19. Trevor Wurtele
20. Adam Jensen
21. Jim Anthony Lubinski
22. Herve Banti
23. Matt Chryock
24. Kyle Leto
25. Jeff Bruce Symonds
26. Sean Alan Frost
27. Brendan Halpin
28. John Dahlz
29. Ben Hoffman
30. Nicholas Thompson
31. Andres Felipe Castillo Latorre
32. Michael Weiss
33. Alex McDonald
34. Alan Archard
35. Anthony Toth
36. Ian Mikelson
37. Lars Finanger
38. Greg Kopecky

Women
41. Mirinda Carfrae
42. Michellie Jones (AUS)
43. Samantha McGlone (CAN)
44. Joanna Zeiger (USA)
45. Samantha Warriner (NZL)
46. Amanda Lovato (USA)
47. Pip Taylor (AUS)
48. Malaika Homo
49. Emily Cocks
50. Kelly Williamson
51. Kate Major (AUS)
52. Charisa Wernick (USA)
53. Rachel Challis
54. Lyne Bessette
55. Rochelle Hair
56. Christine Fletcher
57. Beatriz Blattmann
58. Heather Wurtele
59. Katya Meyers
60. Lesley Paterson
61. Terra Castro
62. Jennifer Luebke
63. Mackenzie Madison
64. Kate Pallardy
65. Angela Naeth
66. Caitlin Snow