Warriner braces for searing heat of Aust event

Sam Warriner is bracing herself for around 40C heat as she gets set to defend the Ironman 70.3 in Geelong, Victoria.
The Whangarei triathlete heads into tomorrow's 2km swim, 90km bike and 21km run event with bolstered confidence after taking out the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman last month for the second year running.
Following a cycling accident last year, Warriner took a month off racing towards the end of 2009 to recover properly, and she has bounced back with more enthusiasm and drive than before.
During the past few months, she has been in base-building mode, and while she is using the Geelong  race, the Australian leg of the 70.3 series, as another training race, she has hopes of a top two finish to qualify for November's world championships in Florida.
"I've just had a great build up to this. My training has been going well over the past month and I'm using this race to see where I'm at before the ITU World Championship Series which start in April, and keep trying to get back up there," she said before flying out to Melbourne on Thursday.
Before the accident cut her race season short halfway through last year, Warriner started strongly in the International Triathlon Union World Championship Series.
The world class triathlete said competing in 70.3 (or half ironman) events before competing in the standard distance ITU series like she did in 2009, helped build her strength and base, so she would follow the same plan this year.
Warriner made her debut in the Australian leg of the 70.3 Ironman Series in 2009, and went on to claim the elite women's title. Despite the classy competition she faces, she said she was confident of a strong showing this year.
"It's a fairly strong field, which you would expect in an international race. Caroline Steffen will be racing - and she will be after revenge after I beat her in the last 5km of the run at Tauranga."
The Australian-based Swiss triathlete Steffen led the whole way in the Tauranga half ironman with a super-strong swim-bike combination, but Warriner was too powerful on the run leg, and chased her down to win by 18 seconds.
"We now know what each other can do now ... It should be an interesting battle," Warriner said about the rematch.
After a one-lap sea swim, the bike follows a nice undulating course, before a flat run along the sea front. It's a good course, and while I have no goals time-wise, if anything I would like to improve on my swim at Tauranga."
Australian Rebekah Keat, third at Tauranga, will also line up to race, as will a strong contingent from England, and Warriner was looking forward to the challenge. "After the accident, every race I get to compete in is a bonus."
 The Australian summer heat will be a factor, and competitors will need to be extra vigilant about taking fluids on board, but at least it won't be as hot as last year's race, which was staged on Black Saturday - the day of the horrific
bush fires in Victoria, Warriner said.
Over 1200 competitors are expected at the  Ironman 70.3 Geelong, tomorrow.