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The water temperature was a relatively mild 17 degrees Celsius (62.6 F), something that was likely well appreciated by the athletes in the race.
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Earlier in the morning still tired athletes were quickly wide awake when they launched themselves from the boat that carried them to the swim start.
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The field quickly spread out in these very serene waters.
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The defending champion Lars Christian Vold from Norway came out of the water in 53:18, 4;18 behind swim leader Harry Wiltshire.
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Estonian Heiko Sepp in action early on in the bike segment after a 1:09:58 swim.
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Michael Achermann from Switzerland on his way to 19th place and a black t-shirt.
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Some of the athletes can not hold back the joy of being part of this race, likely much to the photographer's dismay.
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And the sky was very angry at times.
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There were not many fans on the course, but those who were there made up for it with great enthusiasm.
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Eventually the sun did come out and Norwegian Morgan Hovden stretched his back before getting to T2.
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Norwegian Line Mari Langseth on the way to 4th place in the women's division.
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And yes there are other obstacles you might encounter
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Full throttle for Norwegian Kjell Magnus Antonsen who at the end grabbed second place.
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2-time winner Allan Hovda looked great all day and pulled away during the run. The fans were fully supportive and Hovda clearly appreciated them.
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No one was able to stop Hovda from grabbing his 3rd Norseman title and the Norwegian was thrilled. 10:05:48 was his winning time.
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The last few steps to reach the magic top.
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Mette Petterson Moe crushed the women's course record and finished the race in 11:16:10. That gave her 12th place overall.
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Someone left it all out there on the course.
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So close and yet so far away.