The fastest man on the planet is set to provide the toughest test for Cameron Brown's 10 year reign at the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman New Zealand in Taupo on 3 March.
Belgium's Marino Vanhoenacker set the triathlon world in a spin when he set a new world's best time for an Ironman of 7:45:50 in Austria last year, which took five minutes off the previous best time established 14 years previous.
The 35 year old is a six time winner of Ironman Austria and a podium placegetter at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
Vanhoenacker says he is aware of the daunting task in taking on Brown, who last year became the first person in triathlon history to win the same Ironman event 10 times with his victory at Taupo.
"I am not sure how big my chances are to beat him or get close to him but I sure hope I can make him sweat a little bit at least," said Vanhoenacker.
"He kills everyone who turns up. It is his race. He owns the race. I hope I can be some competition or Mr Ironman New Zealand."
The Belgium athlete likes to race early in the year, having previously won in South Africa and Malaysia during the northern hemisphere winter months. His decision was influenced after he didn't finish at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii last October.
"I had a bad Hawaii so I need some qualifying points. I didn't have the physical strength or probably the mental strength to do a late Ironman after the bad Hawaii, so I decided to let it go and try to race as early as possible in the season.
"I was in New Zealand a long, long time ago and I enjoyed it that time. I trained in Christchurch with Dr John Hellemans for several months.
"So there were a few factors that made me decided to go for Ironman New Zealand."
Vanhoenacker said he knows it will prove a major challenge against Brown.
"It's a little bit the same as I have in Ironman Austria if people see me on the start list they give it a second thought. It is the same with Cameron.
"I have followed his career and there's been a few years I thought watching live coverage that think that this person or that person would beat him but every time you look at the end result and he kills them."
After his third placing in Hawaii in 2010, Vanhoenaker said some of the pressures of his world record performance last year proved costly.
"I was very happy to have the record and say okay you are the fastest guy on the planet. There was a whole lot more media attention. It kept going the whole summer up to Hawaii and it took a bit of energy out of me I think."
He has been forced indoors to prepare although he will base himself in Taupo from next week for the race set for Saturday 3 March.
"Every hard session I do indoors at the moment on the turbo trainer and on the treadmill because it has started to freeze and snow now here in Belgium.
"I spent a month over Christmas at Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands training in the sunshine which gave me a good base, and I recently raced a 70.3 in South Africa."
He plans to also defend his title at Austria in July before preparing for Hawaii in October.
"I think Hawaii for a lot of us guys is the main race. I always said that as long as I feel I can have a shot at a win there I will go back and try again. Every year there are may be 20 guys who feel they have a real shot this year."
