The 2012 Ironman U.S. Championship, a big part of which is set to take place in Fort Lee on Aug. 11, will feature a field of more than 20 Ironman champions, the Ironman organization announced this week.

It will also showcase the talents of men and women in what the organizers called “one of the largest professional fields” in any Ironman event this year.

The pros will compete for a piece of the $125,000 purse, and 4,000 qualifying points for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii are also up for grabs.

The Fort Lee Regional Chamber of Commerce is taking a leading role locally, organizing—and still seeking—more than 100 volunteers to help man its runners’ aid station and event site, both of which will be located near Hudson Terrace and Bruce Reynolds Boulevard.

Local organizers are expecting thousand of spectators in Fort Lee alone, and the event will shutdown the southbound lanes of the Palisades Interstate Parkway (PIP) from exit 18 in Bear Mountain State Park to the George Washington Bridge for most of the day.

The Ironman website will be providing live coverage on race day.

For a complete list of professional athletes registered to compete in the triathlon, including 44 men and 31 women, click here.

The Ironman U.S. Championship is Aug. 11.