The state of Braden Currie's legs were top of the agenda at yesterday's traditional Challenge Wanaka press conference.
And, for the record, Currie says: ''They are great. I'm feeling really, really good.''
It was only last Saturday that Currie spent 11hr 20min 46sec running, cycling and kayaking to his third consecutive win in the 243km Coast to Coast.
Tomorrow, he will tackle the 226km Challenge Wanaka triathlon course - ''a big world of hurt'', as he puts it - which starts with a 3.8km swim in Lake Wanaka, followed by 180km of cycling and a 42.2km marathon.
Currie's ability to recover from the Coast to Coast in short order will be fully tested by two experienced challengers.
Dylan McNeice, of Christchurch and Wanaka, has won the event for the past two years, prospering each time from strong starts in the swim leg. He set a swim record last year.
The home-town dark horse, again, is Dougal Allan, who finished third last year and has spent a year preparing for tomorrow's event.
The elite women's section will be all about who can beat five-time winner Gina Crawford.
Crawford holds the records for the fastest swim, the fastest bike leg and the fastest time overall, but came second last year to Candice Hammond, of Cambridge, who is away on a maternity break.
Crawford's main challengers are expected to be Swedish-Australian Jessica Fleming and Michelle Bremer, of Mount Maunganui.
One of the concerns for athletes was the chance of strong winds on the bike course.
The weather was the main reason the date for the race was shifted, and director Victoria Murray-Orr noted if this year's event had gone ahead on the usual date, it would have been hit by the high winds that forced the cancellation of the inaugural ''The Ruby'' swim festival in Lake Wanaka.
''It would have been a horrible day.''
Tomorrow's forecast is for very little wind and warm temperatures, but not too hot. Murray-Orr said the new date allowed the athletes to enjoy Christmas before resuming serious training.
The number of entries from professional athletes had also increased - up from 20 to 31 - since international competitors were able to avoid expensive Christmas-New Year flights.
