Bermuda’s Tyler Butterfield achieved a personal best at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee, last weekend.

The professional triathlete produced a solid seventh-place finish among a formidable field, his best showing to date at this level, which bodes well as he builds towards the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, next month.

Butterfield finished in 3hr 56min 22sec with splits of 25:20 for the swim, 2:10:40 on the bike and 1:17:32 in the run.

Reflecting upon his performance, Butterfield said: “I wasn’t able to put in my usual attacks on the bike. It was hard enough just being there!

“Racing at this level gets more and more competitive every year. I looked around and everyone in the group was a world-title holder, world-record holder, or at least someone who has won a lot of races. You can’t just get away from these guys whenever you like.

“I also wanted to wait and test my run. I wanted to really get a feel for my run fitness in advance of Kona — something you can’t fully gauge outside of a race environment.

“I haven’t had the opportunity to get in the run training I’d like for a number of years — partly because of injury, but now, looking back, also because of where we lived.

“I was a little disappointed with my run, considering the training I’ve had. It was solid, but nothing special. Really, I should be running only a little slower than that for an entire marathon if I want to be in the mix in Kona.

“I’m not sure if I was still a little tired from the training. I certainly gave this race the respect it deserves and came in tapered, but I think I may have carried in a bit too much long-term fatigue.

“I’m hoping I can get in the remaining training I need in the next five weeks, as well as shake some of the residual tiredness from my Kona overload. It’s kind of hard to do both at once — get fitter and fresher — but I’ll try.”

Also competing in Tennessee at the weekend was Butterfield’s compatriot, Karen Smith, who finished a creditable fifteenth out of 187 starters in the women’s 45-49 age group in 5hr 18min. Smith is in action this weekend when she competes at the ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Final in Rotterdam, Holland, where her son Tyler is also competing in the Junior Elite event.

Smith is competing in the sprint-distance event among the 45-49 age group and will be looking to improve on her bronze medal display in her previous appearance at these championships.

Bermuda will be well represented at the ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Final.

Leading the charge is Flora Duffy who is set for a glorious end to the season by wrapping up the WTS title for a second successive year.

Duffy is also chasing a record sixth WTS victory this season, having equalled the record of Gwen Jorgensen, the United States gold medal-winner at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro last summer, for most victories in a season.

Also competing in the Junior Elite event is Erica Hawley, while the evergreen Kent Richardson is in action in the sprint-distance event among the 55-59 age group.