IT’S great news that all 2,650 places for next year’s Ironman UK in Bolton have already been snapped up.

It only seems like a few weeks ago that we were all enjoying what has become a brilliant annual spectacle attracting athletes from all over the country and the globe.

The popularity of the locally-based event is a tribute not only to the organisers, Bolton Council and all concerned but also to local people.

Boltonians have taken this event to their hearts and actively supported it year after year, offering a Northern welcome to entrants which is plainly unrivalled elsewhere.