Coverage of Tenby’s Ironman Wales has made it across the waters to The New York Times - where the seaside resort has been named ‘Iron Town’ - after the sporting event was described as one of the hardest on the calendars by competitors.

Covering the recent trialthlon event for the publication, sports correspondent Rory Smith described the ‘passionate crowds’ as one of the ‘best calling cards for Tenby’s race’.

“Thirty-six hours before the race, good-luck messages have been scrawled into the sand of North Beach, a perfect swath of gold overlooked by pastel-coloured houses,” he wrote for the New York Times.

“In the centre of town, hundreds of competitors wander past the ice cream parlors and old-fashioned candy stores.

“They are easily picked out - the vast majority carry an Ironman backpack, bright red, slung over a shoulder.

“Those who have completed a race often have a tattoo to showcase that fact. There are Ironman logos, a dotted capital M, drawn on arms and shoulders and countless calves, part badge of honour, part watermark.

The visitors dawdle over coffee in the early September sunshine, gaze out at the waters of Carmarthen Bay and earnestly compare training injuries and equipment reviews.

“The shops are full of Ironman keepsakes and souvenirs; cafes and restaurants advertise that they will be opening early on Sunday morning, for athletes and spectators; the Blueberry Cafe is offering an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet on Saturday, perfect for “carbo-loading.

“What makes Tenby - and Pembrokeshire as a whole - truly remarkable, though, is not just how much the locals want to support it, but by how many want to take part.

“The town is fond of claiming that thanks to Ironman, it now has more triathletes per capita than anywhere else in the world.

“There are always questionnaires on the Ironman website, asking people which event they have enjoyed the most, one competitor said - everyone says Tenby,” he continued.

Interviewing the town clerk to Tenby town council Andrew Davies, it was explained that as the Ironman race has grown in popularity, the identity of the town - once the resort to go for stag and hen dos - has started to shift, and the that popularity can be traced to the event’s economic effect, with it estimated that this year’s event, has brought 3.5 million pounds, into the local economy over race weekend.

“We still get a lot of families, but we see more and more people coming for fitness tourism,” Mr. Davies told the publication.

“We think we have the largest percentage of local participation.

“It is certainly not six degrees of separation - most people would know four or five people who have done it at least once,” he added.