The event has previously bolstered a star-studded lineup, with the likes of Olympic Champion Gwen Jorgensen, and Australian stars Jake Birtwhistle and Ashleigh Gentle past winners.

This year, however, will see many of the top triathletes absent, coronavirus one of numerous contributing factors.

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Commonwealth Games representative Charlotte McShane will fly the flag for the elite athletes, having recently arrived in Australia.

McShane will line up alongside some of the state's top youngsters, the door open for emerging athletes to take centre-stage in the annual run-swim event.

Many juniors will make the trip south from Sydney looking to make a name for themselves, while the Illawarra Academy of Sport will enter a sizeable contingent.

Leading the charge is Montana Doubell, the 2021 IAS triathlete of the year, and the 14-year-old is eager to finish near the front of the field on Wednesday.

"It's exciting to be back," Doubell said. "It's been a few years since I've done the Aquathon, it was disappointing last year had to be cancelled.

"It's going to be a good race, I'm hoping to go for a PB and we'll see how I go."

The Academy triathlon squad has just returned from a training camp in Jindabyne, a week at altitude setting the platform for a big season.

Despite being a relative newcomer to the sport, Doubell has her sights set high. The teenager's primary focus this year is to qualify for the National All Schools Championships.

"The main goals are to be top three in the Billigence point-score series and then the big comp in March is NSW All Schools.

"My goal is to make the Nationals team, which means I need to be top six."

While last year's Aquathon was abandoned due to COVID, organiser Rob Battocchio had hoped the 2022 edition would be unaffected by the virus.

Enter Omicron.

The recent surge in coronavirus cases in NSW has led to a drop in entrants for the event, however Battocchio is hoping for a flurry of late registrations.

Athletes can sign up until 20 minutes before the start of each race, with officials expecting a number of entries on Wednesday morning.

Despite the challenges, Battocchio is pleased the Aquathon will return in a COVID-safe manner.

"I'm proud we've got a decent turn up and are still able to put on a showcase event for the region," Battocchio said. "We can still have outdoor, safe fun."