Abu Dhabi: After notching up a ninth place finish at last weekend's Challenger World London Triathlon in her native Great Britain, Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team's Rachel Joyce has set her sights on Sunday's gruelling Ironman 70.3 Germany in Wiesbaden.
Competing in the female elite category at the London showpiece, Joyce completed the 1.5km swim, 38km cycle and 9.8km run legs in a combined time of 2h09m02s, eight minutes off winner and fellow countrywoman, Helen Jenkins.
And now Joyce is upping her demanding multi-event training regime, after missing the first half of the season due to injury, to prepare for the sport's pinnacle competition — the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii this October.
"It was my first time participating at the London event and it was great to be competing on home soil. It was a really solid event with loads of crowd support particularly while riding all the way to Westminster," said Joyce, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)-backed female elite athlete.
Letdown
"My swim was a bit of a letdown as I failed to make the first and second pack. This meant that I rode the bike almost by myself. However, by being out there on my own, I was able to get my head down undisrupted and pick up two to three places to eventually finish in ninth place. All in all, it was a fun day at the races!" she said.
"Wiesbaden now forms part of my preparation for Hawaii and I am hoping to put in a strong performance, and continue to build on my recent good form. There will be a tough and competitive field so I know I'll need a very good performance to get onto the podium this weekend in Germany," Joyce added.
The Ironman 70.3 Germany will be held for the fourth time in Wiesbaden, with more than 3,200 athletes from 46 nations coming to the state capital to face the challenging 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride and a 21.1km run race course.
Among the event favourites that Joyce will be up against include: 2009 Wiesbaden champion Yvonne van Vlerken from the Netherlands, who is expected to go all out to defend her crown and claim the title of Ironman 70.3-European champion for the first time; Nicole Leder (Darmstadt, Ironman European Champion 2007); and Meike Krebs (Frankfurt, 3rd place Ironman 70.3 Germany 2008).
Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team, created by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, to further the Emirate's athletics credentials globally, will compete in more than 40 international events this season including the Ironman and the French Championships.
