Why the triathlon world is paying attention to a race in Tasmania this weekend

It’s been a blockbuster week for triathlon with the announcement of the Professional Triathletes Organisation’s (PTO) new T100 World Triathlon Tour, and we’re seeing the trickle-down effect of the new series and the athletes right now. Normally Ironman 70.3 Tasmania, a race with just US$20,000 in prize money and a typically Oceanic-based pro field, wouldn’t garner much attention. This weekend’s race features some big names who will be part of the upcoming T100 tour and also possible players in the Ironman Pro Series, so we’ll be watching closely.

Ironman 70.3 Tasmania

The island state is 240 km south of mainland Australia and has a population of just over 500,000. It is said to have the “cleanest air in the world” along with spectacular scenery and “unique wildlife.” The course features a 1.9 km swim in the Derwent River along the historic Battery Point, a 90 km ride that features the most climbing of any Oceania 70.3 race, followed by a three-lap 21.1 km run past the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens and Princes Wharf No. 1.

T100 racers sharpen up

Two of the biggest names in the field include 2022 Ironman world champion Chelsea Sodaro (pictured above racing at the 2023 Ironman World Championship Kona) and two-time 70.3 world champ (along with five-time Triathlon world champion) Javier Gomez. Both were named as part of the T100 World Triathlon Tour earlier this week and will no-doubt be gearing up for the first event of the tour in Miami next month.

Sodaro and Gomez have both been training in New Zealand with coach Dan Plews. Sodaro is coming off a runner-up finish at the Tauranga Half earlier this year, while Gomez has had a couple of tough outings during his time down under including a DNF at Ironman 70.3 Taupo and a disqualification in Tauranga after getting assistance to fix his handlebars from Plews.

Multiple world champion Javier Gomez DQ’d after coach gives him mechanical support to fix his handlebars at race in New Zealand

“I wanted to get back to racing earlier this season and New Zealand and Australia provided that opportunity,” Sodaro said. “This will be my first time in Tasmania, I hear that its a stunning part of the world.”

While Sodaro raced well enough to finish 11th in the PTO World Ranking last year, she never matched the form of her spectacular Kona win. A couple of tune-up races heading into the T100 race in Miami could give her a leg up on other athletes who will be starting their season in Florida.

Hometown hero

Tasmania’s own Cameron Wurf returns for the second edition of Ironman 70.3 Tasmania. A multiple Ironman champion, Wurf is unique in the professional ranks because he splits his time between triathlon and racing for the World Tour Ineos Grenadiers cycling team. Depending on how much time he can get to put into triathlon racing in 2024, Wurf would certainly be an athlete to watch in the Ironman Pro Series. He routinely competes in multiple full-distance races in a year, typically finishing on the podium. With the Ironman Pro Series being weighted towards full-distance races (double the points), that could bode well for Wurf.

“I know every little inch of the road, so I’ll do everything that I can to try and turn that into an advantage for myself and, if the wind blows, it can also add another element to it to make it extremely challenging, but I don’t think it would matter where you put the bike course in Tasmania, it’s probably going to be the toughest bike course in Oceania,” he said. “You don’t get many free kicks on the roads here, they are pretty tough to pedal on and the wind can be brutal, the little rollers are quite deceptively steep seemingly everywhere so I’m really looking forward to that part of it, I think it will make for a really exciting race and a really fair race and give everyone an opportunity to try and play their cards.”

Ironman champion and pro cyclist Cam Wurf: not your average pro triathlete

Others to watch

Both defending champions – Ellie Salthouse and another Tasmanian local, Jake Birtwhistle – aren’t in the field, so we’ll see a new champion for this second running of the race. Last year’s runner up, Grace Thek, is back to try and move up a spot on the podium, as will last year’s third-place finisher, Penny Slater. Another Aussie to watch will be Sarah Crowley – the multiple Ironman and 70.3 champ didn’t have as consistent a year in 2023 as we’re used to, but in 2022 she became the first pro to win all three Australian full-distance races in the same year.

Another athlete who could fare well in the Ironman Pro Series is New Zealand’s Braden Currie, who arrives as the top seed for Sunday’s race. Last year’s runner up, Mitch Kibby, is back racing, too. Another to keep an eye on is 70.3 Sunshine Coast champ Nick Thompson, who took third at Ironman Western Australia at the end of last year.

You can see the full pro fields here.

There’s no live coverage of the race in Tasmania, but you can follow the action through the Ironman tracker.