Louise Wells and Marie-Lyne Dore secured top-50 finishes in their respective age divisions at the Ironman World Championships. .

Taking place in Kona, Hawaii, the spiritual home of Ironman last week, the pair were among the 1,204 female competitors who took to the start line for a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a marathon.

Competing in the 35-39 age category, Dore exited the water in 1hr 7min, completed the bike in 5:42 and finished the run in 4:02 for total combined time of 11:03:48, which resulted in her placing 46th of the 151 competitors in her division and 197th overall.

“To qualify for this epic race has been a dream since I started triathlon ten years ago,” Dore said. “I secured my spot at the Ironman Florida in 2021 by finishing second in my age group.

“Kona didn’t disappoint. During the race, I repeatedly reminded myself that I was racing at the Ironman World Championship, a goal that I realised with thousands of hours of hard work, dedication, and sacrifices. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The race was everything I hoped for and so much more. Even though I was injured, I really enjoyed every minute of this Ironman.

“Having my family and my daughters out there cheering for me on the Queen K highway made my day even more special. I can’t wait to requalify and experience it all over again.”

Wells also gave a strong performance in the 45-49 age category, exiting the water in 1:20, completing the cycle in 5:55 and finishing the marathon in 4:19 for a combined total time of 11:47:33 and 49th place in her division. She finished 412th overall.

“It was three years ago that my Kona dream began after qualifying at IM Arizona in November 2019 and I can say it was worth every second that I waited,” she said.

“While it wasn’t the performance I had hoped for, the experience was amazing from the moment we arrived on island to the time that we left.

“Kona is a magical place with a long Ironman history and I was so proud to race there wearing the Bermuda flag on my suit.

“I thought once would be enough but the fire is burning strong to requalify, return and do better.

“Bermuda has had some great athletes get great results there in the past and I hope to add to that in the future.”