Lake Placid (TSR) - Simon Lessing of Great Britain, the master of the short race, is in the lead in his first full Ironman.

Lessing, a four-time ITU World Champion, began a 50 second lead into the bike portion of the men’s race, over Luke Bell of Australia.

Andrea Fisher, an All-American swimmer from Texas, grabbed the lead out of the water. Nicole Rudan, Joanna Lawn, Melissa Spooner, all followed.

Widely accepted as the most grueling, single-day sporting event in the world, 1,960 athletes started the swim in the sixth annual Ironman Lake Placid, one of the most popular Ironman’s in the world.

It will be interesting to see if Lessing, who’s never attempted an Ironman before, can hold on for twice the distance compared to his previous experiences.

Fisher, who in the 2000 Ironman Lake Placid, was in position for a victory, fell ill on the second lap of the run and had to drop out. Injuries have kept her from breaking through as it was reported by Ironman Live.com that she injured her back earlier in the week.

There will be two laps to the swim, bike and run. As the athletes come out of the water and pass over rubber mats before re-entering the water for their second lap, each athlete’s time will be recorded with them wearing a computer chip on their ankle, which will record each lap to each discipline they complete.

Filed by J.D. Long