Triathletes Karen Bordage and Karen Smith enjoyed impressive performances in the mother of all triathlons in Hawaii on Saturday.

Bordage and Smith, both 39, took on the challenge of the Ford Ironman World Championships, in Kailua-Kona. Bermudian Smith came in sixth place and Canadian Bordage 14th in the women's 35-39 category.

Smith completed the 2.4-mile swim in one hour, five minutes, 45 seconds, then clocked 5:36:22 for the 112-mile bike ride and finished off the gruelling event with a marathon run (26.2 miles) in 3:49:17, giving her a total time of 10:38:30 and 621st place overall.

Bordage's swim time was 1:18:59 and she clocked 5:52:54 for the bike ride. She then ran the marathon in 3:41:22 for a total time of 11:03:46 and 833rd place overall.

Both had qualified by producing outstanding performances in their first ever Ironman in Florianopolis, Brazil, in May.

Smith said she was delighted with her performance and had been second in her category for much of the second-phase bike ride. Fellow Bermudian Alex Jones also competed in the 30-35 men's category, but did not finish.

Briton Chrissie Wellington stunned the world of triathlon when she won the prestigious championship at her first attempt only a year after turning professional.

Wellington won the Age Group (amateur) world title over the Olympic distance in September 2006, and then gave up her job in London to train full time.

Racing in only her second Ironman distance event, the 30-year-old defied the history of the event that usually demands years of competing at the highest level even to challenge in the gruelling conditions of Kona.

Australia's Chris McCormack rallied with a strong marathon run to win the men's event.