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He also secured the 2011 ITU World Triathlon Series with a Grand Final victory in Beijing, before storming to a Beijing International Triathlon victory here in 2016.

We caught up with the two-time Olympic champ ahead of this weekend’s Beijing International Triathlon to discuss his Chinese tri memories, his ‘terrible’ year of 2018 and that Ironman 70.3 Worlds showdown with Jan Frodeno…

220: You and Beijing have created some tri moments.

Alistair: It takes me back to the 2008 Olympics being here in Beijing as that was a really special time for me. Going to your first Olympics is really exciting, but it feels like a long time ago now.

It’s surprised me how many of the age-group field here at the Beijing International Triathlon are domestic triathletes. I even met an athlete earlier who’d come from Taiwan to see you race.

In 2008, triathlon wasn’t on the radar in China at all so to have 2,000 people racing here tomorrow is testament to the sport. And it’s amazing that some people from the region, some of whom don’t speak any English, know who I am now.

The Beijing International offers a rare non-drafting Olympic-distance bike course. Is that a draw of racing here?

There used to be a lot of non-drafting Olympic races, back in the Des Moines days, and it’s enjoyable to be able to mix up different kinds of racing. I’ve spent the last couple of seasons not being committed to the World Tri Series and being flexible to mix up my racing.

That was a stunning race in South Africa at the Ironman 70.3 Worlds (where Ali came second behind Jan Frodeno in early September). How do you look back on that experience?

I was really pleased with that race as I’ve had a terrible year with all different kinds of things, but I threw everything at it in the weeks before and on the day I couldn’t have hoped for a better performance. Obviously I wasn’t immensely happy with the result, but knowing there’s nothing more you can do on the day is all you can do. It’s taken me a long time to recover from that race.

Can you elaborate on what’s been tough this season?

I had an operation on my hip this time last year and that worked well, but it’s tough to return and get your body going again after that much time out. That was mentally tough to have one thing after another happening when all you want to do is go out and train as hard as you can.

You have been training and racing hard for a long time now…

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I definitely think there’s a degree of wear and tear. I remember saying in interviews about 10 years ago that ‘I’d prefer to be the best I could ever be and train as hard as I can, even if it shortens my career’. When you say that as a rather confident 20-year-old, you never think it’ll actually shorten your career but I have some perspective on that now.

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But the affable Brownlee has been on reliably-good form here at the Beijing International Triathlon in China, mixing with the locals at tourist sites around the city and with the healthy pro contingent vying for some of the healthy prize purse.

We’ve been lucky enough to spend time with Jonny and the pro field in Beijing ahead of our races in the Chinese capital on Sunday 23 September, where the younger Brownlee will join Alistair in a non-drafting challenge on the bike course in a strong pro field of 30 and 220 will be bringing up the rear as part of the 2,000-strong age-group field.

220: So you’re on the Scott Plasma tri bike tomorrow.

Jonny: I last raced on a tri bike back at Abu Dhabi International in 2014, and I’ve put it in the cupboard since then. I since got a new bike sponsor in Scott Bikes and I got it out before the Gold Coast race. I’ve only ridden it eight or nine times as I’ve been concentrating on the World Tri Series.

But here we are, and I’m feeling a lot more comfortable on it than I thought I would. The first time on it I felt really good and I’ve enjoyed riding it. I tell myself that it’s pedalling, strength and power and, if you can do that on a road bike you can do that one a TT bike. But I haven’t made it easy on myself in this field, with one of the strongest non-drafting fields I’ve seen in a long time.

We’ve done a tour of the 40km course and it’s going to be a technical one out there.

I’d actually much prefer a technical, up and down course that a pure flat and straight one. That’s where I’ll struggle against the strong TT guys like [American non-drafting specialist] Cameron Dye as they can put down their power.

How much have you done in terms of TT bike positioning and wind tunnel analysis?

