The spectacular will be featured in an hour-long special on US TV showcasing the island's stunning scenery.

Top pro's Andy Potts, Brian Fleischman, Simon Thompson, Matt Reed, and Becky Lavelle are all due to star in the event - one of eight legs that make up the Escape to Alcatraz Triathlon Series.

In its 29 years as a maximum-security prison, no one ever escaped alive from the menacing shores of Alcatraz.

And the landmark then became a challenge for athletes. The original Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon has been running for 25 years and has a reputation for grueling course conditions including steep hills and water far colder than that likely to face those tackling the Bermuda version.

It attracts 2,000 of the world's best athletes while thousands of thrill-seeking amateurs also get in on the action after qualifying while huge crowds turn up to watch.

Bermuda-based triathlete Neil de ste Croix has been picked by sports promoters IMG to run the event here from October 20-21 and has been out to the Californian core event to get tips on how it is done.

He told the Mid Ocean News: "We almost got it here last year but for various reasons decided to postpone it to make sure it was done properly. IMG do nothing by halves, they get it done properly."

The race begins on Sunday at 8 a.m. with a 1,500 metre-mile swim as competitors jump from high-speed ferries in the West End and head to Dockyard.

Following the swim, a 24-mile bike ride will take the competitors along South Road to St. George's. Finally, the athletes will pit their strengths in a challenging six-mile run on trails that hug the northern coast of the Old Towne before finishing in King's Square.The event will be a qualifier for the main Alcatraz event which this June was won by Andy Potts who beat Bevan Docherty with a time 26 seconds short of an hour while in the womens' pro race Leanda Cave beat Pip Taylor.

Organisers hope to lure 100 overseas competitors and 40 professionals.

"It will be less grueling than Alcatraz ¿ it's more about the scenery." said de ste Croix.

And up to 100 Bermudian team and runners are expected to sign up.

On the Saturday there's a sprint triathlon with 750-metre swim, 20 km bike ride, and 5 km run open to all ages. There are also races planned for kids aged seven and upwards.

Meanwhile de ste Croix is backing Bermuda's best known triathlete Flora Duffy to get over her slump following disappointing World Cup summer performances Madrid and Des Moines.

She faces her next test in Hamburg, Germany next Saturday. She will tackle the Elite women's event - last year she was a Silver Medalist in the Junior Event.

Duffy has been consulting over the causes of the malaise which have been linked to not enough iron in her diet and insufficient recovery time after races.

Said de ste Croix, who coached Duffy from aged seven to 16, said: "I think she will recover from this. I am not quite sure when but I hope Hamburg will be it.

"She is a tough character. I spoke to her a couple of weeks ago and she is realistic about the knocks."

He said many factors could be behind the problems but ultimately Duffy would show her class.

"Her time will come. She will get back out there and be amongst the best in the world."

And Duffy's father Charles said it might take time to fix the problem but Flora would get it right in the end.

"She's amazingly upbeat. She trains really hard, twice a day."

Asked what had been at the root of the problem he said: "The balance of opinion was it was to do with calorie intake, it's taken some time and I would not say she was a 100 percent positive."