Tenby's Ironman Wales sells out in record time

Last year, 2,400 athletes started the 140-mile event with a 2.4-mile swim in off the Tenby coast

Wales' biggest triathlon event has sold out in record time - more than six months faster than in previous years.

The eighth annual Ironman Wales, which will take place in Tenby on 15 September, sold out in a "phenomenal" four months, organisers have said.

The event sees triathletes take on a 2.4-mile (3.9km) swim, followed by a 112-mile (180km) bike ride, with a 26.2-mile (42km) marathon to finish.

Race director Sam Brown said he was "delighted" with the race's popularity.

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Ironman Wales has been an annual sporting fixture in the Pembrokeshire seaside town since 2011

Mr Brown said: "Ironman Wales is a special event, not only for athletes but also for the people of Tenby and Pembrokeshire.

"We know that it is already an event of choice for many current and aspiring athletes but for the race to be fully subscribed barely four months after entries opened is phenomenal."

Triple champion Lucy Gossage said Ironman Wales was better than the World Championships

Last year, South African Matt Trautman, 32, won his second Tenby race as Lucy Gossage, a part-time oncologist from Nottingham, became the women's champion for the third time.