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Absolutely nothing. My focus was the Grand Final, and that didn’t go as planned, but when I take non-drafting racing more seriously than that’s something I certainly do with the help of Scott bikes. But so far I did it all myself and with the help of [fellow Brit pro] Mark Buckingham. I was in my garage and Bucko came and took some videos of me.

From the outside it seems to have been a tough season for you, starting with missing the top five at the Commonwealth Games. How do you assess it?

It’s been the worst season of my career. I made a lot of mistakes and have had some bad luck along the way. I’m not used to getting ready for a race as early as the Commonwealth Games in April. I’ve a tried and tested way of peaking for August, so this year was different for me. I panicked and tried to train too hard before April and then got a stress response in my femur and that meant six weeks off from running.

And then there was your emotional DNF in Leeds in June.

I went home and set the reset button for Leeds and was feeling really good before that, until I got sick from a stomach bug before the race. Going into the race I didn’t feel quite right, but athletes are the best people in the world at lying to themselves. I quickly realised I wasn’t fine in the race and was on an IV drip as soon as it finished. I’m hoping to get all my bad luck out of the way in 2018.

What’s left for you in 2018?

Positively I want to rescue my season here in Beijing and my remaining races at the Super League Triathlon races in Jersey and hopefully Malta and Mallorca. The Super League events are great fun and a different challenge.

Is it hard to stay motivated going back to the ITU World Tri Series when you’ve had races such as Beijing and the Super League?

I’ve been to the same races and places for many years now with the ITU WTS. I still enjoy it and it’s still real top-end racing and hugely competitive. My main goal over the next couple of years is to go to Tokyo and get an Olympic medal. And I have to do the ITU racing to achieve that. After that I’ll be ready for a change.

Meaning you’ll follow Alistair into Ironman 70.3?

Yes. I’ve enjoyed being out here in Beijing and the relaxed side of it; the smaller field and everyone being out here together. Ask me tomorrow after the race and I might hate it, but I’ll definitely be ready for a change after 2020 to the longer stuff.

As for Tokyo, has the heat preparation started already?

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I’ve turned my conservatory into a head chamber, so heaters in there and wall paper strippers. We’re looking at pre-race camps to go out to before the race. But I believe with the British Triathlon system we’ve got that I’ll go out there as prepared as I can be.

In breaking the tape, Jonny beat a host of non-drafting specialists (including American Cameron Dye), the Commonwealth Games champion Henri Schoeman as well as his brother Alistair, who came home in fourth.

Glorious if gusty conditions greeted the athletes at daybreak in the district of Fengtai, to the south west of Beijing, this morning, with a strong pro field battling for the $100,000 prize purse and leading out the age-groupers in the non-drafting Olympic-distance event.

The 1.5km swim took place in the choppy waters of the Garden Expo Lake, and South Africa’s Schoeman was first out of the water with Jonny and U.S. athlete Ben Kanute in hot pursuit. Alistair was back in sixth.

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Onto the 40km bike and, after some swift TT action on the closed highways of the city’s outskirts, Kanute led Jonny and Cameron Dye to the top of the Qianling Mountain, the area’s highest peak. That would change by T2 after Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt and Schoeman edged past Kanute, before Jonny pushed the pace to take the lead at the 2km stage.

At 4km arrived the course’s biggest challenge: the 280 step ascent of the Garden Expo Park. Yet Jonny continued to seize the initiative over the reigning Beijing champ Schoeman and led to the finish line after 1:51:37 of racing, just nine seconds ahead of Blummentfelt and 21secs ahead of Schoeman.

The result marks an upturn in fortunes for the younger Brownlee, who’s witnessed Schoeman win Commonwealth Games gold and Mario Mola take ITU WTS glory in 2018.

Alistair, meanwhile, would finish fourth and would admit after the race that he ‘had to dig in as he hasn’t felt like himself for the last few weeks’ following his epic Ironman 70.3 Worlds showdown with Jan Frodeno.

