Tyler Butterfield was left satisfied after sealing a top-ten finish in the Ironman 70.3 Boulder race at the weekend.

Among a strong field, Butterfield completed the 1.9-kilometre swim in 25min 38sec, finished the 90km cycle in 2:01:57 and clocked 1:19:52 on the 21.1km run to cross the line in tenth place in a total time of 3:50:19, slightly less than 13 minutes adrift of Sam Long, who won in a record-setting 3:37:35.

“I had to be happy with my race,“ Butterfield wrote in a post on Instagram. ”Amazing to be out there with the Boulder crowds too.

“In our adopted home, with so many friends and family cheering is a great experience! Thanks to everyone that supported.”

It was Sam Appleton who set the pace in the swim, exiting the water a full 50 seconds clear of a large chase group, which included Martin Ulloa, Scott Haeberle, Collin Chartier, Justin Metzler, Bradley Weiss, Butterfield and five-times Boulder winner Joe Gambles.

Lagging back in 26th position and nearly four minutes down on the race leader, Long set about reducing the deficit during the bike discipline.

By the midpoint of the cycle, Appleton was still clear and out in front solo, but Long had managed to power past the chasing pack, including Butterfield, to cut the lead to two minutes.

The deficit was wiped out altogether in the last few miles of the cycle, with Long passing Appleton before setting off on the run 12 seconds ahead of his closest rival, having set a course record of 1:54:50 over the bike.

Entering the final 5-kilometres, Long had extended his lead to 2½ minutes and did not look back. Appleton finished a little more than three minutes adrift, with Chartier completing the podium places.