The New Zealand team has had success both on and off the course at the ITU Long Distance World Championships in Henderson, Nevada.
With air temperatures on race day plunging close to zero, officials made the tough decision to cancel the swim and the race became a cycle/run time trial with athletes starting at five second intervals.
Despite the disappointment, eight Kiwis won medals while there were plenty of impressive results on the tough and hilly course.
Having already won gold in her age group at the ITU World Champs Grand Final in Beijing, and gold at the Ironman World Champs in Kona, Tiare Lund made it three from three in Nevada with New Zealand's only gold medal.
"It was bloody good. It was a bit scary on some of downhills and having no swim was a shame but I'm very pleased to get the gold medal, Tiare said after the race.
Anna Ross (25-29), Manfred Schmidt (65-69) and Nick Ruane (Paratri) won silver medals while Helen Kay (30-34), Quentin Fogarty (30-34), Debbie Clark (55-59) and Ann Bondy (60-64) all came away with bronze.
"What a stunning course, it was absolutely amazing. The support for the New Zealand team was unbelievable, and receiving my medal to a haka was awesome, Anna Ross said.
"It was great to finish. It was great to be among such an awesome team and to feel so included, Nick Ruane said.
"It was a pretty solid course and I'm just over the moon. It was a great reward for the months of training, Quentin Fogarty said.
"I was struggling, it was a very tough course. I went a lot slower than I expected but am very happy to have a medal, Manfred Schmidt said.
Team Manager Jeff McGrath said there was an incredible vibe among the New Zealand team and that it was a hugely enjoyable experience.
"There's been a real feel-good vibe with the whole New Zealand team here. The support out there has been fantastic and everyone talks about how rowdy the supporters were. It was really well noticed. At the prize giving it was a standout from the Kiwis, there was a lot of noise and applause and our side of the room erupted every time a Kiwi was called out, he said.
"The swim being cancelled in the morning was extremely disappointing for the entire team but I felt it was an appropriate decision. The air temperature was just far too cold and ultimately the safety and welfare of the athletes is paramount.
"Thankfully we had some outstanding help and plenty of people really stepped up - Tash from House of Travel in particular was fantastic. Kevin Nicholson was our team captain and he's been extremely popular. He made an awesome motivational speech at the team dinner and has been a true role model for the rest of the team here.
A special mention also goes to Janine Sax, who raced in the women's elite category and finished ninth overall despite extreme nutrition problems.
"Unfortunately I kept losing the bottles I was collecting from the aid stations - they kept popping out of the bottle cage when I went over bumps meaning that I spent some two hours (over half the bike) without any fluid whatsoever. Because I had no fluid I couldn't take in any nutrition either, so for the whole 120km bike I only took in 1800ml of water, Janine said.
"One of the consequences of dehydration is that you basically loose everything in your stomach so not only was I collecting water at every aid station but I was making frequent visits to the portaloos on every lap. Apparently I was slow and looked like a wreck on the first lap but improved significantly for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th laps, coming in with even splits despite the portaloo visits.
"So all things considered, I guess that a top 10 finish was probably a very good result in the end. At the moment I'm not doing to badly. I'm in good spirits and am taking in a lot of water!
New Zealand medal winners
GOLD
Tiare Lund (F 65-69)
SILVER
Anna Ross (F 25-29, 4th fastest female age group overall)
Manfred Schmidt (M 65-69)
Nick Ruane (Paratriathlon)
BRONZE
Helen Kay (F 30-34)
Quentin Fogarty (M 30-34)
Debbie Clark (F 55-59)
Ann Bondy (F 60-64)
