There was elation at the finish line of Ironman 70.3 Bolton for the male and female winners who lifted the tape.

The first person to cross the finish line was Will Grace, from Chichester, finishing in four hours, two minutes and 54 seconds.

The 29-year-old was still full of energy as he crossed the line, even treating spectators to a heel click as he carried the winning banner.

Will Grace did a heel click after his victoryWill Grace did a heel click after his victory (Image: Phil Taylor)

Will said after the race that it was "incredible" and that he had come "to get the win".

He added: "The bike was tough, but that run suits me down to a tee, I just felt strong running.

"The atmosphere on that run was just sick."

The first woman to cross the line was Mimi Carlton, from London, who said she couldn't believe she'd managed to finish first amongst the women.

Mimi Carlton said she was elated after crossing the finish lineMimi Carlton said she was elated after crossing the finish line (Image: Phil Taylor)

The 30-year-old said it was the first time she had won a race, which is something she had always wanted.

Mimi said: "I’m elated, I came off the bike with an eight minute deficit so I really thought podium would be great.

"I managed to catch second and then I was like 'Ok well I’m first in my age group and second overall'.

The top three female finishersThe top three female finishers (Image: Phil Taylor)

"I’ve never won a race before and I’ve always wanted to lift the tape up so I managed to catch second with three kilometres to go.

"I just can’t believe it to be honest.

"It was so great, the crowd were amazing, it was quite emotional really."

Mimi said that she planned to go for a walk with her partner and dog after the race and that she had to quickly recover as she takes on another Ironman in Sweden next weekend.

Chris Standidge, who finished with the third-best time, said that he was left "pretty destroyed" after the race.

Chris Standidge, Will Grace and Ben AkinChris Standidge, Will Grace and Ben Akin (Image: Phil Taylor)

The 45-year-old said: "I knew that I had to work pretty hard on the swim and bike and try and open up as much of a gap as possible, so that run was pretty hard."

He said that the bike ride got quite hilly as it went on and between that and the wind, it made the event difficult.

When asked how he would recover, Chris said: "I'll probably inhale a load of food at some point and chill out and wait for the prize giving."