Ashley Couper and Marie-lyne Dore did Bermuda proud competing in the Ironman Lake Placid in New York on Sunday.

Couper enjoyed a memorable debut as she completed the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run in 11hr 0min 53sec to claim first-place honours in the 45-49 age group and finish 46th among the overall women’s field that included 25 professionals.

Dore also had plenty to be proud of having finished runner-up in the 40-44 age group and 29th woman overall in 10:27:30.

The duo’s outstanding performances also qualified them for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, in October.

Couper had her work cut out having to come from behind to break the tape first in her age group.

She was forced to play catch-up after completing the swim in 1:13:15 to exit the water in twelfth, nearly minutes behind the leader.

A strong showing on the bike (5:55:33) propelled the six-times Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby winner into second, narrowing the gap to the leader to less than four minutes.

Couper took the lead for good 4.7 miles into the run, which she extended the rest of the way before crossing the line in 3:40:54 to secure the gold medal, with Canadian runner-up Melyssa Brochu (11:19:10) nowhere in sight.

American Sara Randolph finished third to claim the bronze medal with a time of 11:23:56.

Dore likewise had to come from behind after exiting the water eighth in 1:05:52, nearly nine minutes adrift of the leader in her age group.

She thrust herself in contention for age-group honours after making huge gains on the bike (5:38:51) to move up to third and close the gap to nine minutes.

Dore then maintained composure and ran within herself on the run, which paid off as she made up considerable ground to pass the second-placed runner a mile from the finish before crossing the line in 3:31:58 to take the silver medal.

American Katie Rodger led the women’s 40-44 field across the line in 9:57:50, with compatriot Jen Keith rounding off the podium in third in 10:29:03.