Caroline Steffen and Sam Appleton are set to line up against a stellar field at Ironman 70.3 California. The first US 70.3 race for 2016, Oceanside has attracted 47 men and 33 women professionals, one of the deepest fields outside a world championship.
“It’s gonna be interesting to see where I am compared to the rest of the world,” says Steffen. The Sunshine Coast-based Swiss flew nearly 48 hours on Easter Monday for her North American assault, but is confident she can shake off the travel fatigue in time to perform on the weekend. “I can’t wait to race Oceanside! I’m pretty happy with how my training went in the last few weeks. New program with new coach Daniel Plews is challenging me daily. I will give it a good shot in California.”
Appleton has been quietly building up in Boulder, Colorado after his sprint finish win at Ironman 70.3 Buenos Aires. The young Australian says, “I’m really excited to race in Oceanside.I’ve heard it’s a North American classic and will undoubtedly be a tough race with all the guys on the startlist. I am excited to test my form against some of the best guys in the world next Saturday.”
In Asia, Fredrik Croneborg signaled his return to racing this year at last week’s Ironman 70.3 Taiwan, finishing in 6th place only 6 minutes behind the winner. He follows that up this weekend at Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya in Malaysia, known to be one of the hottest races on the calendar.
