Wight Tri athletes Trevor Prior and Helen Scholes joined nearly 4,000 competitors for the gruelling Ironman 70.3 Alcúdia Mallorca.
The event, held on Saturday 9th May, saw competitors take on a 1.9km Mediterranean swim, a 90km bike ride — including the infamous Coll de Femenia climb — and a 21.1km run along Alcúdia’s sun-baked promenade.
Trevor Prior completed the demanding course in just over 7-and-a-half hours, battling windy mountain conditions on the bike before enjoying the fast descent back towards Alcúdia.
The run proved a stern test of willpower and tired legs, but strong crowd support helped carry him through to the finish line.
Also representing Wight Tri was Helen Scholes, who began her race after a sleepless night but still produced a superb performance.
After a smooth, if slightly wayward, swim, Helen tackled the scenic but windy bike course before suffering a comic mishap at transition, where a clean dismount was followed by an immediate collapse onto her bike in front of spectators.
Dignity restored, she headed out onto the run course through Alcúdia’s port, town and promenade, before crossing the red carpet finish line in 6:32:15.
Her time earned her 4th place in the 60–64 age group — an outstanding result given the heat, wind and lack of sleep.
Helen raced alongside brother-in-law Trevor, with brother Nigel and cousin Michael also taking part, making it a true family affair.
The day was made even more memorable when the group bumped into rugby legend Shane Williams, who was also competing.
Brilliant performance. The Island has a strong fitness community and great to see this highlighted, hopefully it inspires others to consider joining in, perhaps at easier events than this effort.