Defending champ Luke McKenzie from Australia will be leading the title charge alongside Brit Jodie Swallow at the IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship in Cairns, Australia this weekend.

It’s the second to last of the IRONMAN Championship races this season, and lots of top athletes are heading down to get those valuable points toward their Ironman Kona bids for 2016.

The pro field is stacked with pedigrees in Tim Berkel (AUS) who finished second at the IRONMAN South African Championship and Cameron Brown (NZL) coming off his 1,000th win at IRONMAN New Zealand. Pete Jacobs (AUS), Matt Hanson (USA), Jordan Rapp (USA), David Dellow (AUS), Romain Guillame (FRA), Luke Bell (AUS), Clayton Fettel (AUS) are no slouches either and will make it a fast day from start to finish.

Luke McKenzie said:

“I know there are a few guys in the field with “experience” on the IRONMAN Cairns course but I feel this is definitely something I can draw on for this year’s race. I have won it twice from two starts so it’s a race where I definitely feel at home.”

On the women’s side, the defending champ from last year Liz Blatchford (GBR) was a late pull with an injury and won’t be able to make a go for a repeat title, unfortunately.

Jodie Swallow (GBR) and Linsey Corbin (USA) are the standout favourites for the weekend and the rest of the pack consisting of Bek Keat (AUS), Michelle Bremer (NZL), Sarah Crowley (AUS), Kate Belivaqua (AUS), Kirsty Jahn (CAN) will definitely throw the spanner into the works.

Jodie Swallow:

“I want to nail the marathon. I know I have a fast time in there and I want to pace correctly on the bike and on the first part of the run in order to pull that out in the last kilometers.”

Read more on Ironman.com