Neil de Ste Croix will try to crown his comeback from illness on Sunday by taking the national triathlon title he last won three years ago.

A blood disorder which caused fatigue forced de Ste Croix to cut down on his training and only now does the 34-year-old feel he is back at his most competitive.

"It's taken three years to get back, but I'm feeling pretty fit right now,'' said de Ste Croix.

With the Island's top triathlete Tyler Butterfield still out of action after a bout of glandular fever which set back his training, chances of victory have improved for the rest.

De Ste Croix rates his chances of winning the event over the Olympic distance -- 1500-metre swim, 40-kilometre bike ride and 10-kilometre run -- as pretty good.

But he expects to get tough opposition, particularly from teenager Jonathan Herring, the defending champion, and Kent Richardson.

"It's going to be an interesting race. Kent has been consistent over all three parts of the triathlon. Jon is a strong swimmer and fast on the bike and he will be tough to beat.

"I think it will be close, but it depends what sort of lead Jon can build up before the run. He could be difficult to catch.'' Two months ago, de Ste Croix placed third in the national sprint triathlon championship, behind Herring and Richardson.

De Ste Croix is heavily involved in coaching the Island's growing batch of impressive young triathletes and warns them against overtraining -- something he believed had brought on his illness.

"It is common for people new to the sport to overtrain,'' he said. "People are now learning that when you train for triathlon, you have to think of it as training for one sport and not three.'' The main contenders for the women's title are defending champion Laurie Orchard, Karen Smith and Julia Hawley.

Orchard, a 27-year-old who hails from Canada and moved to Bermuda five years ago, was not expecting her title defence to be easy.

"Julia is always strong and will be very competitive,'' said Orchard. "Karen has been pushing me hard this year, which has been wonderful for us both.

"I think I have the edge on the bike and she has the edge on the run, so it just depends who's best on the day.'' Orchard, who estimated she trained on average between 10 and 15 hours per week, believed her best triathlon performances were yet to come.

"I know I have not reached my full potential yet,'' she said. "It's the kind of sport which takes you a long time to improve. I think it will be another two years before I reach my peak.'' Sunday's senior race will start at 8 a.m., two hours before the junior categories.

In the advanced race for 11 to 15-year-olds, the leading contenders include Brian Steinhoff and Mark Morrison. They will contest a 375m swim, 15km bike ride and a 3km run.

The race for seven to 10-year-olds will be a 100m swim/5km bike/1km run affair, while those 11 to 15-year-olds not competing at advanced level will make a 200m swim, a 10km bike ride and a 2km run.

Also starting at 10 a.m. is a Try-a-triathlon race specifically for beginners aged 16 and over.

Entry forms are available from Sports R Us, the Winners Edge bike shop, and Sportseller and should be handed in by 5 p.m. on Friday. The race fee is $10.

Forward looking: Triathlete Lawrie Orchard believes she won't reach her peak in the sport for another couple of years. This weekend she expects tough opposition from Julia Hawley and Karen Smith in the national championships.