A new year brings a new course for the Ironman Switzerland powered by ewz. Might that mean new race champs? Not if Rebecca Preston and Ronnie Schildknecht can help it.

Preston and Schildknecht, winners in Zurich last year, are both back to defend their titles, but face stiff competition, and a few course changes.

The two-loop wetsuit swim in scenic Lake Zurich has a new twist; after the first lap of the swim, athletes must exit the water to land on an island just off shore of Lake Zurich, run across the island and dive back into the lake to undertake their second lap.

The new bike course now sees athletes taking on a two-loop course around the lake, offering a bit of flat riding and a bit of hills. Each lap begins with 18 miles of flat course along Zurichsee before it rises into the hills of surrounding towns, with the end of each lap punctuated by the short but steep ascent up Heartbreak Hill.

The 26.2-mile run takes athletes around the northern edge of the lake along the waterfront.

Australian Rebecca Preston of TeamTBB is back to defend the title she has owned here for the last two years. Her Swiss-grown competition includes former ITU pro Sybille Matter, who finished second to Preston here a year ago, Monica Lehmann (second at Ironman UK last year) and Michela Geiger, who finished third here a year ago. From Canada come two challengers: Donna Phelan, a TeamTBB teammate of Preston’s who finished second at Ironman China earlier this year and Tara Norton, who finished fifth at Ironman Arizona this spring.

The men’s race also sees Switzerland’s Schildknecht, who won the 70.3 race here in Rapperswil-Jona earlier this year, up against it to defend his title. Looking to dethrone him are last year’s runner-up Mathias Hecht of Switzerland and bounding run specialist Petr Vabrousek of the Czech Republic. Switzerland’s Stefan Riesen, an excellent all-around threat who won here in 2006, cannot be counted out. German Frank Vytrisal rounds out the top-end men’s notable talent.

While temps were up in the 90s Fahrenheit without a cloud in the sky Thursday in Zurich, the projected weather for race-day Sunday is not as rosy: rain, with a high in the low 60s F.

Stay tuned for a complete post-race report.