(Gaylia Osterlund previews the age group women’s race here in Kona)

A wise man recently said the most accomplished endurance athletes are those who are willing to dig deep into their soul and deal at the highest level with their fear.

On the morning of Oct. 9 the best triathletes in the world will bob in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean waiting for the blast of the cannon to send them on their journey of revelation.

At the end of the day, each one will be newly acquainted with an inner strength and perseverance that will be but a mere stepping-stone in their quest for the clarity found only in the lava fields on the Big Island.

This year’s race has the most talented and competitive women’s field I have ever had the privilege of covering. I guess this should come as no surprise given how drastically the qualifying times have dropped. If Mother Nature cooperates and moderate conditions prevail, the women are poised to put on quite a show. The possibilities are exhilarating.

Tatiana Vertiz is returning to defend her title for the W18-24 and I don’t see anyone who will challenge her. After a rather lackluster start to 2011, Tati made some changes in her life that allowed her to regain the motivation and focus that fueled her early successes.

Vertiz will walk away from Ironman racing for a few years to work on her speed and she hopes to do so with a sub 10-hour day. The icing on the cake would be to take Kate Major’s 2004 age group record of 9:49:33 with her as well.

The W25-29 has several gals who will be in the mix from the start, but Kelly Fillnow should be the one who will set the pace for this division. Kelly was fifth in Kona last year with a time of 10:24:31.

Since then, it appears she has done some focused speed work and went 9:29:50 at Ironman Austria. Kelly also grabbed the top amateur spot at Ironman 70.3 St. Croix.

Two-time athlete of the year nominee, Christine Anderson, has been burning up the 70.3 circuit and gathering top three finishes along the way. She will need to pay close attention to pacing because she sometimes struggles once out on the run.

Lindsey Wohlers is a factor at any race she starts, particularly when the distance is 140.6. She is consistent in all three disciplines and seems to understand the nuances of pacing better than most. No doubt Lindsey will be looking to improve on her fourth place finish from last year.

The next age group is, simply put, phenomenal. There are probably 11 gals who will be pushing each other to personal best performances but as I see it Beth Walsh and Shiao Yu Li have the edge. Walsh is a relative newbie to Ironman but has quickly made a name for herself by posting lightening speed run splits at several races, including a 3:10:27 in Kona last year.

With just a bit of improvement on the bike leg, Walsh has the potential to break the elusive 10-hour mark next Saturday. She knows the pain of such a race because she was the top amateur woman at Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas, finishing in 9:53:05.

Taiwan’s Shiao Yu Li has already broken that barrier and the question to be answered on Oct. 8 is can she do it again? Li has similar foot speed as Walsh, but has already experienced a solid bike/run combination on the World Championship course. Should they be in the same zip code coming out of T2, buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Last year Belinda Harper took the top spot for the W35-39. Her time of 9:44:19 stands as an amateur course record. Harper has since turned pro so will not be coming back to repeat this year.

Susanne Davis and Claudia Johnston were second and third to Belinda in 2010 so I expect to see them racing off the front from the start. These two gals have very similar abilities and both came in under ten hours last year so I would not be surprised to see either one of them take the win.

I also suspect they will feed off of each other which will probably put them in the contention for top 10 overall finishes as well.

The top three finishers from the W40-44 are back to do battle again this year. Beate Goertz is another athlete who is fairly new to our sport, but has had immediate success at all distances.

Since becoming an age group champion with a Kona course record, Goertz has gone on to post a 9:18:58 at Ironman Austria. Amy McGrath and Karen Smith will be doing all they can to de-throne Goertz and both are capable of doing so.

Lisbeth Kenyon is one athlete who does not limit her focus to winning her division. She always races with the mindset of being the first amateur woman. She holds the W45-49 title, which also happens to be a course record that is 1:05 faster than the W40-44 record.

There are a few ladies who will be doing all they can to derail Kenyon, all with stellar resumes affirming the possibility. Kathy Winkler has struggled with some medical challenges this year but she is such a gifted and experienced athlete, I think her muscle memory and mental fortitude will serve her well.

Bodil Arlander of Belvedere, Calif. has not put any thought into a time goal and has adjusted her training to fit her daily life. She is calm, fit and ready to make her 11th go at the World Championships.

If we were to go on numbers alone, I would say Ellen Hart is going to take down Laura Sophiea’s W50-54 record of 10:35:59. Hart Is fully capable of a 10:20 finish that should include a sub 3:20 marathon. She is following Sophiea in revolutionizing what the 50-plus women are capable of doing.

Speaking of Sophiea, she is the definitive favorite in the W55-59. Sophiea spent a good deal of the early season recovering from a bike accident and will arrive in Hawaii a bit more rested than most. I don’t know about you but a “rested” Sophiea is a scary thought.

Last year, Canadian Carol Peters (W60-64) won by 30-minutes on her way to a course record of 12:17:24. She is the clear front-runner among her peers and my hope is she will focus on her day and push herself to another top achievement.

Cherie “The Beast” Gruenfeld is not racing, leaving the W65-69 division wide open. Looking at last year’s race, it looks like Natalie Grabow could take the win. She ran herself to within eight minutes of Cherie last year, which is as close as anyone’s come in a long time.

Harriet Anderson, 75, will have an entourage cheering her along as she toes the line for her 20th start at the Ford Ironman World Championships. In talking with her earlier in the season, Anderson was pleased with her training and looked forward celebrating the day with her family. If she stays out of harm’s way out on the Queen K, I believe she her fitness will allow her to grab Sister Madonna Buder’s record of 15:54:16.