Racing in the tropical paradise of Laguna Phuket in hellish heat, high humidity for thr thrill of navigating one of the toughest bike courses on the triathlon planet.

Apologies to those who wanted to see more bike action. My willing driver had a severely underpowered scooter and we never caught the leaders.

All photographs © Timothy Carlson

Frederik Croneborg of Sweden is congratulated by the Challenge elephant for his 2nd place finish.

Pro competitors ready at the break of dawn.

Luke Bell was ready to rumble until a crash with Kevin Collington on one of Challenge Laguna Phuket's precipitous downhills left him with broken finger.

Trying to relax on the start line.

Thailand locals ready for the Challenge.

Pro women start.

Thrashing out toward the horizon in the Andaman Sea.

A beautiful tropical morning for a triathlon.

Sprinting to the beach after 1400 meters in the Andaman Sea. Next up - a sprint over the beach to the final 500 meters in a freshwater lagoon.

Kevin Collington finishes the Andaman swim - he was luckier than Luke Bell in the bike crash. He recovered to finish 6th.

The unstoppable Beate Goertz of Germany finished 5th pro with a 2:38:00 bike split at the age of 45. Here she rides through a forest of rubber trees.

Parys Edwards passes one of many groups of cheering local schoolchildren lining the bike leg.

Alexandr Dorovskikh of Russia descends one of many steep sharp corners. After the challenging bike course, he had enough and did not finish.

Local favorite Jurgen Zack continues with his comeback as a 45-49 age grouper. His 2:31:34 bike split made up 10 minutes on 3rd place pro woman Radka Vodickova seen here.

Luke McKenzie was tied for the lead after the bike leg. His 7th-best 1:24:40 run was good enough to hold on for a 3rd place finish.

Blazing through an aid station, trying to outrun the heat.

Reece Edwards cools off on his way to a 12th place finish.

Melissa Hauschildt ran a women's-best 1:27:06 on her way to a 4th Laguna Phuket victory and a 15-minute margin of victory over Parys Edwards.

Ruedi Wild in a sprint finish with the Challenge elephant.

Radka Vodickova's radiator needed refilling after her 1:34:41 split for the 13.1-mile run in 107-degree heat. She took the final spot on the podium.