Andover Triathlon Club’s head coach, Dan Mason, achieved an impressive feat by completing the Ironman 70.3 Belgium in Knokke-Heist in under five hours.

The race, which took place across the Netherlands and Belgium, tested athletes with its challenging conditions, but Mason managed to surpass expectations.

The triathlon began in Sluis, Netherlands, with a 1,900m swim in the canal. Competitors set off in intervals of four athletes every six seconds. Mason executed his swim strategy perfectly, returning to transition in just 33 minutes.

The next leg was a 90km bike ride, with the first 45kms covering parts of West Flanders and the outskirts of Retranchement in the southern Netherlands.

Despite battling strong winds with gusts up to 30 mph across the open flatland, Mason completed this segment in 2 hours and 29 minutes.

The final stretch was a 21km, three-lap run along the Knokke-Heist seafront. Though the course was flat and mostly sheltered from the wind, Mason encountered stomach issues and back pain, slowing his pace.

Nonetheless, he completed the run in 1 hour and 45 minutes. His overall time was just under five hours.

"All in all, I’m pleased with my result," said Mason, who also coaches for Total Tri Training.

"Total time sneaking in just under five hours, and a great way to spend the weekend!

"For anyone wanting to race a 70.3, this is a good one to choose—easy to get to, just less than 90 minutes from Calais. Even with the split transition, it is very well organised, and the support on the bike and run was fantastic.

"Over 2,000 athletes competed, and it’s as flat as you can get—though this does mean it can be windy. The swim start in Sluis is very picturesque. The only downside was that, apart from race day, it was very quiet everywhere."