Omagh Tri Club duo complete Ironman Portugal challenge

IRONMAN Portugal took place this weekend and David Aiken was in the city of Cascais to give it a go, along with Peadar O'Laoire who joined him for the 70.3 distance.

Both men raced on Saturday beginning with their swims in the sheltered waters of Cascais Bay, starting at Ribeira Beach and finishing at the Fortress at the Clube Naval.

Davy finished the 3.8km loop in 1hr 31mins 12secs and Peadar finished his 1.9km swim in 43mins 51secs.

The bike course in Cascais is renowned for its hilly route and the competitors headed West, circling round and taking in beautiful views of the Portuguese Riviera and the natural park of Sintra-Cascais.

Riding along the Estrada do Guincho leads the athletes to Malveira and Serra de Sintra by the Blue Lagoon, where they would enter the iconic Estoril racetrack. From here they headed out along the coast towards the Portuguese capital where they turned and came back the same road from Lisbon.

Peadar completed his 90km cycle in 04.05.41, whilst Davy was only getting warmed up as he headed off on his second lap - finishing the 180km in 07.43.18.

Finally it was time for the men to lace up the runners and head out for the final third of the triathlon.

For the run, the athletes would start the run in Cascais and follow the Guincho Road along the coast to Cabo Raso, before turning and coming back towards the central hub of Cascais.

Davy completed the marathon in an incredible 03.48.48 and Peadar finished his half in 01.56.09.

Davy heard the immortal 'you are an Ironman' after 11hrs 37mins 59secs and Peadar completed the challenging 70.3 in a brilliant 6hrs 6mins 52secs.

This weekend also saw the return of the club-favourite Middle-Distance Triathlon, Challenge Peguera.

Michael Holland and Conor Eannetta headed to the Island off the East coast of Spain to take part in one of the last few races of the year. The swim began in the beautiful Tora Beach with two laps in the seawater making up the 1.9km.

Michael flew through the swim in 33mins 04secs, with Conor emerging from the water in a time of 42mins 33secs.

Upon mounting the bikes it was time for the men to tackle the 90km bike ride consisting of two 45km laps around the scenic landscapes of Mallorca.

Once leaving Peguera, they made their way over rolling hills to the traditional town of Es Capdella and began descending through Son Pillo through the tourist areas of Calvia, El Toro, and Santa Ponca.

The entire 90km traversed over 900m of elevation and Michael completed it in 3hrs 45mins 10secs, with Conor dismounting after 3hrs 26mins 38secs.

Finally it was time for the half marathon composed of four 5.25km laps around the coastal town of Peguera itself.

A relatively flat course, the heat is still a force to be reckoned with as the runners make their way through the town and along the coast four times before heading towards the finish line.

Mick completed the 21.2km in 1hr 51mins 59secs and Conor finished the run in 3hrs 13mins 37secs. This gave Mick a total finish time of 05.18.22 and Conor 07.38.56.