Important Business

Some important event viewing tomorrow, some big races to keep track of.

The really big race that is on tomorrow is Challenge Roth, one of the biggest triathlons in the world, and one that many people say is a more memorable experience than Kona. As usual Roth has attracted a world class field and so it will be interesting to see what they can achieve, particularly Kienle, who is an amazing athlete who is unfortunately unlucky to frequently be overshadowed by other phenomenal athletes like Frodeno. With no Frodeno it could finally be Kienle's day again, although there is a whole world of talent in both the men's and women's fields that could upstage him.

As big as Roth is, it will actually only be a footnote to my event tracking tomorrow. For me the event I will be watching with greatest interest will be Ironman Austria. Strange event to be tracking I hear you say. Well yes, but my interest is inspired really by one reason. Emily Loughnan.

As some of you may remember Emily is a Perth based pro triathlete and I happen to be her number 1 fan. Earlier this year Emily was the first woman across the line at the Busselton Half Ironman before herself, Sarah Crowley and Christine Cross were all disqualified. Before that she was the fastest female Age Grouper at Kona, by nearly 15 minutes. She is a high quality athlete for sure.

This race will be Emily's first race since the DQ at Busso and fair to say I am very keen to see what she can do. In my mind she has already demonstrated that she can go toe to toe with the best in the world, however, the DQ robbed her of that. She now has an opportunity to prove to everyone just how good she is and I am just hoping that she can put together the race to do just that.

Of course the race tomorrow will be no walk in the park. Tomorrow's race is a full Ironman as opposed to the 70.3 in Busso. Tomorrow's race also includes some short sharp hills and a reasonable amount of elevation gain.

Emily already has the runs on the board with respect to Ironman distance races, Kona last year proved that. However, I am not sure how Emily does with climbing. I suspect she does well (she came 2nd n her AG and 30th overall when the 70.3 worlds were in Austria, so she can handle the conditions), but I think the hills will be the test. Emily's greatest weapon is her run and so we shall have to wait and see whether her run can still fire after a demanding ride.

One thing I can confidently say with Emily though is that she doesn't go into races under prepared. She has targeted this event for a reason and so I suspect it is because herself and her coach feel it suits her. If that is the case then watch out. The other thing I know about Emily is that she is a top quality athlete, who can mix it will anyone. Tomorrow will be a big test for her for sure, but I will be watching with keen interest. If she has a good race then she will be mixing things up at the pointy end, of that I have no doubt.

We might just get the chance to witness the birth of a star and that doesn't happen too often.