French triathlete wins Tallinn Ironman, top Estonian finishes 10th in record field

French triathlete Remi Conte won the full-distance Tallinn Ironman on Saturday, completing the 226-kilometer course in eight hours and eight minutes. The race went ahead despite windy conditions and a Level 2 storm warning.

Conte said afterward that it had been three years since he last finished an Ironman, calling the win an emotional moment. He described a delayed swim start due to fog, a bike leg with manageable wind and little rain, and rain arriving at the start of the second lap of the run, which turned out to be the toughest discipline of the day.

The top Estonian finisher was Kristofer Kamberg, who placed 10th with a time of eight hours and 37 minutes, 29 minutes behind Conte. Kamberg said the race had been difficult throughout, though the cooler, rainy weather may have worked in competitors' favor by keeping temperatures down. It was only his second Ironman, and he described himself as a below-average amateur who trained around 10 to 12 hours a week ahead of the event, adding that his leg muscles began giving out midway through the run.

Record number of entrants

The event is the largest triathlon in the Baltic states, drawing a record 4,300 entrants this year across Saturday's full-distance race and Sunday's 70.3 half-distance race. About 1,500 people helped staff the event, headquartered at Unibet Arena. Organizers said 97 nations were represented overall, with 1,900 competitors in the full race, nearly as many in the 70.3 event, and 150 teams. Lake Raku, south of Tallinn, was used as the swimming venue for the first time.

The half-distance race was taking place in Tallinn on Sunday, with Estonians Kaidi Kivioja and Henry Räppo defending their titles. Kivioja, who set an Estonian record over the full distance at the European Championships in Germany in June, said she had taken on a new coach and training regime this year.