Triathlon will be spanning the globe again this weekend with the ITU BG World Cup Series rolls up in Ishigaki, Japan for a very early start to Sunday. Only three GB athletes are shown on the ITU startlist; Andrea Whitcombe, Helen Tucker and Olly Freeman, with pre-race favourites being Brad Kahlefeldt and Emma Snowsill plus Vanessa Fernandes looking for a reversal of her defeat in Mooloolaba. The BTF website, on the other hand, only lists the two British women in their race preview so we won't be surprised if Olly is a DNS come Sunday. Interestingly, Michelle Dillon, our most successful athlete on that course with three podiums there in the last four years, will not be racing. The races are being carried live on the ITU website (www.triathlon.org) with an expected 5am start.

On the domestic scene we have the final qualification race for the European and World Duathlon Championships at Cambridge plus more duathlon racing with the City of Durham, the third of the F3 Dorney Lake events, the second of the Chase Race series and the Brooklands Duathlon. Triathlon events still seem to be spluttering into life all around the country with the sold-out Sevenoaks Spring Sprint in Kent, the Hadleigh Sprint out at Ipswich, the BSLT Galashields Novice and Sprint races up in Scotland, the Novice (Ragged Staff) and Supersprint (Bear) races in Warwick and the Harlech Triathlon in Wales.

For those who don't do the bike bit there are still a few aquathlons on offer, both down in Somerset, with the Burnham on Sea Short (500m/5k) and Long (1k/10k) races and the Crewkerne Aquathlon (500m/5k) to keep you occupied.

The racing doesn't stop there because over in the USA we have Powerman Alabama and the Ford Ironman Arizona. No GB athletes, pro or age group, showing on the start lists for the Powerman but we can see 11 GB age groupers down for the Ironman with Jess Draskau-Petersson startlisted for the Elite where she'll be racing against Joanna Zeiger, Heather Gollnick, Hillary Biscay and Lisbeth Kristensen. Last year's winner, Michael Lovato, is returning to defend the title and he's up against Tim de Boom and Bryan Rhodes. Coverage, as always, for the Ironman events will be live on their website: www.ironmanlive.com