Busselton athletes ready for Ironman worlds

Four Busselton Triathlon Club members have braved the winter cold to train for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Zell Am See, Austria, this weekend.

An Ironman 70.3 triathlon, also known as a half-ironman, refers to the total race distance in miles: a 1.2-mile (1.9km) swim, 56-mile (90km) bike ride and 13.1 mile (21.1km) run.

Connie Watson, Jacinta Wright and mother-and-daughter duo Trish Vickery and Amanda Whiteland all qualified for the 70.3 World Championships at this year's Busselton Ironman 70.3 in May.

The Busselton girls need not worry about sideline support on race day as more than 10 other Busselton locals have decided to include Austria in their travel plans and will be cheering loudly for them on race day.

Vickery also raced in the 2014 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Mt Tremblant, Canada last September and was the first Australian and 17th overall in her age group.

It will be Watson's 12th, Wright's 11th, Whiteland's 7th and Vickery's 4th half-ironman triathlon and will also be the second time the mother-daughter duo will have competed together.

Whiteland said the team's training for the event started in early June, so a lot had to be done in the cold of winter; not ideal for a summer event.

For information about joining Busselton Triathlon Club, see busselton triathlonclub.com.