It certainly worked for Taylor Knibb on her way to the IRONMAN 70.3 World title. But it’s worth noting that the next two fastest splits finished second and fourth in the race, respectively. Here’s a look at the rides, along with my quick take on the bike positions of the women who had the 10 fastest bike splits in New Zealand.

Before I dive into this piece, I want to acknowledge a few things:

• These are static images taken at a single moment during the race.
• Camera angles can distort positions.

I’m also assuming that athletes have arrived at these positions through a deliberate process, supported by trial and error, bike fit professionals, and some form of aerodynamic testing.

Taylor Knibb – 2:10:09

Taylor just flat out looks good on a bike. She does everything right; she has great posture on the bike, solid anterior pelvic tilt, stretches out, relaxes her head and keeps it low. I can just tell she is very conscious of these “aero cues” will riding. She does at times, appear to run out of the length she is looking for on the bike, but most athletes will assume a few different positions on the bike based on effort. For example, you might tighten up a bit if you’re powering over a roller and then stretch out at high speed and lower power.

I don’t have much feedback here. I would potentially experiment with more bar tilt which could provide more stability on the front end.

Imogen Simmonds – 2:14:34

Imogen’s position checks most of the boxes. However, she doesn’t ride as long or low as Taylor, nor does she achieve the same anterior pelvic tilt. This could be due to soft tissue pressure from the rotation, potentially limiting her ability to achieve a lower or longer position. Another small tweak I’d suggest is extending her arms to place her hands on top of the shifters. While this likely wouldn’t affect her speed significantly, it’s a minor detail that I noticed while watching the race coverage.

Kat Matthews – 2:14:41

It’s hard not to be drawn towards Kat’s spirited attitude on the race course. Kat does a great job of staying relaxed and keeping her head low on the bike. I made a note to myself while watching the coverage that if I was working with her, I’d experiment with moving her saddle forward and her bars slightly out and down while preserving the overall characteristics of her position.

Laura Madsen – 2:16:05

Laura’s performance was impressive, so it’s hard to argue with her setup. However, her position seems a bit too conservative to me. If she hasn’t validated this through aerodynamic testing, I’d recommend lowering the front end by 20-30mm for potential aero gains.

Lisa Becharas – 2:16:10

Lisa’s position looks great and checks all the boxes. If she’s experiencing any discomfort—like feeling as though she’s falling off the saddle or the front of the bike—I’d consider experimenting with more bar tilt for added stability.

Nikki Bartlett – 2:16:41

Nikki’s position looks strong. If she were open to experimenting, I’d suggest moving her saddle forward by 10-20mm to ride steeper.

Paula Findlay – 2:17:37

The 3x Canadian Road Time Trial Champion is a great cyclist with undeniable power on the bike. Paula’s riding style reminds me old-school TT positions—she sits further behind the bottom bracket and drops her heel significantly during the pedal stroke. Paula is very experienced and her riding style seems to work well for her—but since I’m armchair quarterbacking here, I’d recommend moving the saddle forward to enable a steeper position and a more open hip angle. Specialized offers a seat post that can extend forward by 20-25mm, but it might not be enough for the range I had in mind.

Ashleigh Gentle – 2:18:03

Ashleigh’s position is reminiscent of some top male pros, including Magnus Ditlev, a fellow Scott athlete. Whether they’ve used the same resources or not, her position looks fantastic.

Hannah Berry – 2:18:10

Hannah rides a long and low position, one of the best in the female field. Without feedback from her on comfort, there’s little to critique.

Julie Derron – 2:18:15

Julie’s position has room for improvement from a comfort and aerodynamic perspective. I would move Julie’s front end both up and out. These adjustments would allow Julie to relax more on the bike and close the gap between her head and hands. With these changes, I believe her cycling performance would improve substantially.

Hanne De Vet – 2:18:15

Hanne’s setup demonstrates attention to detail, and her position looks solid. Adding a bit more length to the front end could further refine her position by lowering her back angle slightly and encouraging greater forward hip rotation.

Photos by Kevin Mackinnon

The post Taupō Rides: The Positions of the Women’s Top 10 Bike Splits from 70.3 Worlds first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

After not being worn at all in the women’s top 10, Nike makes appearances again in the shoe count with both sponsored and unsponsored athletes, also with four. On took the other two spots in the top 10, including by your 70.3 World Champion, Jelle Geens.

