PEEBLES triathlete Iain Veitch ran, cycled and swam his way to winning start for 2019.
The 37-year-old lined up with no fewer than 374 other competitors for the New Year's Day Triathlon in Edinburgh last week.
As well as eight lengths, or 400 metres, of the Royal Commonwealth Pool, the athletes faced three laps of cycling, just over 16.5kms, around Arthur's Seat and a 5.5km run around the iconic extinct volcano.
Iain, who is a former Ironman competitor, remained in the top 20 after the pool, and made his way through the field during the cycle stage.
And in the final running section he pulled clear to regain the title he won back in 2015.
The Peebles Triathlon Club member's time of 1.00.29 was almost a minute ahead of promising Borders teenager William Taylor in second.
Joe Spraggins from London reached the podium for the third year in a row - crossing the finishing line a further minute back.
Iain, who is coached by Gavin Rodgers, told the Peeblesshire News: "It was great to kick start the season with a win.
"It's always nice to feel strong on the day but it was a pleasant surprise given training had been pretty dire in the weeks leading up to the race. 
"Regardless of the result though it's a great fun race to do and always well organised and attended by a good mixture of first timers and more hardcore competitors"
Prior to taking up triathlons just over a decade ago, Iain was a keen distance runner and cross-country mountain-biker.