GENTLE ON A ROLL

The women’s event was won by Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle just a week after her enthralling victory over Vicky Holland at the ITU Grand Final in the Gold Coast.

Gentle was led out of the water by the Brit pair of Lucy Hall and Non Stanford, and that trio would continue to dominate the race throughout over a field that included the 2012 Olympic Games silver medallist Lisa Norden, former ITU World Champ Paula Findlay, as well as ITU veterans Andrea Hewitt and Barbara Riveros Diaz.

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Gentle would take control on the run, winning in 2:05:55 ahead of Stanford (2:07:52) and Lucy Hall (2:09:12) who ensured that the Brit racers occupied three of the top six podium places.

Can Patrick Lange deliver another remarkable run performance to defend his crown? Will the crosswinds blow and the biking talent of Sebastian Kienle prevail? Will Lionel Sanders go one better than 2017 and prevent five straight years of German rule? What of the global superstar Javier Gomez, who races on the Big Island for the first time? And will conditions and intense competition align so the magical 8hr mark is finally broken?

Ironman World Championship 2018: women’s top 10 predictions

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The next Ironman superstars

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The field is so stacked, plenty of big names are absent from our predicted top 10. There is no place for 2013 champion Freddie van Lierde, or Canadian Brent McMahon, who has five times finished an Ironman under 8hrs. Consistent all-rounders Tim O’Donnell, Ben Hoffman and James Cunnama also don’t make the list. Neither do express runners such as Matt Hanson and Ivan Tutukin, or biking heavyweights Cameron Wurf, Andrew Starykowicz, Michael Weiss and Andreas Dreitz.

And there’s not even a patriotic punt for the Brits either, as we’ve rejected Joe Skipper and Will Clarke and dismissed a romantic finale to cap the heroic comeback of The Man with the Halo and 220 contributor, Tim Don.

Tim Don: “The goal is to go to Kona”

But if those names don’t get the nod, just who does? Read on for our predicted Ironman World Championship top 10…

10. Bart Aernouts, Belgium

A longstanding member of the BMC-Vfit Sport team, the Belgian has progressed from being one of the best duathletes in the world and now has six years’ worth of Kona experience to his benefit.

Aernouts record in Hawaii reads 11th, eighth, ninth, DNF, and 12th, with a bike split best of 4:32:34 last year and a top marathon of 2:44:03 from 2013. It shows the 34-year-old knows his way around the challenging course, and while the swim remains a weakness, it’s his experience and consistency that gives him the edge over similar fleet-footed competitors such as Ivan Tututkin, Matt Hanson and Britain’s Will Clarke.

Having won Ironman Lanzarote and Challenge Roth in 2017, Aernouts was back on top of the podium this year in Hamburg. It was a race that played into his hands after the swim was cancelled, but to close with a 2:39:51 marathon – having already run 6km at the start of the day – shows he’s in shape to again finish in the top 10.

9. Braden Currie, New Zealand

A three-time winner of New Zealand’s Coast to Coast championship, the Kiwi is a multisport thoroughbred, and to prove the point plans to race the XTERRA World Championship a fortnight after Kona on the nearby island of Maui.

Unlike most of the top 10 who have shown they can perform on the Big Island, the 32-year-old’s inclusion is largely based on one standout performance in 2018. The stats show he won the Asia-Pacific regional championship in Cairns in June with a course record 7:54:58 that included a 2:39:59 marathon. But more noteworthy is that he became the party-pooper for the Iron debut of Spain’s Javier Gomez, running side-by-side with the five-time ITU world champion for much of the 26.2 miles before dropping him in the closing stages.

While it might seem logical that anyone getting the better of Gomez should be more highly-fancied, Currie first has to dispel the memories of his Kona debut last year when he struggled to finish 30th.

The Kiwi was also brought down to earth in the 70.3 worlds in South Africa where despite a fast swim, he lost almost 5mins on the bike as Jan Frodeno, Alistair Brownlee and Ben Kanute led the charge up front, before running through for eighth.

