Lawn second in Ironman Florida

New Zealander Joanna Lawn has finished second in the women's race at the Ironman Florida event today.

Briton Leanda Cave, the defending champion, ran away from the rest of the field to set a course record of four hours, 15 minutes, 47 seconds.

Cave was second out of the water but never looked back once on the bike and left Lawn, Canada's Magali Tisseyre and Americans Amy Marsh and Nina Kraft to fight for second place.

With one lap to go of the three-lap run, it was Tisseyre and Lawn running side by side, but the New Zealander proved the stronger to take second.

Kiwi Bryan Rhodes finished 11th in the men's race, drifting off the front of the race on the cycle leg after feeling the effects of pre-race sickness.

The race was won by Luxembourg's Dirk Bockel in a time of 3hr 54:43.

Leading women's results from the Florida 70.3 ironman race today:

Women: Leanda Cave (Britain) 4:15:47 1, Joanna Lawn (NZ) 4:24:00 2, Magali Tisseyre (Canada) 4:24:23 3.

Men: Dirk Bockel (Luxembourg) 3:54:40 1, Luke Bell (Australia) 3:54:43 2, Santiago Ascenco (Brazil) 3:56:25 3. Also: Bryan Rhodes (NZ) 4:04:27 11.

-NZPA