Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team's Rachel Joyce, one of the UK's leading female elites, smashed her way to a maiden Ironman victory in Lanzarote with a compelling wire-to-wire victory, finishing in a time of 9h28m12s - only three and a half minutes off the course record and nearly 15 minutes ahead of the chasing women's pack.
The result, which also saw her break the course run record, is more impressive given the 32-year-old Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)-backed star spent a large part of the 2010 season out with injury and was a late entry into the Canary Islands event.
"It felt great to get my first Ironman win. I was actually in Lanzarote to train and I just felt really good before the weekend so decided to enter. It was a spur of the moment choice and one I am glad I made. I still cannot believe I got the new run course record - I have my coach Matt Dixon to thank for that - I ran nearly half an hour quicker than I did here two years ago," said Joyce, who finished runner-up in Ironman South Africa last week.
With a daunting two-lap 3.8kms swim, a testing 180kms cycle and an energy-sapping 42kms run on the promenade in Puerto del Carmen facing the 1,500 athletes, it was Joyce who stamped her mark early on.
A powerful opening swim saw the Briton reach the bike transition in first place, which proved to be a critical lead going into the cycle. With a terrain climbing 2,551 metres and a hot, cross-wind to contend with, Joyce's determined bike saw her maintain a solid lead over second placed Natascha Badmann, a six-time Ironman champion, who closed the gap to four minutes.
Yet, Joyce - who spent her winter training in Abu Dhabi's cooler climes with her fellow team-mates, including captain and 2005 Ironman World Champions, Faris Al Sultan - blew the chasing pack away with a lung-bursting marathon run to claim the spoils, and automatic entry into the season-ending Hawaii championships this October.
"The race was pretty relaxed and there was no pressure on me, which allowed me to race as I wanted. I knew it was a tough field and that Natascha would be pushing hard but I just went out and raced against myself and it worked. I had a perfect day. I never had to slow down and I had no problems, you can't ask for more," added Joyce, who finished fifth in the 2010 Hawaii World Championship.
Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team, created by ADTA to further the emirate's performance athletics' credentials globally, will compete in more than 30 top international events this season, including the Ironman and 70.3 series, and the World Championships.