8. Andy Potts, USA

Having suggested age might finally take its toll and left the American out of our predictions last year, Potts had us eating humble pie by responding to finish seventh and running the third fastest marathon of any of the leading contenders.

Albeit on a day made for fast times, it was also the quickest he’d gone on the Big Island in nine attempts, suggesting the 2004 Olympian and 2007 Ironman 70.3 world champion is far from finished.

Potts has placed six times in the top 10 in Kona in nine appearances, marking him as one of the most experienced and consistently high-level performers on the island. The dad-of-two is renowned for doing much of his bike prep on the indoor trainer and racing primarily in the USA, although this season has seen excursions to Taiwan, Peru and even Dún Laoghaire in Ireland for 70.3s, and Ironman Austria, where he finished third.

Despite being 41, Potts is far from the eldest statesman in the race. That honour falls to New Zealand’s Cameron Brown, who returns aged 46, having made his debut in Hawaii in 2000. By that measure, Potts still has years left.

7. Boris Stein, Germany

Hailing from the nation that produces by far the greatest depth in long distance triathlon talent is of mixed blessings. Stein is the first of a trio of Germans predicted to finish in the prize-money and the domestic standard has no doubt contributed to the 33-year-old’s development as a triathlete.

The highlights are Ironman victories in Switzerland in 2014 and France a year later, yet he remains low profile when compared to more illustrious compatriots Patrick Lange, Jan Frodeno and Sebastian Kienle.

Approaching his peak in terms of athletic prowess, Stein looks the part in Hawaii and has finished 10th, seventh and 10th following his Kona debut placing of 20th in 2014. Has biked 4:23 on his last two visits to the Big Island – putting him within 10mins of Kienle – and while he doesn’t have a fast enough marathon to push for a podium, if he can improve on his run split of 3:00:02 from last year, he should be well placed to match his Kona-best of seventh from 2016.

6. Patrik Nilsson, Sweden

The second member of the BMC-Vifit professional triathlon team predicted a top 10 finish, the Swede has just turned 27 but already has four Ironman titles to his credit including a lightning quick 7:49:18 finish from Ironman Copenhagen in 2016.

An inconsistent performer over the 70.3 distance where he has failed to finish in five of his last six races, Nilsson seems more at home in Ironman. Competed in Hawaii for the first time last year and produced an accomplished debut, keeping pace with training partner Patrick Lange until the marathon, before running 2:55:51 to finish eighth.

This year Nilsson overtook Lange in the final kilometres of the Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt to finish runner-up to Jan Frodeno, and with the two-time champion German absent, Nilsson will hope for a repeat of 2017’s benign conditions so the gaps don’t become too large on the bike and he’s in with a chance on the run.

5. Lionel Sanders, Canada

Anyone watching Sanders’ reaction to finishing runner-up last year could be forgiven for instantly installing him as the favourite for 2018. Simultaneously both a breakthrough result and frustrating in being run down by Patrick Lange in the closing miles, the Canadian has both the encouragement and motivation to go one better this time around.

He looked the part as he won Ironman 70.3 St George in May, regained his Challenge Championship crown when defeating Sebastian Kienle over the middle distance in Slovakia in June, and three weeks later backed it up with more success at Mont Tremblant 70.3.

But while Sander’s swimming is vastly improved to go with his powerhouse biking and running, he was beaten by Cody Beals at Ironman Mont Tremblant in what was by his own admission a “humbling” experience in August.

Yet despite having already validated his spot at Arizona last November, he didn’t regret the decision to race, terming it an invaluable learning experience having made some broader dietary changes.

Whether a sub-par Sanders will be revived for Hawaii, remains to be seen. But having already shown he can be a competitor on the Big Island in calm conditions, if the wind blows and it becomes even more attritional, expect him to challenge for the win once more.

