The Observatory Hotel, on Port Macquarie's main beach, is again hosting major competitors in the run-up to this year's Ironman Australia event on Sunday May 4.

The 4.5-star Observatory, celebrating its 10th year, is the traditional accommodation choice of leading Ironman contenders. Past winners book the hotel year to year to secure an oceanfront hotel apartment and train on the course days ahead of the event, when accommodation in the NSW North Coast centre runs at capacity.

Port Macquarie claims to be one of the world's most scenic Ironman courses, with the 3.8km swim, 180km bike course and 42.2km run taking in the best of the town's river, beaches and countryside.

More than 2000 competitors are set to hit the starting line next month, with the leading triathletes seeking one of 40 highly-prized qualifying slots for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in October.

Port Macquarie excels as a host location with hundreds of locals volunteering to help stage the event and many thousands of residents lining the route as spectators. As curtain-raisers, an IRONKIDS run, swim and special tri and the Port IRON 5k Fun Run will be held on Saturday May 3.

To underline the town's passion for healthy outdoor sports, The Observatory, the North Coast's most awarded hotel, offers its guests, including children, quality bicycles and helmets and complimentary iPod audio-visual tours of local points of interest. A hotel loan iPod is mounted on the handlebars and guides visitors around natural attractions including koala habitats and on a historic early convict settlement and riverside tour, featuring dolphins at play. A third route offers walkers and runners a scenic experience along a necklace of Pacific beaches. www.observatory.net.au T: 02 6586 8000. Event information: www.ironmanaustralia.com; www.pmhc.nsw.gov.au - Search 'Ironman'.

MEDIA: To mark Ironman Australia May 2014 The Observatory has reserved a spacious two-bedroom oceanfront apartment for three nights, Friday May 2 to Sunday May 4 inclusive, to host media interested in covering the cycling angle of holidaying at the hotel, in conjunction with the Ironman and fun-run events. Print editors, sports/cycling magazine writers and TV producers are invited to submit an EOI by cob Tuesday April 8.

Media enquiries: Susie Boswell  sunconsulting@ozemail.com.au