CHESTER triathletes Chris Bate, Shaun Cameron and Matt Bridges can now call themselves Ironmen.

They all competed in and completed  the Ironman Zurich, an event featuring punishing peaks and extreme weather.

In Switzerland, temperatures were in the high 30s, meaning that competitors were not allowed to wear wetsuits in the 3.8 km swim which started the day.

This was followed by a brutal steep and technical bike course (180km), finished off with a four-loop marathon around the beautiful city of Zurich.  Bate (13.54:50), Cameron (14.07:48) and  Bridges (14.53:38) all completed the race.

 Also in Switzerland, Gill Clingham completed Europe's highest marathon, the Swiss Alpine Marathon, in 9.15:56. The race included 1,840 metres of ascent to the summit at Sertig, where snow still lay underfoot despite air temperatures of 18 degrees.  This was followed by 1,680 metres of severe descent to the finish.

Back in the UK Martin Hamer ran the Lakeland 100 mile race, where he also faced extremes of weather ranging from 30 degrees and high humidity to risking hypothermia in a 10-hour deluge later that day.

For the junior section, Anna Harris completed the Wiggle Peak District Punisher 40-mile cycle sportive incorporating 3,600 feet of ascent with a non-stop ride of four hours, two minutes and 55 seconds.