4. David McNamee, Great Britain

Last year’s third-place finisher is again Britain’s best hope for a podium spot. While Lionel Sanders, Andrew Starykowicz, Cameron Wurf and Sebastian Kienle will be jousting up front trying to split the race up, expect the Scot to calmly plug away and try to reach T2 with limited losses, before coming through strongly on the run.

McNamee, who has never been beaten by a fellow Brit at Ironman, is certainly not over-raced in 2018. He won Ironman 70.3 Marbella in April and was second to Javier Gomez at Barcelona 70.3 in May. But he was sick before Oceanside 70.3 and didn’t make the start, ill again at Ironman Austria – where he gamely stuck to the task to validate – and then cycled into an errant concrete block to put paid to his efforts while leading Ironman 70.3 Vichy in September.

Having won Ironman UK in 2015, McNamee, who is based in Girona, made large strides last year when training with then-Ironman world champion Jan Frodeno, and it all came together in Hawaii where his third-placed finish of 8:07:11 was also the seventh fastest time ever recorded in Kona. This race remains the key focus and given his ability to judge his effort to perfection, there’s every chance he’ll go well again.

3. Sebastian Kienle, Germany

Of all the triathletes that could benefit most from Jan Frodeno’s withdrawal with a stress fracture, it’s his compatriot and 2014 Ironman world champion, Kienle. The 34-year-old has had to live with Frodeno, twice, and then Patrick Lange retain his nation’s stranglehold on the men’s Kona crown. But with Frodeno absent, Kienle knows that alongside Lionel Sanders he’s the most fleet-footed of the uber-bikers, as emphasised by his 2:47:45 marathon in winning Challenge Roth in an impressive 7:46:23 in July.

Kienle was beaten twice by Sanders over the middle distance earlier in the year, but has since racked up three 70.3 victories in low profile races, while deciding to opt out of the 70.3 World Championship in South Africa to keep his powder dry for Kona.

As a two-time world champion at that distance, he’ll hope it’s a sacrifice worth making and it’s a Hawaii-focused strategy that also included him validating his spot in Cozumel last November. Having only once being outside the top four in six appearances in Hawaii, expect Kienle to be in the mix for a podium once more.

2. Javier Gomez, Spain

Perhaps the most surprising element of the Spaniard’s conversion to long course racing is that he didn’t win on his much-anticipated Ironman debut – finishing runner-up to Braden Currie in the Asia-Pacific Championship in Cairns. Not that the five-time ITU world champion performed badly, clocking 7:56:38 with a 2:41:02 marathon.

The conditions – if not the bike course in Hawaii – will suit Gomez. He’s traditionally performs well in the heat and took the XTERRA world title on the neighbouring island of Maui in a rare appearance at the discipline in 2012. Gomez also has the running pedigree to match, or even surpass, defending champion Patrick Lange, although, importantly, it’s yet to be proven here.

While Gomez might be the most talented all-rounder on show, it’s also worth noting how few triathletes ever win on debut. To find the last male to do so, you have to go back to Belgian Luc van Lierde in 1996. Often a lesser podium finish predicates a win in the men’s race, as has been the case for a generation, but if any triathlete can buck that trend, it’s also likely to be Gomez

1. Patrick Lange, Germany

The defending champion takes our top spot for a number of reasons. If you’re a betting person, then opting for a ‘runner’ over a ‘biker’ is the safe play in Kona. While the winds can be notorious, recent years have been relatively benign and only Sebastian Kienle in 2014 has biked off the front to win since Normann Stadler in 2006.

The ever-increasing strength in depth of the men’s field also means that Lange can tuck into a paceline on the bike and is less likely to be isolated for enough time on the Queen K to cost him too much time.

But most important of all is his ability to run on the Big Island better than anyone has seen before. If the sight of the German emerging from the natural energy lab ticking off 6min/miles was a surprise in 2016, then it was a case of deja vu last year when he ran just 14sec slower than his course run record 2:39:45 split from the year before. The marathon charge was good enough for third place on Lange’s debut, but took him to the top of the podium in a course record 8:01:40 last time out.

