Former Winners to Battle in Highly Competitive Women's Field at Ironman 70.3 Geelong 2023

Why it matters: The women's professional field at the 2023 Ironman 70.3 Geelong is expected to be highly competitive, with former winners and podium finishers lining up on the start line.

Setting the pace: Defending champion Lotte Wilms, the top seeded female, is in good form and hoping to build on her 2022 success, which saw her claim the Ironman 70.3 Geelong and Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast titles. Victoria's Grace Thek, who has finished on the podium every year she's raced as a professional in Geelong, is aiming for the top step of the dais. Penny Slater, who finished third at Ironman South Africa and Ironman 70.3 Tasmania, is also one to watch.

What they are saying:

• Lotte Wilms: "I feel good. I had a long break after Busselton and needed some time to build up my fitness again, but everything is going as planned. It was great to have a hit out at the Mooloolaba Tri...I love Ironman races...Last year in Geelong the local community support was so big, I love it when there are so many people along the sideline to cheer the athletes on."
• Grace Thek: "I'm very excited to be heading to Ironman 70.3 Geelong for my sixth consecutive year...I also consider it my hometown race and just love racing in front of family and friends in Geelong...I had a great three-week block of training and feel much more confident going into Geelong."
• Penny Slater: "I'm really happy with how my season has started...I've been able to put together some consistent performances and that's given me a lot of confidence...I'm really looking forward to racing in Geelong and seeing what I can do."

Triathlon Through Time: The Ironman 70.3 Geelong event has been held annually since 2006, and the women's course record is held by Annabel Luxford from Australia. She set the record in 2012 with a time of 4:13:45.

In the past 10 years, the women's winning times have ranged from 4:13:45 to 4:29:07, with an average winning time of around 4:20:00. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race was cancelled and no winners were crowned.

It's worth noting that the Ironman 70.3 Geelong event has had a relatively short history compared to other triathlons, and as such, the women's winning times have remained relatively consistent over the years. However, as the sport continues to evolve and new talent emerges, it's possible that we may see faster winning times in the future.

Women’s Professional Start List

21 – Lotte Wilms (Netherlands)

22 – Grace Thek (Australia)

23 – Radka Kahledfeldt (Australia)

24 – Penny Slater (Australia)

25 – Sophie Perry (Australia)

27 - Stephanie Demestichas (Australia)

28 – Laura Dennis (Australia)

29 – Kate Gillespie-Jones (Australia)

31 – Renee Kiley (Australia)

32 – Cassandra Heaslip (Australia)