Since his October 2009 victory Cronulla's dual world triathlon ironman champion Craig Alexander has been busy accepting awards, seeing sponsors and capitalising on his profile overseas

But he made sure over the holiday period he'd be ready for his first race of 2010: defending his Ironman 70.3 title in Geelong this weekend.

"It was pretty hectic just getting some time to train,'' admitted ``Crowie'' after returning from his latest award at the Endurance Sports Awards in San Diego.

Since claiming victory in Geelong last year, Alexander celebrated the birth of his second child, Austin, before he defended his world Ironman title in Hawaii and becoming the first Australian and the only the third person in the sport to do so.

In Geelong, Alexander will be the hot favorite against a tough field which includes 2008 champion Leon Griffin and Australian Ironman champions Mitch Anderson, Tim Berkel and Jason Shortis.

Reaching for the sky

AFTER completing their climb of the highest mountain in Africa, Tanzania's Kilimanjaro, Riverwood brothers Cameron, 26, and Christian O'Shea, 29, (pictured) are looking forward to their next challenge.

During day three of their trek the brothers and their seven-member climbing team lost communication.

The group took six days to reach the summit. Next on their list is Mount Elbrus, Europe's highest mountain.