More than half of this year's competitors (818) are first time entrants at Ironman Hawaii.....Athletes from all 50 United States and 48 countries will start on Sunday. The US states with the biggest representation are California, Hawaii, Colorado, New York, and Florida.....As a first time experiment, all 13 of the competitors age 70 and over will be allowed to wear a wetsuit to stay warmer during the swim.....the new bike course adds more hills as the bike course moves through town before heading out on the Queen K.....Champion Nutrition produced a Steve Larsen poster addressed to Peter Reid and Luc van Lierde. It said We wanted to give you guys an up close and personal look at triathlete come lately Steve Larsen. That way you'll recognize him when he goes by on Saturday......Two-time winner Luc van Lierde has battled a knee injury over the last few weeks but claims he is ready to race.....Despite a population of just 100,000, Boulder has seven entrants that could finish in the top 10: Tim DeBoom, Tony DeBoom, Nicole DeBoom, Cam Widoff, Tim Luchinske, Ryan Bolton, and Dave Scott...

Our picks for the top 5

Check out duathlon.com on Saturday for race coverage and photos. Additional photos are currently on the photos page at http://www.duathlon.com/libraries/photo

Competitors complete their final swim workouts before the race

Alii Drive prepares for race day

Six-time winner Mark Allen dispenses last minute race advice

Meanwhile, six-time winner Dave Scott prepares to race at age 47

And Luc van Lierde answers lingering questions regarding last year's no show