Aussie champ coming for 2009 Coast 2 Coast

Australian Multi-Sport champion Jarad Kohla

Australian Multi-Sport champion Jarad Kohlar will be skipping the defence of his title in that race in order to attend the 2009 Coast 2 Coast in Trinidad on October 17-18.

With just about six weeks to go to the event, local and international athletes are in training for the Caribbean's premier multi-sport contest and Kohlar is this year's top international entry.

The race, celebrating its fifth anniversary, will take place with a combination of stages that include trail running, cycling and kayaking, attracting athletes from all disciplines, with an expected increase in the number of cyclists and marathoners.

The course begins at the Toco Lighthouse on Trinidad's East Coast and ends at Williams Bay, Chaguaramas, on the western peninsula.

Local participants will test their mettle against regional and international racers. Competitors have the choice of entering either as an individual or a member of a relay team and for the second time, novices can enter single, shorter stages of the race without being intimidated by trying to finish the entire course.

For the last three years, Multi-Sport world champion, New Zealander Richard Ussher, has taken top honours in the race, beating out local athletes like diligent duathlete Diane Henderson, seasoned marathoners Clarence Tobias and Cantius Thomas and strong cyclists like Sean de Freitas, as well as other international athletes such as American Mitchell Figueroa, who has participated in the Ironman European Championship in Germany, and South African paddler Martin Dreyer, who has had experience racing in New Zealand's Speight's Coast to Coast-the most elite race on the international multi-sport racing calendar.

Prizes for this year's event include more than US$10,500 in cash for the winners in various categories. Those interested in taking part in the Tropical Power Coast 2 Coast 2009 can log on to www.trinidadcoast2coast.com to register.