THREE of Bermuda’s leading women athletes have qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships at the end of this year after a strong showing at the half-triathlon Eagleman race in Maryland last weekend.And sisters Kim and Deanna McMullen came second and third in their age category, causing many onlookers to sit up and take note of the Bermuda contingent.

The two siblings were joined by Ellen Charnley in the women’s event and all three achieved qualification for the World Championships to be held in Claremont, Florida in November.

While the women were tackling the triple-discipline event, consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1 miles half marathon, their partners entered as a relay team tackling one of the disciplines each and set a record event time.

But it was the individual performances of the McMullen sisters and Charnley that most impressed.

Despite facing windy conditions on the half-marathon run and having to swim in brackish water in Chesapeake Bay, Kim pushed through to an impressive second in the 35-39 age group in a personal best of four hours, 48 minutes and two seconds.

Only two weeks ago she was third in the May 24 Half-Marathon Derby in 1:31:26 and ran close to that time again as she clocked 1:32:33 on the run portion of the triathlon having swum 1.2 miles in 33:23 and completed the 56-mile bike ride in 2:36:50.

“My legs felt fresh on the run and I was very motivated to make a personal best after a strong swim and bike leg,” said Kim, 37, who was 260th overall.

She was fourth overall and second woman in the Bermuda National Triathlon Championships last month, beaten by younger sister Deanna, 35. But the tables were turned in Maryland as Kim beat her sister by the slimmest of margins, just 31 seconds.

Deanna had a swifter swim in 32:06 and a faster bike ride (2:29:50) than Kim, but her half-marathon run of 1:40:32 gave her a total time of 4:48:42.

Having achieved a personal best, she said: “I felt great on the bike which has been a focus of my training. My run let me down a little but I am satisfied with a such a great finish in a big race like Eagleman.”

The third of the Bermuda women was Charnley, 38, who swam faster than both the McMullens (31:48) and finished with a combined time of 5:30:33 after a 2:50:45 bike ride and 2:02:27 run. She was 24th in the 35-39 age group and was more than pleased with her debut performance in a half-triathlon. “I’ve struggled to return to the sport after an injury sidelined me for most of the winter. My goal was to finish under six hours so I’m elated to post such a result,” she said.

All three women can now look forward to competing in the Ironman 70.3 world Championships.

The Bermuda men had initially planned to go along to simply watch their partners, but realised they would find it difficult to miss out on the action as they are all athletes themselves, so they entered the event as a relay team.

Current Bermuda triathlon champion Riaan Naude did the swim, Gareth Thomson the bike ride and Donald Bowman the run to bring the team, who gave themselves the name ‘The Spectators”, home in an Eagleman Relay record of 4:15:13. However, despite this stunning effort they will not be in the World Championships in November as there is no relay team event.