Tyler Butterfield stepped up his preparations for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow by storming to a comfortable victory in the Catlin Bermuda National Triathlon Championships at Clearwater Beach yesterday.

Butterfield crossed the finish line of the Olympic distance event in 1hr 55min 49sec, almost a quarter of an hour quicker than his nearest rival, Johnathan Herring, the defending champion, who posted a time of 2:10:36.

Tucker Murphy, the Winter Olympian, who will also compete in the triathlon at the Commonwealth Games, could only finish seventh in 2:18:35 after taking a wrong turn during the run. Mark Robinson was the chief beneficiary of Tucker’s costly error, placing third in 2:14:22.

Butterfield, 31, insisted that he performed “flat out” in an effort to familiarise himself with “that uncomfortable feeling” as he builds for the next month’s ITU World Cup in Huatulco, Mexico, the Bermuda Day Half Marathon and the Glasgow Games in July and August.

“I think people were surprised by how hard I pushed and how hard I kept keep pushing,” said Butterfield, who won the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon in March.

“For me, it’s about getting used to that uncomfortable feeling that you have to get comfortable with. You need to learn how to hold that feeling without blowing up.

“That was me at 100 per cent today. I pushed hard in the swim, bike and run.

“Today was my first race this year at this distance and I only have one more race at this distance [in Mexico] to iron out the kinks and then it’s the Commonwealth Games.”

With ITU points on offer, Butterfield had an added incentive to return home for this year’s championships, which marked the start of his road to the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.

Butterfield admits that he will face an uphill struggle to qualify for a second successive Games. “Today was a test for two other big races: the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games,” he said. “The World Cup has Olympic points while today had ITU points, which get you into races.

“I’ve got two years from the World Cup in which to qualify for Rio and it’s going to be very hard for me. I just scraped into the London Games and had to race right until the final cut date. It will probably be the same for Rio.”

Herring, returning to action after a back injury, led Butterfield for part of the swim and placed second in a time 2:10:36.

However, he expressed concerns about his form and said that he needed to make vital adjustments to ensure he was at the peak of his powers for the Commonwealth Games.

“I’m not that pleased,” Herring said. “I’m not so much disappointed with today’s race, but my form in general.

“I haven’t really had time to put the preparation in because of work and injuries, so the only pace I had today was smooth and steady.

“When Tucker took the wrong turn on the run, I was pretty relieved because it meant I could just shut it down and not have to worry.”

Tucker said that he had no complaints with a disappointing finish after his faux pas. “I made a mistake on the loop on the first lap, so I figured I should do another lap as I certainly didn’t deserve to cross ahead of the other guys,” said Tucker, who competed at the Sochi Games in the cross-country skiing.

“My preparations [for the Commonwealth Games] are going well. The main difference is that I’m spending a lot more time in the pool and working on my endurance. It’s a rare thing to have these opportunities and I’m just trying to make the most of them.”

Karen Smith, the defending women’s champion, was the first female to finish the race in 2:21:37.

Smith, who won her age group at the recent Los Cabos Ironman Triathlon, admits that, unlike Butterfield, she performed well within herself.

“The race went well, I wanted to pick it up a bit in the bike but knew I didn’t quite have the speed in my legs,” Smith said.

“I knew the run was going to be hard, so I made sure I didn’t deplete myself on the bike, I kept a strong pace in the run and didn’t really go into that pain zone.”

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