Two of the top four men at the Ironman World Championship – Sebastian Kienle from Germany who finished 2nd and Ben Hoffman (pictured above) from the U.S. who was 4th – are set to square off again next Sunday at the XTERRA World Championship for the Outrigger Resorts Double title.

Hoffman won the Double last year and Kienle won it in 2012. This year Kienle finished Kona in 8:10:02, and Hoffman was less than three minutes behind him in 8:13:00.

“Should be a good battle with Sebi for the double this year,” said Hoffman. “Spoke to him at the awards banquet and he is looking forward to it as well. Hopefully the legs will come around in time!”

Last year Hoffman finished 10th overall at XTERRA and took the double with a combined time of 11:55:18. The last time Kienle raced in Maui in 2012 he finished 14th overall and took the double crown with a time of 11:03:38.

Kienle, the 2014 IM World Champion and 2012-13 IM 70.3 World Champ, first raced XTERRA in 2005 and won XTERRA Germany in 2006. The year Kienle won in Kona, Hoffman was second. “The Hoff” has been racing XTERRA since 2008, and has been in the top 4 at the Mountain Championship in Colorado each of the last five years.

In the amateur men’s chase former double champ Pablo Ureta of Argentina has a six-minute lead on Olivier Lyoen of France, and in the women’s competition Virginia Sellers of Canada has roughly a half-hour jump start on Janie White of Arizona.

The Outrigger Resorts Double award is given annually to the pro and amateur man and woman with the fastest combined XTERRA World Championship and Ironman Hawaii Championship time. Elites are awarded $2,500 and the top amateur man and woman win a 4-night stay at a Maui Outrigger Resort.

Here’s a look at this year’s doublers (tentative as of 10.14.16)
Name, Nationality, Division, IM Time
Sebastian Kienle, Germany, Elite M, 8:10:02
Ben Hoffman, USA, Elite M, 8:13:00
Michi Weiss, Austria, Elite M, 8:49:54
Pablo Ureta, Argentina, M35-39, 9:37:49
Olivier Lyoen, France, M35-39, 9:43:46
Filipe Aragao, Brazil, M30-34, 9:50:35
Andrew Sellars, Canada, M45-49, 9:58:10
Arnaud Bouvier, France, M50-54, 10:12:45
Virginia Sellars, Canada, F40-44, 11:34:44
Karsten Olsen, Denmark, M60-64, 11:52:00
Mark Alderman, USA, M50-54, 11:57:37
Janie White, USA, F55-59, 12:04:27
Megan Arthur, New Zealand, F40-44, 12:42:24
Mitchell Wendorff, USA, M30-34, 13:29:15
Scott Perrine, USA, M45-49, 13:58:41
Marcy Fleming, USA, F55-59, 15:29:44

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