Ironman legend Cameron Brown returns to race

END IN SIGHT: Last year's Shorebreak Surfbreaker Sprint women's winner Anneke Jenkins.PHOTO/FILE

A legend of New Zealand triathlon racing will line-up on Saturday morning for the Shorebreak Surfbreaker triathlon at Mount Maunganui.

Ten-time Ironman New Zealand winner Cameron Brown is a confirmed starter and the 41-year-old returns for an event he has competed at with distinction in the past.

Shorebreak Aquatics event manager Sheryl McLay is delighted to get Brown back in the Bay.

"He is bringing his 12-year-old son Brayden, who will do the little one and Cameron the sprint, which will be quite exciting," McLay said.

"Cameron used to be a regular but it has been a while. As he has aged the run on the soft sand has been more of a challenge but he seems to have sorted out his calf muscle problems."

The race course has been changed to enable a larger transition area at Mt Drury Reserve for the increasing numbers taking on Saturday's challenge.

"This year's course is different because since the council put in all the boardwalks - and I am certainly not criticising the boardwalks - but what it has meant is there is no longer a big enough grassed area for the transition down by the surf club.

"We have outgrown it, so the shift to Mt Drury Reserve. The swim will be in the opposite direction, and will leave from the surf club to Leisure (Moturiki) Island. Then they will go off on exactly the same cycle course, using the entire length of Marine Parade and Oceanbeach Road.

"The difference will be that when they come back on their run, they will go back down on to the beach between Banks and Pacific Aves and then it will be a soft sand finish opposite Mount Drury. The front guys in the sprint should finish about 9am and the slower swimmers in within two hours, it is definitely not a long race," said McLay.

The triathlon is the first of three events in this summer's Eves Triathlon Series, with the Pilot Bay Classic on Monday January 27 and the Coronation Classic on Sunday March 2, 2014.