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Port Elizabeth-born Ironman Kyle Buckingham won his first full ironman as a professional when he destroyed the field on Sunday in the Lake Placid Ironman outside New York.
Now based in Cape town, Buckingham was second in the SA Ironman in Port Elizabeth in April.
No-one in the field could touch him in Lake Placid as he finished 13 minutes clear of second placed Belazs Csoke of Hungray in a time of eight hours, 38 minutes and 43 seconds.
The race was held in pouring rain - yet Buckingham still produced his personal best time for the 180-kilometre bike section of the race to blow the opposition away.
Buckingham returns to his high altitude training base in Bolder, Colorado, on Tuesday with his next race likely to be in September.
