A host of the top professional triathletes from across the region are preparing to go head-to-head for IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney titles this Sunday 3 May.?
More than 45 professional triathletes will line up at IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney at the Sydney International Regatta Centre and surrounds in Penrith,?with the event to see more than 1,800 age-group athletes?racing alongside professional triathletes.?
Sunday’s event will feature a 1.9km swim within the Regatta Centre, a 90km ride heading north on Castlereagh Road and a 21.1km flat and fast run around the venue.??
Jake Birtwhistle is the top seeded male, but the Tasmanian will have a host of athletes hot on his heels to ensure he doesn’t finish on the top step of the podium.
Birtwhistle heads to Western Sydney having lined up in Singapore just a week ago where he finished sixth, and before that the 33-year-old kicked off his season with a strong fourth place in a world-class field at IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong in late March.
“My preparation has been going well leading into Singapore and then Western Sydney, the only part that is an unknown is backing up with two races back-to-back, I haven’t done that since racing middle distance,” said Birtwhistle. “Typically, I feel pretty flat and tired for 10-14 days post a race, but I actually feel alright this week thankfully.
“So far this season I’ve been able to make a pretty decent progression from where I was last year and I’ve been really happy with the training I’ve put in and with the racing so far,” he said. “Every race is an opportunity to step up some more and make all the pieces of the puzzle fit together, so I’m looking forward to having a crack at that this weekend and onwards for the rest of the year.”?
One athlete set to challenge Birtwhistle on Sunday is rising star Josh Ferris, who burst onto the professional scene last year with victories at IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu Lapu and IRONMAN 70.3 Langkawi in Asia. Ferris will be racing much closer to home this week, having grown up close to the Penrith venue.
“Luckily for me I’m not a stranger to the area although it’s my first time racing this specific event,” said Ferris. “As always with IRONMAN 70.3 events, you’re going to get a world class field and that’s what I’m expecting on Sunday. It will be on from the gun, I’ve got no doubt, and with the flat nature of the course I’m expecting some fast times on race day.
“Fortunately, I had some great races last year with two wins, both races for me were confidence boosters. This distance is no joke and experience is your best mate,” he said. “I’m looking forward to going another step up this year and hopefully take the tape on home soil.”
The strong field also features one of the top IRONMAN triathletes in the world in Tasmania’s Cameron Wurf, along with IRONMAN 70.3 race winners Henrik Goesch, Jarrod Osborne and Nicholas Free.
The women’s field is headlined by IRONMAN 70.3 race winners Ellie Salthouse and Natalie Van Coevorden, with the pair swapping race wins across Australia in recent years.
Salthouse most recently claimed victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast last September and heads into this Sunday’s race following a strong training block at home in Brisbane.
“My preparation has been very smooth and I’m proud of the training block I’ve put together leading into this race. I’m using this race as a good opportunity to put my training to the test and see what I need to work on ahead of the Championship season later this year,” said Salthouse.?“I’m feeling excited and looking forward to the opportunity to test myself on Sunday. This is the perfect race to try some new things and implement some recent changes I’ve made in my training.”
Salthouse is looking forward to lining up in the first professional race at IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney since 2019.?
“I have heard great things about the course, primarily how flat and fast it is out on the bike, so I’m looking forward to that. It’s just so nice to have another race on Aussie soil with a strong Aussie field of athletes,” she said.?
Natalie Van Coevorden sees this week’s race as a home race, with the 33-year-old based just an hour away in South-West Sydney. As well as being close to home, IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney was also Van Coevorden’s first podium finish across the distance back in 2016.
“I only live an hour away from Penrith, so I’ve raced at the Regatta Centre a few times over the past few years for some small races. It’s amazing to me that it has been 10 years since my first IRONMAN 70.3 because it feels like so much has changed in my career since that time. It is always nice to return to a familiar venue and hopefully I can nail my nutrition and racing tactics better than 10 years ago,” said Van Coevorden. “I think everyone loves the opportunity to throw all your race things in the car and drive a short distance to a race. Familiar venues and races create a new level of calm, and it will be great to have family and friends around on Sunday to cheer me on.”
Van Coevorden had a strong 2025, with wins at IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong and IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie, seconds in Langkawi and Bahrain and a third in Sweden, but her performance on the Gold Coast last month was not to the level she was after.?
?“Coming off the back of a disappointing race at the end of March, my coach and I decided to have this small block to get in some big cycling kilometres and just keep the momentum going from the training I had been producing to start the year,” she said. “I’ve been really happy with how this has been going and my ability to be consistent day in day out on tired legs. The past week we have been trying to freshen up and hopefully I can come out on Sunday firing.?
“It looks like Sydney is turning on a stunning day for our race. I’ve had so many people reach out to me and say I can’t wait to meet you or looking forward to catching up which shows that having a Pro race involved in a long-term race here in Sydney is a great addition again. The women’s field has most of our Australian women involved so it will be a fast morning of racing here in Sydney,” said Van Coevorden.
Out to make sure that Salthouse and Van Coevorden don’t have it all their own way on Sunday morning is multiple IRONMAN race winner Regan Hollioake, New Zealand’s Rebecca Clarke, Commonwealth Games representative Charlotte McShane and Canberra’s Penny Slater. ?
- IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney – Men’s Professional Start List
M1 Jake Birtwhistle Australia
M4 Lachlan Haycock New Zealand
M6 Cameron Wurf Australia
M8 Jarrod Osborne Australia
M9 Hamish Longmuir Australia
M10 Rhys Corbishley Australia
M11 Josh Wooldridge Australia
M12 Nicholas Free Australia
M14 Patrick Bleasel Australia
M15 Charlie Stern Australia
M16 Kyle Tremayne Australia
M17 Tristan Price Australia
M18 Roland Crantock Australia
M19 Trent Thorpe New Zealand
M20 Jacob Lipari Australia
M21 Thomas Page Australia
M22 Jye Spriggs Australia
M23 Cameron Wilson Australia
M24 Xander Marsh New Zealand
M25 Thomas Williams New Zealand
M28 Cyrill Knechtle Switzerland
M29 Nathan Dortmann Australia
M31 Ivan Abele New Zealand
M32 Samuel Fothergill Australia
IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney – Women’s Professional Start List
F1 Ellie Salthouse Australia
F2 Natalie Van Coevorden Australia
F3 Regan Hollioake Australia
F4 Rebecca Clarke New Zealand
F5 Charlotte McShane Australia
F6 Penny Slater Australia
F7 Skye Wallace Australia
F8 Chloe Hartnett Australia
F9 Cassandra Heaslip Australia
F10 Katie Remond Australia
F11 Kate Gillespie-jones Australia
F12 Caitlin Davis Australia
F15 Emily Watts Australia
F16 Lauren Sprague Australia
F17 Laura Dennis Australia
F18 Laura Gillard Australia