Anticipation is at fever-pitch for the inaugural $250,000 Abu Dhabi International Triathlon (ADIT); especially surrounding the volume of talent the event has attracted. The ADIT is playing host to the one of the top elite fields expected at any 2010 event and it's been tipped as the 'most hotly anticipated new race in 2010', by US-based Triathlete magazine.

Triathletes leading the charge in the men's category are: Sweden's Bjorn Andersson, one of the world's best long distance cyclists; Phil Graves, the emerging UK Ironman champion; Raynard Tissink, South Africa's five-time Ironman winner and Faris Al-Sultan, Team Abu Dhabi Triathlon's Ironman World Champion. The Arab world's leading paratriathlete, Mohammed Lahna, has also thrown his hat in the ring for the March 13 debut event.

A host of the world's top female athletes are seekinjg the inaugural title, with current Ironman 70.3 and Xterra Triathlon World Champion and 70.3 distance world record holder, Great Britain's Julie Dibens - widely regarded as one of the world's fastest competitors - heading up the field.

The Netherlands' Yvonne Van Vlerken, the 2008 Ironman World Championship runner up and past Ironman world record holder; Britain's Leanda Cave, the past Olympic and long distance world champion; and American duo of Sam McGlone, previous Ironman 70.3 World Champion, and Hillary Biscay, who has notched up 10 top three Ironman finishes in the last two years, are amongst 20 other top-tier professional women currently registered for the adrenaline-pumping ADIT.

These front-runners will be joined by other hot favourites including, Luxembourg's Dirk Bockel, who finished 7th at 2009 Ironman World Championships; Spain's Eneko Llanos, who clocked up a second place finish at the 2008 Ironman World Championships and is a past Ironman Lanzarote winner; the UK's Fraser Cartmell, winner of the 2010 70.3 South Africa and 2008 70.3 UK; and Australia's Joe Gambles, who recently finished 5th in the 2009 Ironman 70.3 World Championships and is a multiple Ironman 70.3 champion.

This is shaping up to be one of the fastest-ever finish lines!