A trio of Bermuda athletes conquered the toughest and most famous Ironman course in the world in Hawaii at the weekend.

At the world championships Karen Smith, Karen Bordage and Julia Hawley all finished inside the top 15 positions for their respective age divisions.

They competed non-stop for between 11 and 12 hours, tackling a 2.4-mile ocean swim, a 112-mile cycle ride and then a full marathon run of 26.2 miles.

The three training partners had to win or come second in qualifying Ironman events around the world during the past year to secure a coveted starting place in the event, which is regarded as the pinnacle of the sport.

Having successfully reached the famed event all three put in some of the best performances of their lives to deal with the hot weather, testing headwinds and sea swell off the coast of Hawaii.

Leading the way home for the Bermuda contingent was two-time Commonwealth Games competitor Smith. She excelled to take eighth place in the women's 40-44 category in a total time of 10 hours 55 minutes and 16 seconds. In the same division Bordage was 14th in a time of 11.10.03, while Hawley was 14th in the women's 45-49 division in a time of 11.56.32.

Summing up the experience, Hawley, who has also competed in two Commonwealth Games, said: "Hawaii is the ultimate Ironman. That was the hardest single day event I have ever done. I have raced in a lot of big races throughout the world, but I'd have to say the atmosphere in Hawaii was the best I've ever experienced anywhere."

In the competition Smith was the fastest swimmer of the three, coming out of the water with a time of 1.05.59, which put her 12th in her division. She moved up a place during the almost six-hour long cycle ride (5.50.59) before putting in a 3.48.14 marathon run to elevate herself a further three places to eighth, which compares well with the sixth position she attained when she competed in the 2007 Hawaii event.

Smith said she took a few 'hits' during the swim, but stuck to her race plan with a conservative first half in the cycle ride, which proved to be a smart move as the wind picked up during the second half of the course and she was able to overtake many of the riders who weakened having earlier gone off faster.

She said: "My plan was the same for the run and it worked really as I was able to run really well for the second half and had my fastest marathon split."

In the final few hundred metres Smith found enough energy to put in a sprint finish as a number of rivals in her age division tried to overtake. During the run she also saw buddies Bordage and Hawley on the course. She said: "We yelled 'good job!' to each other, which is helpful on such a long day when you know how each other feels."

Like Hawley, Smith also paid tribute to the family and friends support that kept the encouragement going. She said: "It was amazing to have our families there waving Bermuda flags and cheering us on. My coach was also here along with his team from LifeSport, so that was great encouragement.

"I was hoping for a higher placing, but I am still very happy where I ended up."

Next to finish was Bordage. She only qualified five weeks earlier after coming second in her division in the Ironman Canada. She was 40th for her age group after the swim (1.17.39), but moved up to 24th by the end of the cycle (5.59.50) and then passed another 10 rivals during her marathon run, which was the fastest of the three Bermuda athletes in 3.44.22. Third to finish for the Bermuda athletes was Hawley, and like her training partners she moved up through the field during each of the three disciplines. She was 24th after the swim (1.18.05), 17th after the cycle (6.15.18), and then passed three more in her division during the marathon run (4.13.40).

It was the marathon run that proved the hardest for Hawley as she suffered stomach pains between miles 16 and 19, which reduced her to a walk. She said: "I kept remembering what my coach said – you have to keep positive at these bad sections and be confident they pass and you recover.

"I saw a message from my kids at mile 19 that said 'Our hero forever' and that got me jogging again and then I started to run and had a really great last six or seven miles."

Will any of the three be returning to Hawaii? All three intend to compete in a half-Ironman next June. Smith and Hawley then intend to compete in the Lake Placid Ironman the following month. As for Hawaii, Hawley said: "I can't wait to get back – I can't believe I'm saying that as it's so tough. But the event is so magical that you always want to come back."

Smith said: "I would like to try again, but racing takes a huge toll on your body and you need to recover, which can take several weeks and sometimes months."

The overall respective Hawaii Ironman winners were Craig Alexander (8.20.21) and Chrissie Wellington (8.54.02).

The winner of the women's 40-44 division was Lisbeth Kenyon (10.15.05), and the winner of the women's 45-49 division was Ursula Kene Schmid (10.57.19).