The 31st edition of the Ultraman World Championship is ready to launch, as usual, on the weekend after Thanksgiving. Despite a dengue fever alert due to heavy rains and an corresponding increase of infected mosquitoes, some 40 unsinkable Ultra triathletes will swim away from Kailua pier at 6:30 AM Friday. Before them lies a 10 kilometer swim to the south at Keauhou Bay, followed by a 90-mile ride with 7,000-plus feet of climbing. On Saturday, Day 2 begins at Volcanoes National Monument and offers a 171-mile bike leg all the way to Hawi - also featuring 7,000-plus feet of climbing. The Sunday finale of this triathletic circumnavigation of the Big Island of Hawaii will involve a double marathon ending at the old Kona Airport just a mile from the pier where it all began.

This time around two Ultraman Hawaii rookies will have a real chance at overall wins. David Kalinowski is the youngest man in the field at age 29 and comes to Kona with an Ultraman Australia finish time faster than the Ultraman Hawaii race record. Kailua-Kona local Staci Studer, a five-time Ultraman crew member, has many good Ironman, ultra running and ultra swimming performances.

David Kalinowski, 29, Brisbane, Australia

Kalinowski won the inaugural Ultraman Australia this May in very impressive time. He swam 10k in 2:42:57 and did the Day 1 90-mile bike in 4:21:01 leaving him in second place, 3 minutes behind Stephen Gage. His Day 2 bike leg of 7:54:14 was 18 minutes better than Gage, giving him you a 15-minutes lead starting the run and he finished with a 2nd-best 6:42:31 double marathon. His overall time of 21:40:43 beat Gage by 8 minutes and was 39 seconds better than the Ultraman Hawaii race record set in 1998 by Holger Spiegel of Germany. That race makes this Ultraman Hawaii rookie the favorite against a good field. While 6-time champion Alexandre Ribeiro has retired, strong contenders include Michael Coughlin of Guelph, Ontario, Canada who was 2nd here in 2011, Billy Edwards of Boulder, Colorado who won Ultraman Florida this year in 23 hours, and two men in their 50s - retired Canadian military officer Tony O'Keefe who finished 2nd here in 2008 in a time of 22:31:54 and 2013 Ultraman Hawaii winner Miro Kregar of Slovenia.

ST: Why did you do Ultraman Australia?

David I heard about I maybe a year and half before the event in social media channels and whatnot. I thought it sounded like a great challenge so I put it on my radar and started doing crazy Ks in preparation. When the opportunity came I started filling out the forms. I didn't rate myself a chance of giving it a go but I was fortunate enough to get the call and it went really well. I have to thank two beautiful girls looking after me in my support crew - Maxine Seear is a 2004 Olympian and former professional triathlete. And my girlfriend Mel Corman is an Olympic 10k open water swimmer.

ST: You are the least famous member of your crew?

David Yeah. I'm a nobody. They are legends. Beautiful people. It is awesome to have them on my team.

ST: What sports did you do growing up?

David I grew up in Brisbane Queensland. Had a real outdoorsy childhood. Fishing and swimming and running and riding all the time outdoors. I was a rugby union player all the way through school. After all those collisions, I have no brains left. I do much better at the endurance sports.

ST: What led you to triathlon?

David I did a lot of running back in high school. About 15 years ago. I went to Nationals and ran 2 minutes in the 800 - something like that. I wish I could run that quick now. I chose triathlon because I wanted to try something different.

ST: Why have you stuck with triathlon?

David I just love it, love the training. I love the long miles, the long runs. I always fancied myself an endurance athlete.

ST: How much competitive triathlon experience have you had?

David I've done a few halves in about 4:10 or so and I did one Ironman distance race a few years ago. [Challenge Roth in 2011]. It was a horrible day. I blew up bad on the run [4:23:20] and finished in 10:44:59.

ST: A decent time with a major bonk on the run. Did it leave you with some optimism?

David Yeah.

ST: What do you do to pay the bills?

David I am working as a civil engineer in Brisbane, Australia. I've done a lot of public transport planning, road design, construction - stuff like that.

ST: Looks to me like you are the favorite here - on paper

David I had a great race in Australia. But you can't compare due to all the variables of courses, weather and strength of the field. Still I hope to be up there on the pointy end.

ST: How do you think your race will develop?

David From what I can see on the start list there are some pretty strong swimmers. So I am expecting to be a bit off the pace out of in the water. I hope to get out of the swim feeling well and come out strong on the bike. In Australia, I felt really sick after the swim. I don’t know what happened. Might have swallowed some water and I was vomiting for the first 70k on the bike. I could not get any food down. Hopefully I will do some things that will settle my stomach. That will make a big difference the next couple of days too.

ST: How will you cope with the inevitable low spots?

David There are a raft of good guys who all have different strengths. The race is over three days. There are always ups and downs, times when things don't go your way. It's a great event in that sense. If you have an off day you have a chance to recover.

ST: What has been your experience of the famous Ultraman family spirit?

