Aileen Reid leads a team of 56 Irish competitors at the ITU World Triathlon Championships in Chicago this weekend.
Reid, who competes in the ITU Grand Final which is set to take place on Friday, 11pm Irish time, goes into the race ranked number 11 in the World Series having slipped 3 places following a disappointing performance in the previous round of the series in Edmonton.
However with bonus points on offer for the Grand Final there is an opportunity for her to leapfrog up the rankings with a good result.
The Grand Final will be see athletes facing into a 2-lap 1500 metre swim in Monroe Harbour before transitioning onto dry land for a 9-lap 40 kilometre bike and 4-lap 10 kilometre run in downtown Chicago.
Speaking of the route, Reid commented: "The course is interesting. It will likely be a wetsuit swim and can have big swells and choppy water like last year.”
"The bike route has plenty of turns which will be a factor in the race. Standing surges out of the 90 degree corners can take a toll on your running legs."
Cork professional Bryan Keane lines up alongside the top 76 elite male triathletes in the world as he looks to retain his world ranking inside the top 55.
Keane got his season off to a flying start with a fifth place finish at the Chengdu World Cup in China and a career best 13th at World Series level in Yokohama, Japan.
More recently Keane opted out of a number of World Series events as he makes his way back from a running injury, but will be hoping for a strong return to racing this weekend.
Key for the 34-year-old will be a good swim which would set him up nicely in one of the leading bike packs. Once there, Keane loves an honest bike course and a strength based 10 kilometre run.
At the head of affairs Spaniard Javier Gomez is chasing a record breaking fifth World Title but will have to contend with compatriot Mario Mola and French sprint specialist, Vincent Luis, who are both still in with a shout.
Along with senior elite representation, Ireland have a number of elite paratriathletes flying the flag.
Catherine Walsh and pilot Fran Meehan will be familiar names to many as the pair have Paralympic and World Championship medals in the sport of cycling to their names. The duo made the switch to paratriathlon earlier this year and have enjoyed a meteoric rise during their short triathlon career to date.
They line up in a field of 11 in the PT5 category with the race taking place at 1pm on Friday. Coming off the back of a podium finish at the Edmonton World Paratriathlon they will be hoping to take some more scalps at the World Championships as they continue their quest for Rio qualification points.
In the Men’s PT4 category, Aidan McGlynn lines up amongst a highly competitive field. The former Paralympic swimmer is ranked 28th in the world but has been steadily climbing the rankings as he targets qualification for the big show in Rio next year.
McGlynn is coming off the back of two 5th place finishes at World Paratriathlon level and is in good spirits ahead of Friday’s showdown.
