The Scottish Sprint Triathlon Championships have turned up the sporting heat in Scotland ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

Competitors travelled to the idyllic Kockburn Sports Loch, in Aberdeenshire, for the third Scottish Triathlon Champion event of the season.

Stirling Triathlon Club's Fraser Cartmell, 32, proved he had the goods and came in first with an incredible time of 55 minutes.

He was closely followed by Cameron Milne, 21, from Perthshire who crossed the finish line just over a minute and a half later.

Cartmell said: "For me the sprint triathlon is a short distance so there's always some young lads nipping at the heels."

Cartmell has had some remarkable wins in Ironman triathlons which are long-distance courses. These competitions vary internationally but they can be well over five times the distances of a sprint triathlon.

The professional triathlete competes all over the world and as a result this is the first time he has managed this race in Knockburn.

Cartmell added: "In terms of being home and racing in Scotland, it's good and it's always great to win."

The athletes began by treading water in the purpose built sporting loch and are split into two heats for a staggered start. It is a perfect stretch of water for the cheering spectators to give competitors a morale boost.

After the 750m open water swim there was a quick turnaround for the rapid 18k country road cycle. The race finished with a whopper of a 5k run where challenging hills give the competitors a real test of endurance.

One of the regular racers, Cliff Shardalow, thinks it is an event not to be missed.

He said: "It's just a lovely location and it was nice to compete alongside, well actually behind, some of the top Scottish triathletes. I was never going to trouble the scorers but it was fun to exhaust myself for an hour and a half."

The venue has many perks to being off the beaten track. One in particular is the open roads and beautiful views but there is also a very welcoming atmosphere.

By nature of being separated from the rest of the world there seemed to be a very friendly mood despite being an intensely competitive event. This ranged from the spirited crowds who were cheering for everyone to the officials offering athletes a helping hand out of the loch.

Chief Operating Officer of Triathlon Scotland, Jane Moncrieff, was one of many who attended the event.

She said: "The course is absolutely brilliant. We think it's one of the better open water swimming venues in Scotland that we have and although it's a little bit far away in the middle of nowhere it's really worth it for people."