The starting pistol has fired on the international athletics season in Cozumel, with the Ironman 70.3 triathlon kicking it off, last Sunday.

Nearly 2,000 athletes from around the world took part in the gruelling race round the island, consisting of a 1.2 mile (1.9 km) swim, 56 mile (90.1 km) cycle ride and 13.1 mile (21.1 km) ride.

Austrian Michael Weiss won the men's competition, adding another Cozumel gold medal to his trophy case, and Australian, Ellie Salthouse, won the women's race, making a great comeback after an injury-prone 2017.

October and November will see thousands more athletes fly in to race round the island, with the shorter 32 mile (51.5 km) AsTri Triathlon on October 6; the 100 mile (160 km) GFNY cycle race on November 10; and, most popular of all, the full 140.6 mile (226.3km) Ironman triathlon on November 18.

Cozumel has gained an international reputation for endurance races since the first Ironman competition was held on the island on 2009.

Streets are closed and friendly locals and tourists gather excitedly along the race routes, with a party atmosphere taking over the island every time athletes compete.

If you won't be in form in time for this year's races, why not start training for next year instead? Or, you could just sit in a bar sipping a margarita as everyone races past.

What's your choice?

Find out more about Cozumel Ironman in our Events section.