MONMOUTH Triathlon Club’s Claire Jackson finished her 2025 season with a spectacular achievement – crossing the finish line at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, last week after months of dedicated training, reports KELLY SALTER.

The women-only event saw competitors face brutal heat and humidity, with two top professional athletes dropping out for medical assistance.

Starting with a 1.2-mile swim in Kailua Bay, the race progressed with a 112-mile bike ride across the arid landscape of Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway, and finished with a 26.2 mile run on Ali’i Drive.

Claire finished in a remarkable 13 hours, 55 minutes and 31 seconds, coming 1,264th out of 1570, fighting through heat exhaustion to cross the iconic finish line.

After qualifying in the 2024 Ironman Portugal, Claire devoted months of specialised training for Kona, teaching her body to perform in uncomfortable conditions.

Her dedication included a three-day training camp of back-to-back sessions in a heat chamber at Plymouth-Marjon University, running on a treadmill and cycling on a Wattbike in 32°C heat and up to 73 % humidity.

At home she used a heat training suit on treadmill runs, and focussed on a large number of endurance swim and triathlon events to build stamina, producing plenty of PBs and age group triumphs.

“The swim and bike went okay, but the run was a bit pear-shaped,” said Claire on the tough race-day conditions.

“My core temperature went through the roof, and I couldn’t keep any fuel or hydration down. But I crossed that line and got my medal!”

She was supported in Hawaii by her family, and partner, Phil.

And Claire’s club mates have now agreed to let her off a few of their weekly swim sessions so she can enjoy a well-deserved rest.

Closer to home Kelly Major ran in the Weston-Super-Mare half marathon in much wetter conditions, coming home in 1.49.55.