Over 60 of the world’s best Long Distance triathletes will compete in Immenstadt, in the German Alps, for the title of 2010 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Champion on Sunday, August 1st. The course should make for one of the hardest world championship courses in recent memory, with the terrain serving up 18-percent grade climbs and a total elevation change of over 2,000 metres. Athletes will complete a 4-kilometre swim, 130-kilometre bike and 30-kilometre run.

In the men’s race the defending champion is American Tim O’Donnell, who won the 2009 Long Distance World Title in Perth, Australia last October. O’Donnell will look to make it back-to-back world championships on a course that is very different from last year’s race, which was contested on relatively flat roads along the Australian coast. He’ll be challenged by last season’s runner-up, Sylvain Sudrie, who headlines a very strong French team. Sudrie will be joined by teammates Oliver Marceau (2000 ITU World Champion) and Francois Chabaud (2nd 2008 Long Distance Worlds). Denmark has also sent a strong team to the race, led by Martin Jensen, who finished third last year, and Jimmy Johnsen, who finished on the podium at the European Long Distance Championships earlier this year. Long Distance veterans Viktor Zyemtsev (UKR), Raynard Tissink (RSA), Massimo Cigana (ITA) and Petr Vabrousek (CZE) round out the top men’s contenders.

Headlining the women’s race is Spaniard Virginia Berasatequi, who won her second European Long Distance Championship in June. Berasatequi will have to contend with Dutchwoman Yvonne Van Vlerken, the 2006 world champion, and veterans Caroline Steffen (SUI), Erika Csomor (HUN) and Samantha Warriner (NZL).

Watch Immenstadt live from the event website here.