Scottish triathlete Catriona Morrison has continued her strong start to the Ironman circuit by claiming third place in the Calgary 70.3.

The result comes just three weeks after the Broxburn ace completed her first full Ironman distance, and despite her respectable finish the physical consequences took their toll.

The event, which sweeps through the lower regions of the Canadian Rockies, was won by Australia’s Mirinda Carfrae with Canadian Magali Tisseyre in second place.

Catriona struggled in the early swim and was playing catch up for the duration of the race.  Even her strongest leg, the bike, wasn’t enough to catch the leader.

“It was always going to be interesting, racing three weeks after my first ironman distance, from a recovery perspective but also from flying in late and having a race at higher altitude (3500ft),” said Morrison.

“It was a tough day. I’m happy that I gritted my teeth and pushed hard the whole way but it was a bit like putting the foot on the accelerator when there was no petrol in the tank.

“I’m happy with the effort and I [now] have a feeling for how hard I can push following an Ironman distance event, so it was a good learning experience.

“Mirinda and Magali had great race, Mirinda dominating from the start and Magali toughing it out on the run to keep me from that second spot on the podium.”