Here’s what the speedy runners wore, with photos courtesy of our own Kevin Mackinnon.

1.) Jelle Geens – 70.3 World Champion – 1:07:34

Shoe: On Cloudboom Strike

Geens, who chased down Wilde, used On’s carbon racer to do so. The various mixes of foam and carbon plating have proven to grow more popular with professionals, especially as they appear to be increasing their sponsorship opportunities.

2.) Hayden Wilde – 1:09:05

Shoe: Nike AlphaFly 3

Wilde came tantalizingly close to another top step on the global stage. Nike’s third generation AlphaFly has seen the shoe grow in platform stability, and amongst triathletes, has almost completely eliminated the VaporFly from the equation.

3.) Jason West – 1:09:52

Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Edge Paris

West used the latest generation MetaSpeed Edge, the Paris edition, on his way to the third fastest run split, and the only other man to run under 70 minutes. The Edge is meant for athletes who gain speed from increased cadence versus longer stride length.

4.) Matt Hanson – 1:10:17

Shoe: On Cloudboom Strike

Hanson appears on the fast run list for yet another race, as it’s long been his bread and butter. Hanson, one of the original On sponsored athletes, also wore the Cloudboom Strike.

5.) Léo Bergère – 1:10:28

Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Edge Paris

Bergère swapped into the Edge Paris somewhat recently. It (and the Brad Williams inspired bucket hat look) served him well. Perhaps somewhat surprising is the prevalence of the Edge to the longer-stride intended Sky models amongst the men.

6.) Ari Klau – 1:10:39

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Shoe: Nike AlphaFly 3

Klau finished well down the order on the day, but he showed off that his collegiate and professional running background still might make him dangerous down the line. Perhaps in a throwback to his Virginia days, he wore Nike’s AlphaFly (UVA is a Nike school for track and field.)

7.) Harry Palmer – 1:11:25

Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Sky+

Palmer had a phenomenal 70.3 Worlds, finishing in eighth place. He was the only of ASICS shoe wearers to not have one of the Paris models on his feet, opting for the MetaSpeed Sky+. It’s ever so slightly heavier than the Paris counterpart, but otherwise, it is much the same shoe.

8.) Colin Szuch – 1:11:31

Shoe: Nike AlphaFly 3

Szuch finished outside of the money in 19th place, although if he had a little more real estate he might have gotten into the top 15, with less than 40 seconds separating him from a pay day. He, like all the other Nike wearers, was in the latest generation AlphaFly.

9.) Gregory Barnaby – IM Pro Series Champion – 1:12:05

Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Sky Paris

Barnaby did what he had to, beating Matthew Marquardt on the day to claim the $200,000 prize and title of IRONMAN Pro Series Champion. Barnaby was in ASICS long-stride race shoe, the Sky Paris.

10.) Marc Dubrick – 1:12:05

Shoe: Nike AlphaFly 3

Closing out the top 10 splits is Marc Dubrick. A tenth place run split matched his finishing position. Dubrick wore the AlphaFly 3 — the only one in the yellow color way, as opposed to the white and red all the other athletes had.

The post The Shoes of the Fastest MPRO Runners at 70.3 Worlds 2024 first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

It’s somewhat surprising that there wasn’t a single Nike wearer in the mix, given how ubiquitous the AlphaFly and VaporFly have been at races for the past half decade. It’s the first time we’re not seeing someone wear Nike in the top run splits since 2019 at any of the world championship events. That said, every brand seems to be following a similar formula: carbon fiber plates with branded Pebax foam, all wrapped in a relatively lightweight package.

Here are the top 10 pro women’s run splits and the shoes they wore during it.

1.) Daniela Kleiser 1:14:15
Shoe: Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 Ekiden

Kleiser outran everyone by almost 80 seconds. That shouldn’t come as much surprise, as she’s routinely one of the fastest runners in the sport. However, her spectacular run was not enough to overcome a sizable deficit coming out of the water, and she would finish in 19th position.

Kleiser is a Puma sponsored athlete, and wore Puma’s Deviate Nitro Elite 3 in a limited release color way from Japan. It’s a carbon-plated racer that, similarly to Nike’s line, features a slightly higher heel-toe offset. It’s also on the light side for a carbon plated racer, coming in at 6.3 ounces for a women’s size 8.