David It makes it a great event. That was the draw to come back and come over here. The Ultraman Ohana Crew were all at the Noosa event and that whole feeling of helping each other was strong all the way through. After I was crook in the swim, I had some back problems. I cramped and seized up. One of our archrival competitors' crew got an acupuncturist to give me some treatment that night to fix me up so I could even run the next day. Those gestures mean a lot. Even though you are competing against these guys everybody wants to make sure that everyone has their best days for the whole event.

ST: This race is like a time machine goes back to first days of triathlon.

David It is a shared experience. Everybody is looking out for everybody else.

ST: Have you any ambition to be pro triathlete?

David Maybe. I really love the sport. I love the training. I love spending the weekend on the bike. And so it is a matter of balancing priorities. At the moment I am working full time and I am only able to do what I can do. In a lot of ways I am very indebted to my girlfriend Mel. She is very patient with all the time my job and my training demand.

Stacie Studer, 42, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Studer is a physical therapist who has lived in Kailua-Kona for six years and for the past five years has served on the Ultraman support crew of Marty Raymond of Canada - all the while soaking up the spirit and the science of Ultraman competition. This year this Ultraman rookie has a real shot at there women's title as recent stars Hillary Biscay, Amber Monforte, Kathy Winkler and defending champion Yasuko Miyazaki are sitting this one out.

While Studer has no Ultraman races on her résumé, she is an experienced endurance athlete. She has won the Ali'i Challenge 10k swim in a stellar time of 2:45, won the overall women's title twice at the Ironman-distance Great Floridian Triathlon, won the 50k Hilo to Volcano ultra running event, finished Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Hawaii several times and set an Ironman PR of 10:44:48 at Coeur d'Alene in 2007.

Studer's toughest competitor in a five-woman field looks to be a fellow 42-year-old, two-time Ultraman Hawaii finisher Iona McKenzie of Yellowknife, Northern Territories, Canada. McKenzie won Ultraman Canada and finished 3rd woman at the 2007 edition of Ultraman Hawaii in a time of 27:54:58 - right in the range of Studer's anticipated time.

ST: What are your best times at Ironman and other long distance events?

Staci Studer: I went 10:44:48 at Coeur d'Alene in 2007. The first time I did an Ironman distance event I was just over 11 hours at Great Floridian and that was my first win. I was more excited that my mom was running with me to the finish line than my time.

ST: Where did you grow up?

Staci: Grew up in Michigan and Ohio. I went to Old Dominion University in Virginia and graduated in physical therapy. I work with children a lot and do therapy for people after accidents and illness after surgery. All kinds of things like that.

ST: Did you do sports in high school and college?

Staci: Track and cross country.

ST: What led you to do Ultraman?

Staci: I saw it in 2009 when I moved to Kona and then I started crewing at Ultraman in 2010. I crewed for Martin Raymond for 5 years. Watching everybody over the past 5 years has inspired me to come out and do it.

ST: What have you done to prepare for this?

Staci: Lots of training around the island. I do Saddle Road repeats on the bike. Lots of running.

ST: Why did you move to Kona?

Staci: It has always been a dream. I've seen pictures of Hawaii growing up and I wanted to come out here. I looked up UH Hilo but my mom said it was too far too expensive. After college, there was an ad in the back of one of our professional magazines which said Come work in Aloha. So I came out.

ST: What kind of ohana [sense of family] have you experienced in Kona?

Staci: I have made several friends here. I love the Ultraman Ohana. You see people hug each other. Wherever you come from, nobody cares. They accept you. I love that.

ST: Ultraman has few hard-edged competitive attitudes. Still you have a chance to win here. Can you be the best?

Staci: First time I just want to do my personal best. I don’t care if I finish last just as long as I finish with a sort of semi smile. So that is where I am.

ST: What are your strengths?

Staci: I have strength in the swim because I live here and I can swim in the ocean. I've got that over some people who swim in the pool. My time for the 10k swim event in Kona? Last year it was 2:45. This year was 3:02.

ST: That will put you in the lead of this year's women's race.

Staci: I hope so. I have gotten stronger this year than before hopefully that will get me in a good position starting the bike.

ST: What is your favorite part of course?

Staci: Riding the Red Road along the ocean in the south.

ST: How strong is your run?

Staci: It is OK. I have run the Ultraman course from Kawaihae to the finish pacing with Marty Raymond. I know what it feels like - but I don't know what it will feel like after two days of racing.

ST: What is your best time in running events?

Staci: It’s been so long since I did a 5k. I think I did one just under 18 minutes. I am not that fast any more. In the marathon I was always trying to break 3:15.

ST: When you served on Marty Raymond's crew, what things really impressed you about people who do this race?

Staci: Their persistence. Their fortitude. The struggle you could see on their faces.

ST: Who is on your crew this year?

Staci: Dene Sturm and Mike DeCarli are my land crew. My paddlers are Dan Gampon and Mercedes DeCarli.