As with last year much of the 32-year-old’s build-up has been low-key. He was third in Challenge Gran Canaria in April and second at 70. Kraichgau in June, before validating his Kona spot with third behind Jan Frodeno at Ironman Germany in July – a race he finished a lowly sixth at in 2017.

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If the crosswinds blow and the likes of Lionel Sanders and Kienle can get away on the bike, even Lange’s sub 2.40 marathon exploits might not be enough. But if it remains calm and the humidity is up on the run, the German coached by 2005 winner Faris Al-Sultan, has proven he can make up the places to take the tape – although this time he might have to duck under 8hrs to do it.

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Such is this strength that some of the biggest names in the sport don’t make our predicted top 10. Those to miss out include triathletes who have consistently been in the prize-money on past visits such as Michelle Vesterby, Sarah Piampiano and Carrie Lester. There’s also no place for Helle Frederiksen, who has the fastest middle distance time on record and makes her first start.

Britain’s Susie Cheetham, who has twice finished sixth in Hawaii, isn’t on the list either, and nor are fellow Brits, Laura Siddall – who has won three iron-distance races in 2018 – and debutant Emma Pallant.

But if these omissions raise a few eyebrows, we’ll go on to explain why the women who do make the top 10, all have the experience, talent or potential to make a big impact on the Big Island this year.

Agree or disagree, let us know in the comments… or on social media

10. Lisa Huetthaler, Austria

More pariah than popular due to a past doping infraction, trying to bribe the testing laboratory, and, on returning from the ban, allegations of drafting with a male partner during a race.

Controversy seems to follow the Austrian like a wheel-sucking drafter. Even her domestic Ironman in Klagenfurt this year had added spice when Britain’s Susie Cheetham lodged a post-race complaint about moto-pacing on the bike – Huetthaler had the joint-fastest bike split and would hold on for second place.

But while her reputation precedes her, she has proved a masterful exponent of the 70.3 distance with multiple victories throughout Europe. This has yet to translate into Ironman success, but finishing runner-up in her last four outings more than justifies a spot on the start-list.

It’s hard to predict how she’ll go. Now 35 years old, Huetthaler’s strength is on the bike, and the rolling course should be suited to her ability to generate big watts and cope with the crosswinds. Whether she’s as equipped for the humidity on the run here is more questionable, and given it’s her debut in Hawaii, a top 10 result would be a successful return.

9. Sarah True, USA

After a distinguished ITU career that included twice winning on the World Triathlon Series in Stockholm and placing fourth in the London 2012 Olympics, True finally made the switch to non-drafting racing last year and even picked up a couple of wins over the 70.3 distance in Augusta and Austin.

This season witnessed her Ironman debut, where she ran a rapid 2:54:58 marathon in the European Championship in Frankfurt to finish second behind a dominant Daniela Ryf. True was disappointed to finish 10th in the Ironman 70.3 worlds in South Africa at the start of September, but was thwarted by a flat tyre and could take some solace from recovering to run a 1:17:58 half-marathon.

Formerly Sarah Groff before marrying US elite endurance runner Ben True in 2014, she has the all-round ability and pedigree to match up against her rivals, and despite this being her first year on the Big Island, a top 10 finish is the minimum she’ll expect.

8. Liz Blatchford, Australia

It will be one last hurrah for Blatchford, 38, who recently announced she will retire from triathlon after Kona this year, marking an end to 18 impressive years in the sport.

The former British ITU racer turned back to her Aussie roots when she stepped up to Ironman in 2013 and enjoyed instant success, but although she has twice finished third on the Big Island, she’s also been absent in Hawaii for the past two years, due to the birth of daughter Mahli in 2017.

As efficient a racer as there is, Blatchford will swim comfortably with the main pack and sit in on the bike, allowing others to do the pressing, before picking off challengers as they wilt on the run.

