Once upon a time long-distance triathlon was seen as something of a grail, holy or unholy, depending on how you felt about a 140-mile race. It was the preserve of the experienced, the specialists and, maybe, the slightly unhinged. Not any more

'll be posted to give you a motivational boost.Feeling inspired?If you missed the entry deadline or if we've inspired you to try your hand at next year's event, swot up on our guide to Ironman training and discover why long distance triathlons are soaring

Building the finishAfter closing the roads in town, the stands are built the day before the race

Stephen BaylissAge 31Trains Switzerland2008 was a great year for Stephen Bayliss. He won Ironman UK and Ironman South Africa, and placed 18th at the World Champs. He races for Team TBB, as does his wife, Bella. They were both second in this year's Ironman UK. His secret weapon at...

as the world's biggest triathlon. Whatever the distance you're taking on or your level of experience, we've brought together all the advice you need ahead of the event into this handy hub. We'll also be snapping you as you wind past Big Ben, Tower Bridge

for the slots is so fierce that qualifying is itself seen as a prize. Since 1990, the Ironman brand has been owned by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), and the growth of the organisation has reflected the worldwide development of long-distance triathlon

, live: true, hashtags: true, timestamp: true, avatars: true, toptweets: true, behavior: 'default' }}).render().start(); On Saturday, the world's finest long-distance triathletes battled it out

Joanna CarrittAge 34Trains TauntonJoanna was third at this year's Ironman UK in Bolton, in August, and earlier in the year was sixth at Ironman Lanzarote. She turned professional this year and now races as part of Team TBC Sportsaid. She was the 40th woman finisher at Kona last y...

long-distance race one of the best on the British Championship circuit." - Hollie Avil, World and European Junior Triathlon ChampionBlenheim TriathlonWHEN JuneWHERE Woodstock, OxfordshireDISTANCE Super Sprint (400m/12.9K/2.6K), Sprint (750m/19.3K/5.2K

. And it may not be as hard to qualify as you probably think it is.British Triathlon takes teams to a range of European and World Championship events, including duathlon, aquathlon, cross triathlon, sprint and long-distance triathlon. For most of these events