$60,000 pro prize purse
2.4m run, 112m bike, 26.2m run
70 slots for Ironman Hawaii
Sunday April 6 will mark the 23rd running of the Panthers Ironman in which roughly 1,800 athletes from 30 countries will be competing.
The 3.8km, two-lap swim begins opposite the Sea Rescue Headquarters with a deep-water start in the Hastings River.
The 180km three-lap bike course takes competitors along the coast, with the Pacific Ocean to the east, and a range of scenery to the west that varies from suburban landscapes to forest.
The marathon course takes competitors along the Hastings River foreshores and along beside the beaches and parts of Pacific Drive which combines rolling hills with beautiful scenery to provide excellent viewing for both competitors and spectators.
The Pro women’s field looks to be very strong with returning 2007 winner Rebekeh Keat (who finished 6th in her debut in the Hawaii Ironman World Championships in October), Chrissie Wellington (2007 Ford Ironman Hawaii Women’s Champ), and Kate Major among others expected to race.
The Pro men’s field should see Patrick Vernay (last year’s first place finisher), Jason Shortis (2nd last year) and Mitchell Anderson (4th)
Bike Profile from Computrainer
Run Profile from Computrainer
A video from last year..
And finally some interesting stats… Triathletes will use 4,500 gear bags, hundreds of metres of reflective tape, 800 glow sticks, 1,500 swim caps and 3,000 race bibs, 1,500 bike and helmet numbers. They’ll consume around 20,000 litres of water, 12,000 bananas, 7,000 cookies, 3,500 oranges and 4,000 litres of cola. Around 8,000 litres of Gatorade energy drink will keep their bodies hydrated and energised. Jelly babies (around 6,000) and rockmelons round off the race diet and, at the finish line, competitors can enjoy a hot meal plus fruit salad and ice cream and a wide variety of drinks. There will be 6,000 drink bottles on the bike course plus over 1,500 on competitors’ bikes, and 60,000 paper cups used during the run leg.
