Tyler Butterfield will be looking to continue his fine start to the season as he races tomorrow in the Raleigh, North Carolina Ironman 70.3

Butterfield’s main competition is expected to come from defending champion Matt Russell, of the United States, and Australia’s Leon Griffin. The men’s professional field features mostly relatively unknown long distance triahletes and based on recent results Buterfield has a strong chance of taking gold and with it some healthy Ironman ranking points.

Athletes will begin their day with a 1.2-mile swim in Jordan Lake in Chatham County. The 56-mile bike course will take athletes through rural Chatham and Wake Counties before entering downtown Raleigh to transition to the run. The two-loop, 13.1-mile run course winds through downtown, around the Capitol Building, out Hillsborough Street, and through North Carolina State University before heading down Fayetteville Street for a finish in City Plaza.