STRATFORD AC’s Emma Bexson competed in the gruelling IRONMAN World Championships – a race staged over 140 miles in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
The Championships have become the pinnacle event for triathletes from around the world and this year’s race event took in some of Hawaii’s barren lava fields.
And Bexson ran a superb race to finish in 12th place in her age group in a time of 11 hours, two minutes and 35 seconds from a field of 208 starters of which 187 finished.
The Stratford triathlete struggled with sea sickness during all of her training swims and recorded her slowest Ironman swim to date (one hour 14 mins) to leave the water in 53rd position.
However, Bexson made up a staggering 31 places during the 112-mile bike leg to start the run in 22nd place.
And despite a hot, humid and hilly marathon route, Bexson finished strongly to come home in a time of just over 11 hours, aided by dunking her head in an ice bucket at every feed station to cool down.
Bexson arrived in Hawaii nine days prior to the race in order to acclimatise to the brutally harsh conditions that awaited her on the Pacific island state.
