Tasmanian Olympian Jake Birtwhistle Gears Up for Ironman 70.3 Debut in Hometown Hobart

Australian Olympian and Commonwealth Games medalist Jake Birtwhistle is set to take on the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Tasmania in Hobart next Sunday. Birtwhistle, who represented Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will be competing in his first ever Ironman 70.3 event in his home state. The race will consist of a 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride, and 21.1km run, with over 1,200 athletes from around the world participating.

Birtwhistle is excited to take on the challenge of the Ironman 70.3, especially in his home state. He states that he has been considering long course racing for the past 12 to 18 months, but his focus is still on the Olympics for the next cycle. He sees this race as an opportunity to explore the Ironman 70.3 distance and see if it is something he wants to pursue in the future.

The Tasmanian athlete sees the Ironman 70.3 Tasmania event as a chance to showcase his home state to the world and promote the island's potential as a host for major sporting events. He will be competing against top Ironman 70.3 athletes from the region, such as Braden Currie from New Zealand and fellow Australians Josh Amberger, Charlie Quin, Nic Free, and Tim Van Berkel.

Birtwhistle admits that his training leading up to the event has not been as intense as he had hoped, but he sees the race as a good indicator of his current fitness level and a potential training day for future events. He is also looking forward to the challenge of adjusting to the different nutrition requirements of the Ironman 70.3 distance. He hopes to receive support from his local community to help him through the 113km course.