Tyler Butterfield and his wife Nikki are gearing up for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Zell Am See, Austria, next weekend.

Tyler raced at the Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt last month, placing seventh, while the Austria event marks Nikki’s comeback after taking a break at the beginning of the year.

Tyler’s preparations for the championships have not been ideal as he was sick after the Frankfurt Ironman which disrupted his training routine. He will be hoping he has had sufficient time to prepare for the championships ahead of the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, his primary focus.

With the sparkling Lake Zell as its centrepoint and glacier-covered mountains as its backdrop, the 70.3 championships will showcase Austria’s majestic scenery.

The swim takes place in crystal-clear water, while the new bike course will provide athletes stunning views of the Austrian Alps. The scenic run course circumnavigates the lake, finishing in the old town of Zell am See.

Meanwhile, junior triathletes Erica Hawley and Tyler Smith arrive in Kelowna, British Columbia, today ahead of Saturday’s BC Provincial 16 to 19 Junior Elite Championships. The pair will be under the watchful eye of their Canadian coach Kelly Guest.

Both Hawley and Smith produced outstanding performances at the Canadian National 16-19 Junior Elite Championships, finishing fourteenth and eleventh respectively. Hawley was recently in Victoria training with Guest and members of the junior elite BC programme.

Smith was with Guest for six weeks in Europe with the Canadian juniors, so he also has had ideal preparation for this race.

Sue Edney will also be racing in Kelowna on Sunday in the BC Olympic Distance Age Group Championships along with former Bermuda residents Kim and Riann Naude.

n The Bermuda Triathlon Association will have Greg Welch, an Australian triathlon legend, as their guest speaker at this year’s annual prize-giving dinner which is scheduled for Saturday, November 21.

There will also be a Ironman and Ironman 70.3 training camp with Greg and his wife Sian for just ten people. The camp will be for five sessions from November 21 to 26.