Bermuda triathlete Tyler Butterfield continued his splendid form with a second place finish at the Boulder 70.3 Ironman on Sunday in his adopted home of Boulder, Colorado.

In the dry and hot conditions Butterfield was second to the line behind Andy Potts, the only other triathlete to have run a sub one hour, seven minute half-marathon this year.

Butterfield's overall time was three hours 49 minutes and 18 seconds.

With Boulder being his home away from home, cheers were heard all over the course for perhaps one of the most affable triathletes on the circuit.

Butterfield had an exceptional swim, coming out a whole minute in front of the main pack and only behind Potts and Steven Hackett.

He went out onto the bike leg just in front of the main group of five with Potts and Hackett still battling for top honours.

The leading pair extended their swim gap and eventually led off the bike with a four-minute advantage.

Although drafting is not allowed on the bike in half-ironman distance races, athletes are allowed to sit ten metres from the rider in front of them throughout the bike leg.

Unusually for Butterfield, he was in the main group and he said after the race: "How much easier it is to ride with other people around, even when you are diligent in keeping your ten metres, it is so much easier than riding by yourself."

He quickly asserted himself as the fastest runner from the main group and by the end of lap one of two on the run, he had assured himself of at least third place with Potts taking the lead, and Hackett in second.

Regrettably for Hackett, he suffered severe dehydration on the second lap of the run, allowing Butterfield to make up the two minutes on him to move into second, leaving the Bermudian the luxury of being able to celebrate with his adopted home crowd in the finishing stretches of the race.

The 27-year-old was happy both with moving up a step on the podium – he has been third twice in these races previously – and with the positive indications his performance gave for the upcoming Hawaii Ironman World Championships.

Boulder 70.3 is his last race before the World Championships, his main focus for 2010.

On September 18 Butterfield will head to Hawaii for the three weeks leading up to the race on October 9.

He will remain in Hawaii until late October to compete in the X-Terra World Championships on the 24th in Maui.

Butterfield claimed Bermuda's fourth medal of the CAC Games in Puerto Rico last month finishing third behind a pair of Mexicans.

In a show of pride for his country, the former professional cyclist ran the final kilometre of the race carrying an outstretched Bermuda flag while high-fiving the crowd.

Butterfield finished the race in a time of 1.58:34, while team-mate Flora Duffy won silver with a time of 2.8.46 in the women's race.