Lake Placid, NY - The 2008 Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid Triathlon will see a new Champion take the pro title in both the men and women's races. The men's field has an international flavor while the women's race will feature two of the strongest American athletes currently in the sport.

Texan James Bonney has long been acknowledged as one of the best swimmers in the sport and this year at Ford Ironman Arizona, he showed that he had improved the level of his bike and run finishing fourth in a very competitive race. He posted a personal best time of 8:35:32 in that effort.

Sergio Marques of Portugal will be looking for his first Ironman win. He placed second at the 2007 Ford Ironman Florida and also had a fifth place finish at the 2006 Ford Ironman Arizona event. Another contender will be Bjorn Andersson of Sweden. Andersson is a strong cyclist and while he has yet to post a podium finish at the Ironman distance, he will likely be in the mix heading into the run portion of the event.