Kristofer Kamberg was the top Estonian competitor, finishing 10th.

The event went ahead despite the windy conditions and Level 2 storm warning, with Conte completing the course in a time of eight hours and eight minutes.

"It's now been three years since I last finished an Ironman. It's all emotional, but I'm very happy," Conte told ERR after the race.

The race is the largest triathlon in the Baltic states and attracted a record 4,300 entrants this year, for the full triathlon on Saturday and the 70.3 half-distance on Sunday. Around 1,500 people were involved in staffing the event, whose headquarters was the Unibet Arena.

Chief organizer Ain-Alar Juhanson told ERR a total of 97 nations are represented in the event across all categories, with 1,900 people due to start the full race, almost as many competing in the 70.3 race, as well as 150 teams. "Those are numbers we have never seen here before," Juhanson added.

Lake Raku, just south of Tallinn, was used for the swimming stage for the first time.

The toughest part of the 226-kilometer race for the winner turned out to be the final discipline, the run. "The start of the swim was delayed a little because of fog. We started later. The bike was okay, a bit of wind, and I didn't get any rain at first. But it started raining at the beginning of the second lap of the run," Conte noted.

Kamberg completed the course in eight hours and 37 minutes, 29 minutes behind the winner, giving him 10th place. "It wasn't easy. In fact, it was hard the whole time. The weather was probably in our favor, even though it's raining, because it didn't get hot, and my first reaction is: damn, this really is hard," Kamberg said.

This was only his second Ironman, and he called himself a "below-average Estonian amateur" who had not put a massive emphasis on training in the run-up to the event. In a triathlon context, his level of modest training would take up about 10–12 hours a week. "I was actually a little worried about that coming here," he continued, and, as with Conte, found the run the hardest part.

"My leg muscles started giving out midway through the run, and that was really the main reason my pace dropped off as it did," Kamberg added.

The Baltics' largest triathlon festival culminates in Tallinn on Sunday with a half-distance race, where Estonians Kaidi Kivioja and Henry Räppo defend their titles. The event is already underway at the time of writing.

In the women's race, Kivioja is looking to repeat last year's win, and her Estonian record over the full distance at the European Championships in Germany in June bodes well for that.

"You can't just look at past results and assume that anything is guaranteed this Sunday. But I'm going to go out there and give it my best," Kivioja said, noting she took on a new coach and new training regime this year.

Some of the traffic restrictions in place Saturday will remain in place on Sunday. The 70.3 race got underway at 9.00 a.m. today.

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