Swansea Ironman 70.3 best pictures as thousands brave heat to complete epic challenge

Wales Online

3 days ago

Hundreds of people took to Swansea Bay during the hottest weekend of the year for a gruelling Ironman 70.3 on Sunday. As temperatures reached 30C 2,500 athletes took part in the event on Sunday which involves a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run.
Harry Palmer retained his Ironman 70.3 title in the men's race while Kat Matthews claimed her second Ironman Pro Series win of the season in the women's section.
Thousands of spectators lined the route along the bay to cheer on the athletes in the stunning location from the marina to the Gower.
Palmer, who finished the race with a time of 3:51:18, said at the finish line: "It's pretty surreal. I don't feel like it's sunk in yet. I'm just in a lot of pain right now.
"That was amazing. I feel like the spectators were even better than last year which I didn't think was possible. It was pretty epic.
"It was only until the last 100 metres where I thought: 'Oh wow, I'm actually winning here.' I didn't want to allow myself to enjoy it too much as I knew the guys behind me were chasing hard and they're amazing athletes."
Matthews, who finished in 4:20:37, said the race was challenging in the heat as she thanked spectators. "Thank you so much to every single person who cheered for me and for everyone else," she said.
"It was fantastic. It was honestly blissful until about 4k into the run and then I thought: 'Goodness, the sun's pretty hot down here on the beach."
Outside the top spots there were plenty of notable athletes in the race including former pro Welsh rugby international Shane Williams who ticked off another Ironman event as he completed the race in 5:26:00.
Also running was Owen 'Pedz' Peddle who has gained a tremendous following on social media with his journey from not being able to swim the length of a swimming pool to completing the Ironman event today.
Roared on by his many fans, the DJ from Newport, who said he did the event to do something he couldn't have previously done and to "lose a bit of weight", finished the course in 8:32:00.
He said: "The last nine months of my life have been mental, actually mental. Dragging myself from where I started to where I am now has been a hell of a journey and I couldn't be prouder of where I am right now." You can read his story here.
Scroll through the gallery below to see our best pictures from a brilliant event.