She’s already won two Ironman races this year, with the second coming at Mont Tremblant in a three-way battle with Lauren Brandon and Meredith Kessler. That clinched her Kona qualification and although an August race might seem later than ideal, it has been a tried and tested path. She raced there in both 2013 and 2015 and went on to make the podium in Hawaii both times.

7. Kaisa Sali

It’s testament to the quality of the field that the Finnish star could produce the best performance of her Ironman career yet we still predict her to come a career-low seventh.

In eight Ironmans Sali has never finished lower than fifth. That’s happened twice, both times in Hawaii, and, also showing remarkable consistency, her marathon has only fluctuated from 2.59 to 3.08, with similarly level bike splits.

Low profile, Sali will start un-fancied but full of confidence because this year has arguably been her best to date. A morale-boosting 70.3 win in Monterrey was followed by a third place in Roth with a personal best time of 8:46:49 and then a win at Ironman Switzerland in July.

With sights now set on the Big Island, she’s refining the details – saddle, helmet choice, aerobar extensions, position of drinks bottles – that could make a telling difference come race day. Unlikely to falter, if those ahead of her do, she could be a podium contender.

6. Heather Jackson, USA

The American makes a fourth trip to the Big Island having fallen in love with the place and gained rich rewards in return. Aged 34, she seems to have the physique and attitude to embrace its challenges, with finishes of fifth, third and fourth on her previous appearances.

Jackson has long been an impressive 70.3 triathlete and added to her multiple success over the distance by winning at Chattanooga in May. Not the most talented of swimmers, she proves strong on the bike and is consistently below 3:10 on the run, despite not yet having broken 3:05.

With the ability to deliver a measured performance and come through at the business end of races, this year she’s been back on top of the podium at Ironman Lake Placid. It mirrored her victory from 2016, where she went on to finish third in Kona and is a good omen as she prepares to take on the best once more.

5. Sarah Crowley, Australia

After finishing third in Hawaii last year, the Australian has backed it up with an impressive 2018 that bodes well for similar fortune this time around. There was no shame in finishing third behind Daniela Ryf and Sarah True in trying to defend her European title at Frankfurt, although it will have been disappointing to have biked 25mins slower than both Ryf and the time Crowley had achieved a year earlier.

But she righted any wrongs by returning to Germany for Ironman Hamburg in August and won a 6km run, 180km bike, 42.2km run duathlon after the swim was cancelled due to blue-green algae.

A model of consistency on foot, her last five marathons times have been spread by just 85secs around the 3:05:00 mark. More recently she’s taken top honours at Santa Cruz 70.3 as part of her Hawaii build-up, and under coach Cam Watt, a Brett Sutton protege, is learning and improving in the mould of Chrissie Wellington, Ryf and a string of successful predecessors. Will be primed once again for the main event.

4. Mirinda Carfrae, Australia

The Australian is the only woman to have beaten Daniela Ryf over Ironman when the Swiss has completed the course (Ryf dropped out of Ironman Germany in 2016 early on the bike). But that was when Carfrae ran her down with a course record marathon of 2:50:26 in Hawaii to win a third world title in 2014 – and a lot has changed in those four years.

Carfrae’s defence of that crown ended in a DNF after she failed to recover sufficiently from a pre-race bike crash to mount a challenge, but she did return to finish runner-up in 2016, although it was more than 23mins behind her Swiss conqueror.

Having had a year out to be a mother to baby Izzy, this season she’s won 70.3 Santa Rosa and Augusta and validated her Kona spot with second-place at Ironman Cairns behind Kiwi Teresa Adam.

A warm-up race in Poland saw Ryf turn up and again beat her by 23mins – this time over half the distance. So while Carfrae is unlikely to be fazed, has a wealth of experienced, and knows perfectly how to plan the year to peak for Kona, there’s a lot to claw back if she’s to be challenging for to spot once again.

3. Anne Haug, Germany

The most intriguing of a string of debutants that also include USA’s Sarah True, Britain’s Emma Pallant and Denmark’s Helle Frederiksen, and it’s largely because the German’s marathon potential looks of the calibre to rival a free-flowing Mirinda Carfrae in her pomp.

