Hubert Nicolle, pictured near the Ironman France finish line in Nice which he crossed as first Sarnian. (0607254)

LOCAL triathletes have been getting in some serious race practice in Europe ahead of the inaugural Guernsey Granite Man event.

Held on Sunday 31 August at Pembroke, a granite man is commonly known as a half-ironman and consists of a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21km run. With that in mind, seven Guernsey athletes have recently returned from competing in Ironman France.

Centred in the southern beach resort of Nice, the race comprised a 3.8km swim in the Mediterranean, then a gruelling 180km mountainous cycle ride followed by a beachfront 26.22-mile full marathon run along Le Promenade des Anglais. To make matters worse, the temperature hit a sweltering 36C in the shade.

Of the 2,300 starters, only 1,900 finished the race, with the medical services stretched due to the heat. ‘Even the final 30 kilometres of the ride [which was] mostly downhill, didn’t offer much respite from the heat,’ said one of the Guernsey competitors, Mark Naftel.