WEYMOUTH swimmer Linda Ashmore has just returned from Kona in Hawaii where she was competing in the Ironman World Championships. Despite battling with the heat and the infamous ‘ho’mumuku’ cross winds, the 69-year-old took third in her age group of 65-69 years competing against a international field.

The ironman is a 2.4mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and then to cap if off, a full marathon.

Ashmore was first out on the swim in her age group but on the bike she found it difficult to maintain her speed battling against the strong head wind towards the end, losing three places. However, on the marathon she picked up the pace and overtook two of the runners.

But, even though the sun went down the heat and humidity stayed high, Ashmore struggled in the isolation and complete darkness along the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway and was unaware of another one of her rivals passing her.

Ashmore claims it was the most amazing experience and she had tears in her eyes as she ran the last mile along the Ali’i Drive.

Not daunted, the athlete has also qualified for next year and will move up to the next age group of 70-74. Next time she is going for gold, she said: “I just need to knock an hour off my bike ride and be able to maintain my pace on the marathon.”

Ashmore, already an accomplished swimmer having swam the English Channel in 2007 at the age of 60, decided to take up triathlons just 18 months ago. She says that being diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago was a wake-up call.

She immediately decided she would attempt the English Channel again at the age of 70 but wondered what to do in the mean time.

Her first triathlon was a Bustinskin Sprint in April 2014, then Olympic distance in June 2014 and once she completed the Half Weymouth Challenge in September 2014, she felt she was on course for a full Ironman in 2015.

Having never ridden a road bike before, nor run more than 1km in a race, she had a lot of training to do. Ashmore believes she could not have pulled off her achievements without the support of her family, Kate Mason (her swimming coach at Weyport Masters) and the Bustinskin events.