Lake Placid (TSR) - On a day when the sky began in doubt, the race never was. Simon Lessing of Great Britain and Kate Major blew the competition away and each set course records in the process.

As the sky turned bright, so did the men’s and women’s top leaders. For Lessing it was wire to wire and not only did he come out of the water first, but powered a 4:44:43 bike split into an incredible 2:46 marathon!

That was good enough for the course record, and then some. Lessing’s total time of 8:23:12 was good enough to break another first-timers record when Steve Larsen turned in an 8:33:31 back in 2000.

”It went pretty much according to plan,” Lessing said. “You make sure you do all the training...I’m pretty happy with everything, considering.”

Lessing doesn’t feel it should be a surprise to anyone when asked about the transition from shorter races to a full Ironman and what he just accomplished.

”I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I trained for months and months for this race, so it’s not like I just came out of nowhere.”

For runner-up Luke Bell of Australia, it was where Lessing disappeared to. And on the last steep, killer hill, Heading back into the village of Lake Placid is where Lessing lost Bell for good.

After a cat and mouse game where Bell would make ground on the flats, Lessing would increase his lead on the hills.

”Near the end of that first lap on that hill, is where he pulled away,” Bell said. “Then I would catch up with him and then we’d get back up that hill again and he just kicked it in again.”

Lessing had no idea what kind of time he might put in, as he reflected on pre-race thoughts, but was concerned a little over the bike section and what might lie ahead.

”Good athletes can never be too confident,” he said. “It’s good to doubt, it keeps you on edge.”

And if Lessing’s victory wasn’t enough, Major followed that up with another course record, breaking the women’s time of 9:33 with a 9:24:42. It wasn’t the victory that was so surprising as much as the time. Once she caught Andrea Fisher at the end of the first lap of the bike, she never let it go.

”It hasn’t sunk in yet,” the 26 year-old pro said of her astounding victory as she reflected on the past and reminded everyone she’d been caught near the end in a few races, “I wasn’t going to let that happen again. “It’s never over till the last and I just kept going and hung in there. I can’t believe it,” Major said. ”I can’t describe it.” And surprising herself of the distance she put on the other competitors.

The incredible Heather Fuhr, winner of four Lake Placid Ironman’s and 13 overall as well as being famous for her running comebacks, did it again today, albeit, a small victory since it was for second place and not her customary prize of first place. Fuhr caught Joanna Lawn of New Zealand who had held second place for most of the day with only a mile and a half to go in the race.

Fuhr, surprisingly, said she didn’t think she would finish up today. When asked if it was physical or the frustration in not making it happen out there, “a bit of both,” she said.

”I knew with the quality of the field today I would have to do something special. I don’t want to make excuses, it just wasn’t my day,” Fuhr said. “Kate was just amazing.”

The crowd was amazing as well. Thousands of spectators lined the streets and cheered their mates and loved ones on in this, the sixth annual Ironman to be held in the Olympic village.

Lake Placid and the Ironman have now extended their relationship for another five years, it was announced today.

Filed by J.D. Long