There is a big entry for the Isle of Man Triathlon Championships, sponsored by Microgaming, at Ramsey this Sunday.

Again, the event will be centred on Mooragh Park which will provide the venue for the opening swim in the lake at 9.30am precisely.

This is shallow so is a great introduction to open water triathlons for any first-timers taking part.

There are sprint and standard (Olympic) distance races for both individuals and teams. Sprint distances are 750 metre swim, 20km cycle and 5km run.

Standard distances are 1500m swim, 40km cycle and 10km run. The bike route for both includes the coast road, through Bride to Smeale and back through Andreas to Ramsey. The run is in and around Mooragh Park.

Course maps and full details can be found on the Manx Tri Club website www.manxtriclub.com

The sprint event could be fairly close with some new names likely to come to the fore as Andy Nash has pulled out. He and fellow former winner Joe Ricciardi are chasing Commonwealth Games consideration times in the UK.

Likely favourite could be Manx-born teenager Niall Caley who is travelling to the island to take part.

Lynsey Elliot, the leading Isle of Man female in this year’s Island Games triathlon, has also pulled out of the event, leaving Karen Shimmin as the clear favourite.

One to look out for is North-West Paratriathlon Academy member John Fulton. The leg amputee is a real inspiration to others.

The Olympic-distance event should see Graham Stigant and Chris Crellin among the leaders at the end of the swim, but it will be Ryan Downey and Juan Kinley vying for the overall honours.

This will probably come down to the run if the latter doesn’t lose too much in the swim. Downey is 26 and Kinley precisely twice his age at 52

Others likely to be in the mix could be Hugo Langerman, Paul Swindale and Jonathan Piggin who has been competing at longer-distance events lately.

Former Longest Day, Longest Ride winner Faye Holland should go well in the women’s race, along with Alice Hartley. It’s possibly their first assault at an Olympic distance event.

Another unknown is British Age Group racer Isaline Kneale from the UK.

There are some strong teams, with regular triathlete Hannah Howitt, Novo Nordisk cyclist Sam Brand and leading local runner Alan Corlett likely to be first back overall, closely followed by Becky Storrie and Will Draper. The latter is doing the bike and run.

Ones to watch out for in the Olympic distance team event are the Varleys - Mark, Tony and Christian, along with another father/son combination, Andy and Darren Bell, with runner Helen Taylor, who will probably be first mixed. The Fire and Rescue team of Elliot Moore, Steve Brearley and Amber Carridge will also be thereabouts.

The Manx Special Olympics team consists of Emily Keigwin, Chris Hattersley and Duncan Watterson, with Tony Fallon assisting them on the swim.