This year's Lakesman Triathlon boosted the local economy to the tune of £2.36million.

A survey conducted on behalf of the organising team revealed the triathlon, which was held for the fourth time this year, generated £500,000 more than last year's event.

The award-winning sporting event was held on June 16 and saw hundreds of athletes complete the full and half triathlon.

The full race involves a 2.4-mile swim in Derwent Water, a 112-mile cycle ride out to the coast as far as Silloth before returning to Keswick to complete a 26.2-mile run.

Added extras for this year included a kids’ race – the Lakesmini – and a pasta party on the Friday evening.

Phil Whitehead, race director for the Lakesman, said: "It was another great day for the Lakesman and once again Keswick and Cumbria delivered.

"The weather, support, volunteers and athletes all put on a great display to showcase our amazing part of the world.

“We created this race as something different and the feedback once again shows the athletes and spectators appreciate everything about the race. "We also created what we believed to be a PB course, but even though we knew the course was fast, we were amazed by our winner Sam Laidlow who completed in eight hours 21 minutes, the fastest time EVER recorded in the UK for a long-distance triathlon.

"It will be interesting to see how he progresses on the world stage."

The survey found that the event continued to promote Allerdale to people from all over the country, with 65 per cent of athletes coming from outside the county and nearly a third of spectators travelling from elsewhere to cheer the athletes on.

The number of spectators lining the route is estimated to have risen by 20 per cent on last year to 36,000.

Local hotels, guesthouses, bars and restaurants also benefitted, with the average party size of 4.6 people staying in the local area for 2.5 nights.

More than a third of athletes had also visited the area prior to the event, increasing local spend, and for many taking part in the Lakesman had given them a more favourable perception of the area and they would visit again.

Overall it is estimated that for every £1 invested into the event it produced £12.45 income for the local economy.

The event also continued to enjoy high levels of satisfaction, with more than 96 per cent of athletes rating it as excellent or very good.

Compliments ranged from the atmosphere, the facilities and volunteers, to Keswick being such a fantastic location.

As a result, 98 per cent of competitors said they would do another Lakesman and 99 per cent would recommend it to others.

Allerdale council leader Marion Fitzgerald, added: “I was at the Lakesman throughout the day cheering on the competitors and so I saw first-hand the effort it took and came away with huge admiration for everyone who took part.

“It continues to be such an important fixture in the calendar not only for Keswick but for the whole of Allerdale, bringing in visitors and income for local businesses and inspiring people to get fit and healthy which is why we support it.”