For keen athletes and those who love to watch fine examples of sportsmanship, there's nothing like the Sunsmart IRONMAN Western Australia challenge. This is set to take place in Busselton on WA's south-west, on Sunday December 7.
This wonderful race has been taking place since 2004, so 2014's event celebrates its milestone 10 year anniversary. This makes it a particularly fantastic time to participate or head along as a supporter.
What can you look forward to? First of all, the action-packed course starts off with a bang with a 3.8km beach swim around the Busselton Jetty. Next up, there's a twisting and turning 180km bike ride that follows the outskirts of Tuart Forest National Park. It then makes its way through the gorgeous scenery of the Capel Shire. The terrain is relatively flat allowing athletes to zoom their way along past stunning sights such as Geographe Bay and provides many opportunities for athletes to set new personal best times.
After the bike ride, participants then tackle a 42.2km run. This is often where friends, family members and other supporters position themselves to watch the action and cheer athletes on to the finish line.
"This wonderful race has been taking place since 2004, so 2014's event celebrates its milestone 10 year anniversary."
This event is an IRONMAN World Championship qualifying race, with 40 spots awarded to top performers for the 2015 IRONMAN championship event in Hawaii. This ups the stakes and makes for an even more exciting and adrenalin-pumping experience. What's more, there are prizes of up to $25,000 for professional athletes!
Registration for the event is open until November 7 or until maximums are reached, so if you're interested in taking part, now's the time to secure your spot. Otherwise, head along to cheer on your favourite athletes and have a great time!
If you’re looking for accommodation, Mantra Bunbury is located just 50 minutes’ drive from Busselton, in a seaside city popular for food, wine, culture and entertainment and the world-renowned Geographe Bay and Margaret River wine region. Here you can truly get away from it all and discover nature.
Swim with wild bottlenose dolphins at the Dolphin Discovery Centre, hop on an eco-cruise in the bay, try your hand at a little fishing or catch crabs off the local jetty.