Haug came to prominence at ITU racing, with her highlight being World Triathlon Series Grand Final success in Auckland in 2012. But the 35-year-old was always hampered by a comparatively weaker swim, which contributed to her two Olympic outings, in London (11th) and Rio (36th), ending in disappointment.

Since stepping up to non-drafting racing post the 2016 Games, the swim plays less of pivotal role and Haug has looked impressive in winning in Lanzarote and Dubai in 2017 and California this year over the half-distance.

Haug’s Ironman debut came in Frankfurt in July where she sealed her Kona berth with fourth place and standing just 5ft 4, her physique looks perfect to succeed in the heat and humidity of Hawaii.

As long as she can hack the non-wetsuit nature of the Kona swim, and has built on her bike strength in the past few months, it’s just a case of turning her footspeed from the half-marathon – as shown by a recent 1:15:11 run at the Ironman 70.3 worlds – to the full 26.2miles. Perhaps easier said than done, but with the German men so strong, Haug might feel it’s time the women got involved with the honours too.

2. Lucy Charles, Great Britain

After a breakthrough performance in Hawaii last year to finish runner-up – and in the absence of Mirinda Carfrae through pregnancy – the Brit has cemented her position as the main challenger to the Swiss dominance of Daniela Ryf.

The 25-year-old has moved way beyond just taking plaudits alongside USA’s Lauren Brandon for being the best swimmer on show, and last year’s performance makes her one of only three women in the field – alongside Ryf and Carfrae – to have ducked under 9hrs on the Big Island.

The Essex triathlete won Ironman South Africa in April and backed that up with a personal best 8:43:51 to finish second to Germany’s Daniela Sammler in Challenge Roth by just 9sec. Other notable results include retaining her Challenge Championship crown in Slovakia and finishing second to Ryf in the Ironman 70.3 worlds, where she kept pace on the bike into T2.

Once again, she will lead from the front and try and stay there as long as possible. Last year Ryf caught her in the last 20km of the bike leg. For Charles to have a chance of victory in 2018, she’ll need to retain the lead coming into T2.

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1. Daniela Ryf, Switzerland

No surprises for the No 1 slot. As we’ve counted down the top 10, Ryf has often been mentioned in despatches for one world-beating performance or another. The question is not whether the Swiss is the best female triathlete in the race, but whether a fourth consecutive victory will make her the greatest of all-time.

Everything points in that direction. She has looked almost indomitable in 2018, as she has done virtually every year since stepping up to long course racing in 2014, and starts as a heavy odds-on favourite for the Ironman world title double after taking the 70.3 crown in South Africa at the start of September.

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A lot can happen in almost nine hours of racing, so the result is not a formality, but having set a new course record of 8:38:44 in Ironman Germany, an Ironman 70.3 best time of 3:57:47 in Poland and dominated a strong field in the 70.3 worlds in South Africa, given good conditions, her own course record of 8:46:46 could be under threat.

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The new Legend distance consists of a 1.9km swim in the chilly waters of Llyn Padarn, a 90km bike route through the heart of the Snowdonia National Park and the unique 21km run on Llanberis’ slate quarry trails and Padarn Country Park.

The 2019 edition of the Slateman is expected to draw over 1,500 triathletes to Snowdonia in May, with over 5,000 spectators likely to descend on the event village and surrounding routes.

The Slateman Sprint and Duathlon will take place on the Saturday, with the Classic Slateman and Legend on the Sunday. There’s also the Slateman Savage option of doing the Sprint on the Saturday and the Classic on the Sunday.

The Slateman will kick off the Always Aim High 2019 Adventure Triathlon Series 2019, followed by the HIGH5 Snowman from 27-28 July, and the Superfeet Sandman from 14-15 September.

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Entries for the 2019 Slateman Sprint, Classic, Savage, and Legend distances are now open. More info on booking your place are here.