Ironman: Bremer eyes Taupo coup

Michelle Bremer will be among the top contenders in the women's race at Ironman New Zealand tomorrow. Photo / Getty Images

Bay of Plenty endurance athlete Michelle Bremer says she would be stoked to finish on the podium at Ironman New Zealand when she competes against a strong field of elite athletes.

Bremer, 32, is the only Bay of Plenty athlete seeded inside the top 10 for the men's or women's race in Taupo tomorrow and is coming off a good season last year.

She won Ironman Australia last May - her second Ironman victory - before finishing third at Cairns in June.

Recurring back problems affected her training early this year but she is now back to full strength and in good shape going into the endurance race in Taupo. She is seeded fifth in the women's race and said a podium finish would be excellent.

"I'd be stoked with a podium finish and I'd be happy with a top five," she said. "But positions are quite hard to target. My personal goal is just to have a solid bike and have a really good run, and try for a PB on the run."

Bremer is now living in Sydney but grew up at Mount Maunganui. She raced her first full Ironman in 2011, at Ironman Western Australia, which she won. Since then she has been hooked and said she loved the long training sessions.

"Speed does not come naturally to me but I have good endurance and I love the trainings, like getting out for long runs and bikes."

She has only raced Ironman New Zealand once before, finishing fifth in 2014.

Both men's and women's fields are stacked in quality and quantity as many professionals have headed across the Tasman after the 2016 Ironman Asia Pacific Championship in Melbourne were cancelled.

Californian Meredith Kessler will return to her home away from home to chase her fifth straight win in the women's race.

"The course just makes my heart sing," Kessler, the women's course record holder, said. "A cool, clear fresh water swim in gorgeous Lake Taupo, rolling bike terrain on a tougher chip seal and a run along the shoreline to streaming fans of people."

Like the men, the podium from last year is back in the form of Kiwis Gina Crawford and Melanie Burke.

Cameron Brown, 43, (Auckland) will wear the No1 bib - set aside for the top seed - for the 15th time in 19 starts at the event and will look to defend the title he won for the 11th time last year.

Brown enjoyed a fantastic first half to 2015 winning his first Ironman New Zealand in four years and second at Cairns. He is now primed for his return to Taupo. Last year's podium finishers are back also, in compatriots Terenzo Bozzone and Dylan McNeice.

Factbox:

* 32nd Ironman New Zealand

* 3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42km run

* Race starts tomorrow from 6.45am in Taupo

* More than 1300 people entered