Malta Triathlon champion Dermot Galea achieved a creditable result in the recently-held Ironman UK. The Birkirkara St Joseph triathlete is looking to set a qualifying time for Ironman Hawaii, the ultimate race for the world's top long-distance triathletes.

Ironman UK was another step in this direction for Galea. However, conditions in the UK race did little to help his cause. The cold wind prevailing and the arduous race route barred him from obtaining the result he had worked so hard for in the last few months.

The race started with a 3,800-metre swim in icy waters, Galea finishing in 55 minutes 23 seconds. At the swim-to-bike transition, Galea had to get well-kitted to keep his body at the right temperature in the cold weather.

Mechanical problems to his bike, which he managed to solve without losing much time, hampered him throughout his cycle, when he had to stop three times. Despite this loss of time, he finished the 180-kilometre segment in five hours, 42 minutes and 39 seconds.

Wasting no time at all at bike-to-run transition, he set off for the final 42km marathon run. After keeping a steady pace for the first half of this run, he hit a difficult patch but returned to the required levels in the final 10 kilometres to finish the segment strongly in three hours, 37 minutes and 32 seconds.

However, his finishing time of 10 hours, 22 minutes and two seconds, although in the circumstances is considered to be satisfactory, is far from what was planned and of what the Birkirkara triathlete is truly capable of.

Nevertheless, the experience gained in the UK will be an asset for his next Ironman commitment in July 2009, where Galea will be expected to break his personal best on these distances.

Galea's race in the UK was made possible through the assistance of the St James Hospital, Starbene, Ironman Active Wear, Diadora, Valdora Cycles, Ergomo, Power Cranks and Profile Design.