With the ITU Long Course World Championship to be contested this weekend in Motala, Sweden, the Bahrain Endurance Team is well-represented by the veteran Joe Gambles of the Bahrain Endurance 13 and rookie Josh Amberger of the Bahrain Endurance Racing Team.
Gambles is no stranger to the 4-kilometer swim, 120-kilometer cycle, and 30-kilometer run format, having taken the silver medal at the championship in 2011. A long-course specialist, the two-time Ironman champion is also a course record holder for 10 different half-iron distance courses and most recently won the inaugural Challenge Salou last month.
Amberger has found success in the half-ironman distance in the few years since his transition from ITU to non-drafting races, with four titles already to his name. With plans to transition into Ironman racing in the future, he says the ITU Long Course World Championship is a perfect distance between the half-distance and Ironman. “I hope to get some sort of indication how I will perform over longer races from this event,” he says. “With a world title attached to the distance, I’m looking forward to putting everything on the line to break the tape, but I’m also looking to have fun with it and enjoy the no-pressure scenario I feel I have as a long-course rookie.”
Meanwhile, David Plese seeks to improve on last year’s third-place finish at Ironman Austria. With podiums from Ironman Switzerland and Ironman Sweden, the Bahrain Endurance Racing Team member is hungry for his first Ironman title after finishing ninth in Ironman Texas last month.
