Athletes compete in the swim portion of the Ironman Florida competition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
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Athletes prepare for the swim start of Ironman Florida in Panama City Beach, Fla. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Athletes compete in the swim portion in Panama City Beach, Fla. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Athletes compete in the swim portion in Panama City Beach, Fla. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Angela Quick of Canada exits the water during the swim. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Athletes compete in tthe swim portion of Ironman Florida. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Athletes compete in the swim portion of the Ironman Florida competition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Athletes compete in the swim portion of the Ironman Florida competition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Athletes compete in the swim portion of the Ironman Florida competition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
James Burke races through the swim transition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
An athlete races through the swim transition during the Ironman Florida competition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
An athlete races through the swim transition during the Ironman Florida competition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Nicholas Modrzejewski competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
John Hessian competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Tyson Pompelia competes on the run. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Aaron Shapley competes in the bike portion. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
James Burke competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Tyson Pompelia competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Steve Jackson competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
James Burke competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Mark Billyard of Great Britain competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Angela Quick of Canada competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
James Burke competes in the bike portion of the race. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Daniel Royce competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Mark Billyard of Great Britain competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Nicholas Modrzejewski competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
James Burke competes on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Stefaan Veldman of Belgium on the bike. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Elyse Gallegos competes on the run. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Athletes compete on the run. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Athletes compete on the run. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Athletes compete on the run. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Athletes compete on the run. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
James Burke celebrates after crossing the finish line to win the Ironman Florida men’s age group competition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
James Burke celebrates after crossing the finish line to win the Ironman Florida men’s age group competition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Elyse Gallegos celebrates while crossing the finish line to win the Ironman Florida women’s age-group competition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Elyse Gallegos celebrates while crossing the finish line to win the Ironman Florida women’s age-group competition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Elyse Gallegos celebrates after crossing the finish line to win the Ironman Florida women’s age group competition. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
A lot of work went into earning one of these! Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Ironman
Panama City Beach provided a spectacular backdrop for athletes from across the globe as they swam 2.4-miles, biked 112-miles and ran 26.2-miles through Northwest Florida at the 19th edition of the Ironman Florida triathlon. James Burke (M35-39) from Milwaukee, Wisc. and Elyse Gallegos (F30-34) from Gainesville, Fla. took the top honors with finishing times of 8:32:33 and 9:39:51, respectively.
The 2017 Ironman Florida triathlon saw more than 2,300 athletes representing 59 countries and 49 states start the race. One of more than 40 events in the global Ironman series, athletes took on a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run throughout Panama City Beach and its surrounding areas. The two-loop swim took place in the Gulf of Mexico, followed by a flat and fast one-loop bike course. Athletes then took on a two-loop run course which paralleled the shoreline through local neighborhoods with a turnaround in St. Andrews State Park. The event offered 40 coveted age-group qualifying slots to the 2018 Ironman World Championship.
