Woman dies in ‘Ironman’ race

A BRITISH woman has died from a cardiac arrest while competing in an endurance race in Spain.

Sharon Lang, 39, was taking part in the Ironman 70.3 Marbella event when she was pulled from the sea on Sunday.

The triathlete, pictured, suffered heart failure during the 1.18-mile swim and was taken to the Costa del Sol hospital, near Marbella.

Local reports said Miss Lang, from Plymouth, Devon, was ‘brain dead’ and died in hospital on Monday.

Friend Kirsty Prowse, who is believed to have travelled to Spain to support Miss Lang, wrote on Facebook: ‘So rare to find a friend like that and have the friendship we had. I saw her every single week without fail and we never ran out of things to say, I will miss her every single day.’

More than 2,500 competitors took part in the Ironman race, which involved the swim followed by a 55-mile bike ride and then a half-marathon run.