Courtesy: USAT

Multi-sport races in Ishigaki, Japan, Memphis, Tenn., Oceanside, Calif., and Wrentham, Mass., will keep U.S. athletes busy this weekend.

Top-ranked U.S. elite athletes will be battling for International Triathlon Union (ITU) ranking points at the ITU World Cup race Sunday in Ishigaki, Japan. Barb Lindquist (Victor, Idaho) and Siri Lindley (Boulder, Colo.), ranked No. 1 and 2 in the world respectively, will face Australian powers Loretta Harrop (No. 3) and Nicole Hackett (No. 6) and U.S. teammates Joanna Zeiger (Baltimore, Md.; No. 9), Sheila Taormina (Livonia, Mich.; No. 12) and Susie Stark (Hudson, Ohio; No. 111).

Harrop won at Ishigaki in 2001, while Lindquist was second and Lindley third.

On the men's side, Hunter Kemper (Longwood, Fla.; No. 39), Joe Umphenour (Seattle, Wash.; No. 40), Doug Friman (Tucson, Ariz., No. 52), Andy Kelsey (Cupertino, Calif.; No. 60) and Mark Fretta (Portland, Ore.; No. 128) will face a tough field that includes New Zealand's Craig Watson (No. 2), and Australia's Chris Hill (No. 3), Peter Robertson (No. 5), Greg Bennett (No. 7) and Miles Stewart (No. 8). Ivan Rana of Spain won the race in 2001.

The race will be Olympic distance (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run) and boasts a $60,000 prize purse.

For more information, go to www.triathlon.org.

Over 1,300 competitors are expected at the Memphis in May Triathlon on Sunday in Tennessee. The popular age group Olympic distance race also has some top elites signed up to race including Swiss Ironman champion Natascha Badmann and U.S. elites Patrice Carroll (Knoxville, Tenn.), Kelly Handel (Zionsville, Ind.) and Tim Luchinske (Lafayette, Colo.).

For more information, check out www.mimtri.org.

The Ralphs California Half Ironman replaced the California Ironman race, but still offers slots at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii to those who are successful. Pros will also race for $25,000 in prize money.

Among those expected to compete are 2001 Ironman world champion Tim DeBoom (Lyons, Colo.) and his brother Tony DeBoom (Boulder, Colo.) along with former mountain bike world champion Steve Larsen (Davis, Calif.) and Ironman veteran Cameron Widoff (Boulder, Colo.). Rachel Sears (Richmond, Calif.) and Lisa Bentley of Canada are among those to watch for in the women's race.

For more information, go to www.ironmancalifornia.com.

Finally, the second Dannon Duathlon race of the seven-race series takes place Sunday in Wrentham, Mass. U.S. national duathlon champion Greg Watson (Newark, Del.), Travis Kuhl (Carthage, N.Y.) and Chris Tolonen (Seattle, Wash.) are scheduled to compete in the men's race while Marjan Huizing (Rockville, Md.), Anne Preisig (Falmouth, Mass.) and Candy Angle (Weymouth, Mass.) are signed up for the women's race.

The unusual racecourse will consist of a 2-mile run, 10-mile bike, 2-mile run, 10-mile bike and 2-mile run.

For more information, go to www.dannonduathlon.com.

In other duathlon news, Kerry Classen (Bend, Ore.) and Andrea Ratkovic (Norman, Okla.) are competing in the 10th Annual Maizuru International Duathlon on Saturday in Japan. The race consists of a 10k run, a hilly and technical 60k bike and an 11k run.