Aernouts, a duathlon champion, posted a decent 50:34 swim, then issued a race-best 4:48:23 bike that was a testament to Lanzarote’s brutal challenge, and finished off the day with a 2nd-fastest 2:48:29 marathon that brought him to the finish in 8:34:13 with a 9:10 margin of victory over Alessandro Degasperi of Italy and 14:49 over defending champion Jesse Thomas of the U.S.

Charles, who finished 3rd at this race last year with a time 35 minutes slower, put the women’s race out of reach early with a 47:30 swim that was faster than the first five men. She then turned on the jets with a by-far women’s best bike split of 5:23:30 that gave her a 17-minute lead at T2. Charles closed the deal with a 3rd-best 3:18:35 run that brought her to the finish in 9:35:40, 35 minutes slower than her 3rd place time last year. Still, it was enough for the victory and gave her an 8:49 margin of victory over countrywoman Corrine Abraham and 14:42 over Lucy Gossage – making a 1-2-3 sweep for the British women.