Athlete has Wright stuff for triathlon

Jacinta Wright will start her 10th triathlon tomorrow, the 2015 Sunsmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton.

The 24-year-old recently returned from Taiwan after competing in the full Ironman.

Wright said she got into triathlons as a way to challenge herself.

"I used to be in the swimming club and I thought, 'I can ride a bike and learn how to run'," she said.

"I've since completed triathlons all over WA and one over east."

The school teacher has been training 15 hours a week in preparation for the event and said adding yoga to her training regime had helped keep her fit.

"Last year I completed it in five hours and 40 minutes - you always want to beat your own personal best, but I'm still a bit fatigued after Taiwan and just hope I finish in a respectable time," she said.

"The toughest part of the triathlon is completing the run after a long bike ride."

More than 3000 competitors will take part in the event, which started in Busselton in 2002. The Ironman 70.3 consists of a 1.9km swim, 90.1km bike ride and a 21.1km run, which have to be completed in seven hours and 30 minutes.

Last year's champions, Tim Van Berkel and Kate Bevilaqua, will defend their titles, while 31 professional athletes will take part in the professional field for a share of $25,000 prize money.

Triathlon WA event manager Ashleigh Davis said there were a lot of strong competitors in this year's event. "We've been here all week setting up for the event and we're all prepared for tomorrow," she said. "We've got a large number of participants this year and have a lot of strong international talent taking part too.

"We're hoping for another big year and hoping to see a great turnout and some great talent."

The Ironman 70.3 will kick off from 7am tomorrow at Barnard Park and will finish at 5pm.