Triathlon.

Organisers would be delighted if it was 114.

While the truncated 15.5-mile race features some of the top names on the Island, race officials are still trying to land Dominique Arthur, who made such a splash during last Sunday's team event.

Arthur, a student at the University of Arizona, flew back to Flagstaff on Tuesday after blowing away the competition in the one-mile Hamilton Harbour swim. Arthur said at the time he was hoping to compete in the individual event -- if he could fit it into his tight scholastic schedule.

His name was noticeably absent from the list of entries when Wednesday evening's deadline passed although there's still an outside chance the former US amateur Iron Man champion could compete.

"Obviously, we would accept a late entry from him,'' said the Bank of Bermuda's Ernest Dunphy, one of the race officials, yesterday. "Not only would it be nice to have someone of his calibre, the mere logistics of getting an official entry to us from Arizona have to be considered. It's the very least we could do.'' Last Sunday, Arthur arrived as a virtual unknown just 14 hours before the race and proceeded to finish the two laps of Albouy's Point to White's Island and back in just 20 minutes -- and would've been faster had he not got seasick.

The good news for both officials and spectators is that even without Arthur, Neil de Ste Croix, the reigning king of Bermuda triathlon, could still be pushed.

That's because of the late entry of Kavin Smith, the Island's top distance runner.

Smith, who ran the 10-kilometre leg for the winners in the team event, hasn't competed in a triathlon in two years. But his impressive time last week (32:40), combined with the relatively short distance on Sunday, might make for an exciting finish.

While top triathletes such as Greg Hopkins and Mark Glusing are giving the race a miss, 16-year-old sensation Kris Hedges will be there, along with Andrew Doble, who had one of the fastest runs last week, and Kevin Tucker.

The better finish might come in the female category, where Shona Palmer is a slight favourite over an improving Melanie Claude and Julia Hawley.

In an effort to lure more entries, the race distance was twice shortened to the point where it is basically half an Olympic distance: 750-metre swim, 20 kilometres cycle and five-kilometre run.

It worked. "It's not nearly as intimidating (for the average athlete) as it was,'' said Dunphy.