Doe returns to compete in Taupo's NZ ironman contest

Kieran Doe says he won't feel bad if he is the man to break Cameron Brown's stronghold on the Ironman New Zealand title in Taupo on Saturday.

Brown has won eight of the past nine races and Doe, formerly of Feilding, believes he has the ability to win, he just needs to put it together on the day.

The only time Brown has not won since 2001 was when Spaniard Ainalar Juhanson triumphedin 2006, but that did not include a swim because of rough weather.

Doe last ran the New Zealand Ironman in 2008 when he finished third.

"The last few months I've had a lot of injuries and sicknesses, so I'm just getting back into it," Doe said.

"The goal for this week is to get a good race under my belt and get on the podium."

And would Doe, 28, be worried if he stopped Brown's dominance? "Not at all," he confidently said.

Brown and Terenzo Bozzone shape as two of the favourites in the race, which includes a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km run, while Doe has not been mentioned in the pre-race talk as a contender.

"I've flown under the radar a little bit for this race."

A former swimmer and Palmerston North Boys' High School student, Doe took to doing triathlons when he was 22 and continued on to ironman events.

His last big race was the world long-distance championships in Perth in October last year, where he finished eighth.

Doe said the biggest thing he was focused on was improving his consistency and being on the podium regularly.

Getting his running up to scratch will be a vital cog in performing well on a constant basis.

"It's probably my weakest discipline," he said, of his running.

"I'd want to lift that up to get that going consistently," Doe said.

Doe is based in Auckland, but will head back to Europe at the end of May. He spends half of the year overseas, splitting his time between the United States and Europe.

He gets by on sponsorship and prizemoney from his efforts around the globe.

"The ultimate goal is to win Kona [Hawaii], which is the world championships for ironman," he said.

"It's a matter of working out what's the best way for you to win the race and conserve energy.

"All the ingredients are there. It's just about putting them together on the consistent basis."

There's that word consistency again, and Doe is hoping he can produce just that on Saturday.

- © Fairfax NZ News