Triathletes Jackson Langley and Nick Pilgrim found the competition tough in their high-level races last weekend.

Langley’s time of 1hr 6min 19sec resulted in him finishing 54th, out of 77 competitors in the 13 to 18 age group on his debut at the United States Triathlon Youth & Junior Nationals in West Des Moines, Iowa. His race consisted of a 300m swim, 10km bike and 2.5km run.

Pilgrim stopped the clock at 56:17 to finish 42nd in a field of 65 elite men at the Americas Triathlon Cup Magog in Canada.

Langley, 15, is a key member of Bermuda’s team for next month’s Carifta Triathlon, Aquathlon and Mixed Relay Championships in Barbados and was happy to compete against some of the best junior triathletes in the US.

“It was a bit of a disappointing race overall, but I massively enjoyed the experience,’’ Langley said.

“I came out of the swim with a decent group and I was solid on the bike. I went into the race with shin splints, so I didn’t have a great run. There was no opportunity to build up as the race progressed and you had to give it all from the start.

“The level of athletes competing was definitely a meaningful step up from what I’m used to, but the race helped me identify areas to work on and what makes me happy is that I still have a few more years in the age group.”

Pilgrim’s time of 9:08 in the 750m swim was the same as that of winner, Liam Donnelly, of Canada, but the Bermudian struggled in the three-lap 20km bike ride and the 5km run.

“It was obviously not the result that I wanted because I know what I’m capable of,’’ Pilgrim said.

“I had a decent swim and I came out with the leading pack, which was quite good. The bike is normally my strongest portion of the race but I struggled to get going and that set me up quite poorly for the run.

“I came out of the swim with the winner and I was at his wheel at the start of the bike. I just had a real lack of energy and I’m not sure if I picked up an illness from all the travel I’ve been doing lately.

“It was annoying to really struggle on the bike and lose some ground from that front group. I would normally be up there on the bike and be able to set things up for the run.

“I finished sixteenth in the one in Mexico and I was hoping to build on that. I guess I wasn't really feeling up to it with a bit of sickness.

“It wasn't a good day but you have such days sometimes and there’s nothing much you can do about it.”