Best in the world gather for Taupo

Fuelled by confidence and a new maturity, Paul Westwood is looking to take tomorrow's New Zealand Ironman in his stride.
The Rotorua physiotherapist will compete in the professional elite men's field for the first time lining up against Kiwi Cameron Brown (who is on the brink of a milestone - another win in Taupo will see him become the first person to win an ironman qualifying race six times), last year's winner Ain-Alar Juhanson (Estonia), world long distance champion Torbjorn Sindballe (Denmark) and top Australian Luke Bell.
"Four of the best in the world are in there and the 15-strong field boasts considerable depth - I'm in with the the big boys as it were," Westwood told the Daily Post ahead of the gruelling race that features a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42km run.
"You never know what will happen in Ironman, you have to wind yourself up and take it steady and see what happens at the end."
Westwood took up the sport eight years ago and moved from England to New Zealand in 2001 with his now wife Mandy.
He finished seventh last year after it was reduced to a bike and run race following bad weather. His time earned him a 2006 Kona age-group qualifying spot and motivated him to step up to the professional ranks.
Since then he has increased his training from 15 hours a week to between 25 and 30 hours, all the while balancing work commitments and coaching five local competitors including Mandy, who is tackling the upcoming Australian event.
"When it comes to Ironman the more hours the better, but you're walking a fine line between over-training and getting injured," he said. "That's why it takes so many years to get it right."
Westwood said he was feeling relaxed ahead of the race, buoyed by an injury free lead in and recent strong performances in the Blue Lake Multisport Festival's sprint triathlon, where he clocked a personal best cycling time.
Meanwhile, 33-year-old Brown has put the disappointment of his runner-up placing in Taupo last year behind him and said all the athletes were looking forward to redeeming themselves after the washout.
"Last year was a no-win for everyone - the competitors, the volunteers and the organisers. I've put it behind me and just focused on this year which is going to one hell of a race," he said.
Brown believed his biggest challenges would come from third seed Sindballe, a strong cyclist, and fourth seed Bell, who finished one spot ahead of Brown at Hawaii.
Defending champ Juhanson, a two time champion of Ironman Lanzarote, said he had to return to Taupo this year.
"I won the race. But it was not an Ironman. It was not even a triathlon but it was the best that we could do on an awful day," he said. "I think I can still win but I want to win over Cameron in an Ironman."
Women's race favourite Joanna Lawn is also determined to write herself into the record books - seeking her fifth consecutive win and to go one better than the four achieved by two-time world champion Erin Baker. Lawn, 30, said her focus was to go out and "do my absolute best".
"Taupo is my second home and I believe I own this race. I've won it four times in a row, I know the course well and the support there is unbelievable."
Lawn said she did not want to be compared to Baker, whom she described as a "legend" and someone she had always looked up to.
A win at the ironman world championships at Hawaii (which Baker achieved twice) has so far eluded Lawn although she has four top-10 and five top-five finishes there.
Other notches in her belt include two victories in the United States at Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Arizona, and last July she won the Quelle Challenge ultra distance triathlon in Roth, Germany.
Lawn is the top seed but will face competition from a trio of North Americans in Heather Gollnick, Hillary Biscay and Kim Loeffler.
There will also be interest in the form from Christchurch debutante Gina Ferguson, who impressed with a third at the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman and numerous wins in the Triathlon New Zealand national series.