IRONMAN WA TRIATHLON - BUSSELTON
By Graeme Olsen
In November, the south west is
hosting the newest Ironman race, the Ironman Western
Australian Triathlon, in Busselton.
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In case don't know how grueling an Ironman
race is, just imagine swimming 3.8km, then
cycling 180km, then running 42.2km. Even
though I can't begin to comprehend those
numbers, I know they are big numbers. Maybe
that's why they give you a cut off time
of 17 hours to finish the race. If you take
longer than that you're out.
Perhaps most of us would look at those
numbers and think you'd have to be crazy
to enter, but clearly there are many who
don't consider the numbers a problem. The
Busselton Ironman Triathlon, which is being
held on 28 November, has signed up over
650 competitors! And over 25% of those competitors
are from overseas.But then again, why wouldn't
they?
Even though the race is going to be hard,
they'll be doing it amongst the beautiful
scenery of Busselton. Swimming alongside
the world famous Busselton Jetty, cycling
through the majestic Ludlow Forest, and
running along the beautiful shores of Geographe
Bay. Who wouldn't be attracted to that?
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Busselton Jetty
© Christian Fletcher Photo Images |
Ironman races are clearly big business.
You can tell by the range of sponsors and media
coverage they get. For this particular race, there
is prize money for the top 10 placings, including
US$8,500 for first place. Also there are 25 qualifying
places up for grabs for the 2005 Ironman Triathlon
World Championships in Hawaii.
So how can we all be involved? Well,
entry to participate in the event has now closed,
but they are in need of volunteers. To date they
have over 400 volunteers, but need 300 more. Anyone
can volunteer, and in return you receive a special
Ironman Western Australia Triathlon Busselton t-shirt,
hat and food and drinks on the day. If you're interested
you can go to www.ironmanwa.com
and fill out a form on-line. Or drop into the Busselton
Visitor Centre at 38 Peel Terrace, Busselton and
pick up a registration form. Or email wicked@wn.com.au
for a copy of the form, or phone (08) 9754 2694.
Whether you're volunteering or watching,
it's a great chance to view a world class event
in our own backyard. Get down to Busselton on race
day (28 November 2004), or even a few days beforehand
from 25 November when the Expo begins at the Ironman
WA village in Barnard Park.
For further details, check out the
official Ironman Western Australia website at www.ironmanwa.com,
where you'll find out all you need to know about
where, when, and how you can get involved.
October 2004
