Tyler Butterfield battled his way to a respectable seventh-placed finish in the Challenge Miami distance professional race in Florida.

The Bermudian triathlete was among the elite field that took on a gruelling 50.5-mile course at the Homestead-Miami Speedway racetrack, consisting of a mile-long swim, 17 laps of the track as part of the 39-mile cycle and a final run stage of 10.5 miles.

The 38-year-old exited the water in a time of 21min 47sec before clocking 1:23:43 on the cycle and completing his endeavours with a run of 54:49 to cross the finish line in a total time of 2:42:54, slightly under five minutes adrift of race winner Jan Frodeno.

“One of the hardest races I’ve done and happy to walk away with seventh against some of the best in our sport,” Butterfield posted on Instagram. “Thanks again to everyone that made it possible and you guys I get to race for always pushing the limit.”

The men's race set off at a frantic pace from the beginning, with Ben Kanute, Frodeno, Tim O'Donnell, and Nicholas Kastelein coming out of the water together with a 25-second lead over a chasing pack that included Rudy Von Berg, Eric Lagerstrom and Andrew Starykowicz.

Transitioning into the bike course, Starykowicz tried to put pressure on his rivals as he made his way to the front of the pack. Meanwhile, Frodeno sat comfortably in the top part of the field.

Heading into the run, Starykowicz held a 24-second lead over Frodeno and a 1:53 advantage over Von Berg.

However, Frodeno showed his pedigree, moving through the pack before pulling away from the field to storm to victory in a winning time of 2:37:57.

Lionel Sanders, not in contention until the final leg, put in a superb run of 53:24 to force his way to second place, while Kanute completed the podium as his well-rounded performance earned him third.

Much like Frodeno, Britain’s Jodie Stimpson showcased her running prowess to overhaul her rivals in the final discipline and claim victory in the women’s race in a time of 3:01:04.

Compatriot Lucy Charles-Barclay settled for second place, finishing a little under a minute and half behind Stimpson, with Jackie Hering, of the United States, wrapping up the top three, a further minute behind.