Ironman New Zealand
Saturday, March 3
Taupo, New Zealand
www.ironman.co.nz
Entry list

Auckland's Cameron Brown has been awarded the No 1 seeding for next week's Air New Zealand Ironman ahead of a double world champion and two-time winner of the event. Brown, who has finished second for the past two years, is only the third Kiwi male to wear the No 1 singlet for Ironman New Zealand at Taupo on Saturday 3 March. The 28-year-old has fought off back-to-back world long distance champion Peter Sandvang (Denmark) and two-time Ironman New Zealand winner Stefan Holzner (Germany) for the top seed.

Race director Keith Thorpe defended his decision to award top seeding to Brown ahead of Sandvang, Holzner and others who have won Ironman events in the past six months including Chris Legh (Australia), Jamie Cleveland (Canada) and Bryan Rhodes (Taupo).
``Our main criteria for seeding is performance at our event,'' Thorpe said. ``Cameron has clearly identified himself as the front runner after finishing second in this race in the past two years. Neither of the two people who beat him at Taupo is here this year, so he warranted the top seeding. ``We do take international performance into our reckoning but only after performance in Taupo.''

Sandvang, who won Ironman New Zealand in Auckland in 1998, is the second seed ahead of Legh, the Australian champion, who won Ironman California last year. Holzner is ranked number four on the strength of his back-to-back wins in Auckland in 1995 and 1996, with Rhodes, who won Ironman Malaysia five weeks ago, is ranked fifth.

Canada's Lisa Bentley, defending her Ironman New Zealand crown, has predictably snared the top women's seed. Christchurch's Karyn Balance, runner-up in Taupo for the past two years, is ranked second ahead of Taupo's Tara-Lee Marshall who was the most improved triathlete on the ironman circuit last year with breakthrough victories in Switzerland and Florida.

Australian Robyn Roocke, third last year, is ranked fourth ahead of Sweden's Lena Wahlqvist, who has twice won Ironman Lanzarote, over the demanding terrain on the Canary Islands and placed ninth at the world championships in Kona, Hawaii last year. A record 950 competitors have entered the 17th Air New Zealand Ironman, 180 up on last year's previous record field. Nearly 600 are from overseas, representing 38 different nations.

The top 10 men's and women's seeds are: