Cunnama ready to throw in his hat for whatever Ironman brings
SA professional triathlete James Cunnama may not see himself as an Ironman 70.3 specialist, but he has not ruled out his chances of winning the Isuzu Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Port Elizabeth early next month.
“I wouldn't characterise myself as a ‘Ironman 70.3 specialist’. I'm more of a full Ironman racer but I do think if I have a good day I can be in the mix for the podium, or even the win.
“In a race this big, with this depth, it is tiny fractions that make the difference so it promises to be an exciting race,” said the 35-year-old of Stellenbosch.
With last year’s Ironman 70.3 world champion Javier Gomez of Spain and 2016 winner Germany’s Jan Frodeno in the field the men’s race will no doubt turn into a competitive affair.
But Cunnama, a former Nelson Mandela University’s human movement science student, is not bothered by the competition saying he will use “home turf” to his advantage.
“It is the World Champs and you can always expect a strong field. I think this year is no different.
“While the big names like Frodeno, Gomez and Brownlee will take most of the headlines, there are many men on the list who can podium or even win. I like racing in strong fields in big races and this time I have a home-ground advantage
“In terms of preparations, my season has been building all year towards this event and it has all progressed quite smoothly in the right direction all season.
“So, as long as there are no hiccups in the last weeks, I think I'll be in the starting line-up as well-prepared as I have ever been for any race. Then it will just be a matter of putting it into action on raceday.”
The 2016 Alpe D'HUez Triathlon long-distance winner will be flying to SA from Europe on Tuesday before the event and will spent a night at home in Stellenbosch before making his way to PE. “I don't feel I need to get to PE early as I already know the route like the back of my hand. This season I raced Challenge Roth at the beginning of July and came six and Ironman Hamburg (a duathlon) at the end of July where I finished third.”
The race will play out at Pollok Beach Summerstrand on September 1 and 2.
I am not an ‘Ironman 70.3 specialist’. I'm more a full Ironman racer