Photos courtesy of www.EnduraPix.com/Larry Rosa.

Lake Las Vegas and Henderson, Nev. - More than 2,100 athletes, approximately 400 more than last year, plunged into the water of Lake Las Vegas at the IRONMAN World Championship 70.3. Top professionals Sebastian Kienle (DEU) and Leanda Cave (GBR) celebrated victories in Henderson, crossing the finish line in 3:54:35 (a course record) and 4:28:05, respectively.

Race morning started off with warm conditions that only intensified as the day progressed. The professional men remained in a fairly close pack during the swim with Josh Amberger, Andy Potts and Clayton Fettell leading the group, with only seconds separating them. Fettell who was first out of T1, had to drop during the bike due to stomach issues. The bike course included a challenging ride through Lake Mead National Recreation Area, with varying terrain and extreme heat. The pro men stayed in a tight group through the bike, but shortly after the halfway point Kienle pushed hard to create a solid lead going into the run. Kienle maintained his lead through the run and captured the IRONMAN World Championship 70.3 title. Earlier in the season, he placed second at the Frankfurter Sparkasse IRONMAN European Championship. Craig Alexander (AUS) and Bevan Docherty (NZL) dueled through the run to secure their second and third place finishes.

Top five professional men's results are below:

1. Sebastian Kienle
2. Craig Alexander
3. Bevan Docherty
4. Timothy O'Donnell
5. Andy Potts

Jodie Swallow (USA) led out of the swim with Kelly Williamson (USA) and Cave about a minute behind. Swallow maintained her lead out of T1 and on to the bike, with Williamson leading the chase pack. Cave battled it out to gain, and then maintain, the lead through the bike. Cave flew through T2 with Heather Jackson (USA) and defending champion Melissa Hauschildt (AUS) several minutes behind. Closing in on the run, Cave held a lead of 3 minutes over Jackson and 4 minutes over Williamson, who moved into third around mile seven. Williamson continued to push through the field, taking second place during the third and final lap of the run. Cave stayed strong and secured the win at the IRONMAN World Championship 70.3 with a time of 4:28:05. Williamson finished strong about a minute behind Cave, taking second, and Jackson finished several minutes later, securing third.

Top five professional women's results are below:

1. Leanda Cave
2. Kelly Williamson
3. Heather Jackson
4. Melissa Hauschildt
5. Joanna Lawn

The culmination of more than 60 races in the global IRONMAN 70.3 Series, the IRONMAN World Championship 70.3 featured a swim held in Lake Las Vegas and a bike course that took athletes through the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and back toward the city of Henderson. The run consisted of three laps through some of Henderson's beautiful residential areas with a finish line celebration at Henderson Pavilion. Professional athletes competed for a total prize purse of $200,000 -- $100,000 more than last year - with the male and female winners earning $35,000 each.

Below Photo Credits: Xtri.com