Tyler Butterfield faded in the heat as Jan Frodeno set a new course record at the Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt yesterday.

Frodeno destroyed a strong field on his home turf, finishing in 7hr, 49min, 48sec, some 11 minutes ahead of fellow countryman Sebastian Kienle, the 2014 Ironman World Champion.

A good 30 seconds ahead of the chasing pack after the swim, Frodeno produced the second fast bike time in Ironman history, with his 4:08:43 for the 112-mile ride only bettered once, and that on a flat course in Florida.

Frodeno’s 2:50:49 was also the fastest run of the day, although the ride, and the 98° heat took its tool, and he walked through aid stations as the finish line approached.

Behind him, Kienle was slowed by having to adjust his goggles in the water, and then the defending champion also lost one of his bike bottles early in the ride. In the end he finished in 8:01:39, with Andy Boecherer third in 8:03:49.

Butterfield was sixth entering the run, and battled with Base Diederen, Andreas Raelert, and Frederik Van Lierde for fifth, a position that would have guaranteed him a spot at the World Championships in October. In the end, the stifling heat proved too much for the Bermuda triathlete, who finished seventh in 8:26:25, some way behind Van Lierde who was fifth in 8:07:09.

The heatwave that swept Europe this weekend also impacted Tyler Smith’s first race as part of his time at the Canadian Junior Elite camp in Northern Spain. The group travelled to Holten, in Holland, to compete in the Holten ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup.

Due to the extreme weather, the amateur races were cancelled, the senior elite race was reduced to sprint distance, and Smith’s race was moved to an evening start.

One of the youngest in the race, Smith placed a creditable 26 out of 57 competitors, and his time of 1:00:20 was little more than a minute outside the top ten. Iden Gustav, from Norway, won the race in 57 minutes flat.

n Alex Pilgrim has qualified for the UK Inter Regional Youth Triathlon Championships after finishing sixth at the British Youth South West Draft Legal Triathlon Championships.