Craig Alexander will chase his fifth win in a row, while Melissa Hauschildt makes a return from injury in Geelong.
A professional field of more than 50 athletes, one of the largest in Asia-Pacific history, will contest IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong on February 7.
The first major race for the 2016 season has attracted quality with multiple world champions and quantity with 27 women and 29 men on the start line.
Five-time world champion (and four-time Geelong winner) Craig Alexander will be joined by 2012 IRONMAN World Champion Pete Jacobs, while the women’s field will feature two-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Melissa Hauschildt.
In his drive for five, Alexander will face a plethora of pursuers including; Jacobs, Victorian Leon Griffin (a multiple IRONMAN 70.3 Champion) and Frances Cyril Viennot who finished sixth at last year’s IRONMAN World Championship.
Also to feature are David Dellow (fourth in IRONMAN Western Australia), German Per Bittner (second at Ballarat), New Zealand’s Callum Millward (IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder winner) and Australian Jake Montgomery (IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney winner).
The stacked women’s field is highlighted by Australians Annabel Luxford and the returning Hauschildt, who missed much of last year with injury.
Luxford capped off a superb 2015 with consecutive IRONMAN 70.3 wins at Western Sydney and Ballarat.
Hauschildt, the 2011 and 2013 IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion, is on the comeback trail after injury prevented her from racing post her win at the 2015 IRONMAN Melbourne in March.
"I can't wait to get back racing. I was training really hard on the bike all last year waiting for an answer with my rib injury. I thought it was going to really pay off at Kona and I'd be able to see the improvements I'd made on the bike but that time never came, I didn't get to race," says Hauschildt.
"It's now almost a year since I've raced so I'm really looking forward to getting back out there."
Luxford and Hauschildt will be joined by IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie champion Radka Vodickova (CZE), Dutch star Yvonne Van Vlerken (third at IRONMAN Western Australia and second at Ballarat), and Andrea Forrest (with IRONMAN 70.3 podiums at Port Macquarie and Western Sydney).
Male Pro:
1 Craig Alexander AUS
2 Cyril Viennot FRA
3 Jake Montgomery AUS
4 Callum Millward NZL
5 Josh Amberger AUS
6 Leon Griffin AUS
7 Pete Jacobs AUS
8 Per Bittner DEU
9 Jamie Huggett AUS
10 Peter Kerr AUS
11 Simon Billeau FRA
12 William Cannon AUS
13 James Davy AUS
15 Clayton Fettell AUS
16 Matt Franklin NZL
17 Adam Gordon AUS
18 Dylan Hill AUS
19 Benjamin Huggett AUS
20 Mitchell Kibby AUS
21 Levi Maxwell AUS
22 Casey Munro AUS
23 Alex Reithmeier AUS
24 Josh Rix AUS
25 Leigh Stabryla AUS
26 Ricky Swindale AUS
27 Sam Tebeck AUS
28 Stephen Thompson AUS
29 Brad Wauer AUS
30 Alexander Polizzi AUS
Female Pro:
31 Mel Hauschildt AUS
32 Annabel Luxford AUS
33 Radka Vodickova CZE
34 Yvonne Van Vlerken NLD
35 Sarah Crowley AUS
36 Andrea Forrest AUS
37 Carrie Lester AUS
38 Lisa Marangon AUS
39 Katey Gibb AUS
40 Emma Pooley GBR
41 Elaine Brent AUS
42 Melanie Burke NZL
43 Kym Coogan AUS
44 Stephanie Demestichas AUS
45 Kristy Hallett AUS
46 Mareen Hufe DEU
47 Marina Jurjevic AUS
48 Sarah Lester AUS
49 Wendy McAlpine AUS
50 Pip Meo NZL
51 Jessica Mitchell AUS
52 Lauren Parker AUS
53 Kate Pedley AUS
54 KirraLee Seidel AUS
55 Alise Selsmark AUS
56 Tineke Stewart NZL
57 Georgia Stott AUS
58 Michelle Wu AUS