Bahrain Endurance 13 is set to race over the half distance this weekend, with Holly Lawrence set to defend her Ironman 70.3 Mont Tremblant title this weekend, Fredrik Croneborg taking on the inaugural Challenge Nakhon Nayok in Thailand, and Mikel Calahorra racing Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene.
Lawrence has gone undefeated at this distance since her win here in Mont Tremblant last year. The reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion is looking to keep the streak alive. “Getting ready to race one of my favorite races and where I got my very first Ironman win last year!” she says.
Croneborg has kept a low profile since he won the full distance at Challenge Taiwan back in April. The Phuket-resident Swede will stay close to home in his return to long-distance racing, with Nakhon Nayok only a 90-minute drive from Bangkok. He says, “I have been a bit tired since the race in Taiwan, but the last couple of weeks I started to feel good and now riding with power I have better numbers than before and have changed to a more aggressive bike position. I hope I can show a good result on the flat course.”
In racing Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene, Calahorra will attempt to secure an age-group qualifier spot for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. Training through the fasting season of Ramadan in Bahrain has been challenging since one can only take food and water in after sunset, but the Spaniard has found the silver lining. “Ramadan timing starts the first workout at sunset and finishing the second session at 2 a.m. every day,” he says. “Even though they are not the ideal times for training and resting properly, it allowed me to skip the heat and to train on US time so jet lag won’t affect me. Now is time to rest properly, recover, and let the work come out.”
