Cultural issues within Fire and Emergency NZ have been addressed and the Government has announced its plan for replacement ferries to begin service in 2029. Video / NZ Herald
More than 6000 athletes will descend on Taupō for the multisport event over Saturday and Sunday, with New Zealand hosting the event for the first time.
State Highway 5, between Wairakei and Reporoa, will be closed from 6am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said on Facebook the highway would be closed for the cycling part of the event.
“Drivers should be aware that Broadlands Rd, a common alternative route between Taupō and Rotorua, will also be closed as it is part of the cycle route.
“While SH5 is closed, traffic between Taupō and Rotorua will be detoured via SH1 and SH30 through Atiamuri.”
The agency said the public should expect more cyclists on SH5 and Broadlands Rd leading up to the event as athletes familiarised themselves with the course.
“We do expect increased traffic in surrounding areas on the days both before and after the event as people travel to/from Taupō from all directions. Please take care and allow extra time.”
The 70.3 refers to the total distance covered in the race in miles - a half Ironman.
Athletes will do a 1.9km swim, 90km single-loop bike and end with a 21.1km run that includes two laps along the Taupō lakefront before finishing on a red-carpeted site in the northern lane of Tongariro St.
Kiwi athletes prepare to take on world’s best
Kiwi professional triathletes Hannah Berry, Rebecca Clarke, and Hannah Knighton are preparing to take on the world’s best female triathletes on home soil as more than 2400 professional and age-group women take centre stage on Saturday while around 3800 men go head-to-head on Sunday.
A statement from Ironman 70.3 World Championship organisers said professional athletes would battle it out for a piece of the US$500,000 ($862,000) professional prize purse and the world champion crown, with the winner taking home US$75,000.
The world championship will also be the culmination of the inaugural Pro Series and the last chance for professional athletes to score points towards their final standings, with a maximum of 3000 points on offer to the winners in Taupō.
Taupō is hosting the 2024 VinFast 70.3 Ironman World Championship this weekend. Photo / Korupt Vision
At the conclusion of both professional races in Taupō, the first-ever Ironman Pro Series champions will be crowned, with the female and male winners earning a historic bonus payout of US$200,000 each.
A total bonus prize pool of US$1.7 million will be shared among the top 50 Pro Series finishers in each gender.
Among favourites in the men’s race are Taupō-raised duo Hayden Wilde – a two-time Olympic medallist – and Kyle Smith, a two-time Ironman 70.3 Taupō champion. Fellow Kiwis Braden Currie, Mike Phillips, Jack Moody, Ben Hamilton, and Sam Osborne have also qualified.
Tauranga triathlete Hannah Berry has had a strong year of racing, winning the Cairns Airport Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship in Australia in June and finishing 10th at the world championship in September.
Berry, a two-time winner of the 70.3 event in Taupō, said in the statement she could not be more excited to race a world championship on home soil.
“It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The 70.3 worlds have never been held here in New Zealand, and as an athlete from New Zealand I am used to having to travel a long way for the big championship’s races, so to have one here at home, and have all the top athletes coming out to New Zealand is really special.”
The bike and run legs of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship showcase the scenery of Taupō.
The professional women’s race will feature some the best middle-distance athletes in the world, including two-time and reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion Taylor Knibb (US), 2024 Olympic silver medallist Julie Derron (Switzerland), 2024 Ironman world championship runner-up Kat Matthews (UK), four-time Ironman 70.3 champion Ashleigh Gentle (Australia) and three-time Ironman 70.3 champion Caroline Pohle (Germany).
Berry is expecting a fast and close race.
“The women’s race is looking really competitive, with almost all of the top contenders making it out here to race, which is so great.
“For the win, I think you can’t go past the defending champ Taylor Knibb as the favourite, with the likes of Julie Derron, Kat Matthews, Ash Gentle and Carol Pohle looking to contend, along with a few others,” she said.
“I would like to get as close to the top 10 as possible. If I have a great day, maybe I can be inside the top 10.”
Berry is hoping to cap off a successful season of racing with enough points to land her fourth in the women’s series – and earn her a bonus payout of US$70,000.
“I am always just wanting to race to my current potential, aiming to race as strong as possible and leave it all out there for the last race of the year.
“For the series, I think I need a little under 1200 points to reach fourth place overall, so that is a big goal for me. If I can just race the best I currently can across all three disciplines, and get those points for the series, then that is a very successful day for me,” she said.
Like Berry, fellow Kiwi professional athlete Rebecca Clarke has raced all over the world this year and is grateful and excited to have a world championship race on home soil.
“It’s an amazing opportunity and a real privilege to get to race 70.3 World Championship in my home country and in the town where my long-distance triathlon career started.
“It’s been a while coming since it was first set to take place in 2020, and I’ve been looking forward to it all year.”
