The Ironman 70.3 Pays d'Aix is in the starting blocks and some valuable records may fall before the start gun sounds. In addition to the growing number of participants, more than 1,500 athletes already registered to date, also the record of the event could "fall" in the number of professional male athletes entered.
Being a relatively new race on the Ironman circuit, the 4th edition of the Ironman 70.3 Pays d'Aix seems indeed become an unmissable event for athletes competing in age groups and for professional athletes who enroll in numbers, especially after the change of date made to the early season.
We welcome back the reigning champion Filip Ospaly, representing the Czech Republic who made a very strong impression in 2013 including a lighting fast final run section.
Another of the top finishers in 2013, the young Spaniard Albert Moreno Molins will also be a part of the May 18th event and will certainly aim to climb on to the top step of the podium.
Despite their great achievements in 2013 and their knowledge of the course, these two athletes have to be aware of the presence of French athletes, themselves connoisseurs of the course such as the new shareholder of Triathl'Aix , Bertrand Billard (4th in 2013) and Hervé Faure. Also they will have to pay special attention to Jeremy Jurkiewicz who may be a novice to the Aix-en-Provence course but was the recent winner of the Ironman Busselton in Australia and winner of the Ironman 70.3 Brazil.
Despite the presence of the returning champions and local French hero’s the race favorite will be none other than the newly crowned ironman World Champion Frederik Van Lierde. freddy is another newcomer to the only 70.3 event held in France, but his credentials make him the man with the target on his back.
In the women’s race the 2013 champion Susie Hignett another fast Brit returns along with a host of French females that will be vying for the top spot, with local favorite Jeanne Collonge being the pick of the bunch. They all will have to be on there best form as Tine Deckers and Gina Crawford who both competed in Italy last weekend are also scheduled to duel it out at the 70.3 France.
Pro Men: Pro Women:
MORENO MOLINS Albert HIGNETT Susie
VAN LIERDE Frederik CRAWFORD Gina
BILLARD Bertrand COLLONGE Jeanne
JURKIEWICZ Jérémy DECKERS Tine
FAURE Hervé TONDEUR Alexandra
FERNANDEZ Nicolas WOYSCH Nicole
MLINAR Markus BILHAM Emma
DE PAOLIS Luca GERVAIS Annie
LUCINI Audric KAVALIAUSKAITE Rasa
DECAS Damien
DEBIL-CAUX Victor
ROTA Sylvain
DOREZ Pierre
BRYLEV Aleksei
COOL Hannes
HOLVOET Rinus
HOUYOUX Nicolas
KAUROV Georgii
LIMOUSIN Frederic
MANTOLINI Simone
PAOLI Stefano
STEIN Boris
VANDENDRIESSCHE Kenneth
WILBY Peter
BJALKEMO George
KALININ Maksim
KUENG Manuel
LACASSE Martin
PANNIER Anthony
SWOLFS Sanne
WIELINGA Remmert