Horsham's Kelly Miller has come away with a tremendous result at the half Ironman World Championships, finishing as the best Australian in her age group.
Miller finished 29th overall for women aged 40-44, completing the 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride and 21km run in five hours and 29 minutes.
Miller said she was proud of her accomplishment.
"I felt the race went really well and I was happy with the result - I felt I raced consistently in all three disciplines," she said.
"It's a proud achievement, as to qualify for the Worlds is an achievement in itself, so for me to finish first out of the 18 Australians in my age group, I felt proud.
"Going into the race I was hoping for a top 20 finish, but after seeing the unique course I was very happy with my result."
Miller had to combat some exceptionally difficult terrain across Nice, France, including a mountain famous for its use in the Tour de France.
"The hardest segment was the climb up to Col de Vence on the bike. Even though this was the most beautiful part of the course, we climbed over 1000 metres before descending," Miller said.
"The steep, technical descend was just as challenging as I had to ride within my limitations.
"The Europeans had no fear of going down at extremely fast speeds."
Miller still performed excellently on the bike leg, ranking 30th in her division.
Miller said the French scenery was a highlight of the entire race.
"Scenery was spectacular and I definitely tried to take it all in, particularly on the bike. The atmosphere before the swim was electric, the views on the bike were stunning and the crowds and support running along the Promenade Des Anglais were amazing."
Miller began her journey back to Horsham on Thursday and was set to arrive back in Australia on Saturday morning.
Miller thanked everyone for their unwavering support.
"The encouraging messages of support prior to, and after the race have been amazing," she said.