2.) Kat Matthews – 1:15:34
Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Edge Paris

Matthews continued her streak of second place finishes in world championship events, narrowly missing out on chasing down Taylor Knibb. Still, her performance was enough to claim the 2024 IRONMAN Pro Series title, and a bonus check of $200,000 for her effort.

Matthews moved to ASICS MetaSpeed Edge Paris after Nice this year. The Edge Paris shaves a 15 grams from her prior pair of shoes, while a re-designed forefoot curvature gives a slightly longer stride length than the prior model. Still, it’s meant for athletes looking for faster turnover, versus the MetaSpeed Sky that is meant to increase pace by increasing stride length further.

3.) Tamara Jewett – 1:16:12
Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Edge+

Jewett is no stranger to running through fields, dicing her way to the front once she puts her bike away. Taupō was no different as she used her run prowess to charge into the top 10.

Jewett is another athlete wearing ASICS MetaSpeed shoes. The Edge+ is slightly cushier than the standard Edge, with 16% more cushioning underfoot. There’s a carbon fiber plate, married to ASICS proprietary foam blend, called FF Blast Turbo. It’s slightly heavier than the Paris version that Matthews wore.

4.) Ashleigh Gentle – 1:16:26
Shoe: On Cloudboom Strike

The top-rated runner in the field (per the PTO’s ranking system), Gentle’s run prowess was again on full display at 70.3 Worlds. She pushed into the podium slots midway through the run and was able to stay there, adding to a season where she only finished off the podium twice.

Gentle wore On’s carbon racer, the Cloudboom Strike. It is slightly heavier than some of the other shoes mentioned so far, but at 6.8 ounces, it’s not a particularly bulky shoe. On claims that their spoon-shaped Speedboard (their take on a carbon fiber plate) provides increased running efficiency by transferring impact energy through toe-off.

5.) Grace Thek – 1:19:14
Shoe: HOKA Rocket X 2

Thek led the “best of the rest” run class — nearly a full three minutes behind the pace set by Gentle and crew above. But that run was still enough to move up to 10th place on the day — Thek’s first top 10 and first paycheck from 70.3 Worlds.

Thek wore the tried and true HOKA Rocket X 2. First making its debut at Kona 2022 as an unofficial prototype, the Rocket X 2 brought the brand’s trademark rocker profile, light weight (for the amount of cushioning offered), and carbon fiber plate together in a cohesive package for the first time. (The original Rocket lacked cushioning.) It’s getting a bit long in the tooth, at almost two full calendar years on the market, but like Nike’s VaporFly and AlphaFly, it’s still on the feet of plenty of athletes.

6.) Ellie Salthouse – 1:19:15
Shoe: HOKA Rocket X 2

Salthouse, another HOKA sponsored athlete, utilized her sixth fastest run split to wind up seventh.

7.) Taylor Knibb – 1:19:20
Shoe: HOKA Rocket X 2

If you remove Knibb’s port-o-john stop, she had the fifth fastest run on the day. But we don’t remove stops, as the clock does not stop, so she slots in here. Regardless, the now three-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion did enough to hold off Matthews’ charge on the run.

Interestingly, all three women opted to eschew HOKA’s more recent carbon-fiber racer, the Cielo X1, for the tried and true Rocket X 2.

8.) Julie Derron – 1:19:38
Shoe: On Cloudboom Echo 3

The Olympic silver medalist, Derron tried valiantly to repeat her performance from Paris. But she wound up losing out to Gentle and Imogen Simmonds to wind up sliding to a fifth place finish.

Compared to the Strike that Gentle wore, the Cloudboom Echo is the lightest racer in On’s line. It, too, features the Speedboard (although in a unique shape) and a blend of On’s Pebax and “standard” foams for cushioning.

9.) Paula Findlay – 1:20:31
Shoe: On Cloudboom Strike LS

Findlay closed out her 2024 campaign with another strong showing at IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds, finishing sixth. It’s her third straight top 10 finish at 70.3 Worlds.

Findlay ran in a shoe yet to be released to the general public, the Cloudboom Strike LS. Take the Cloudboom Strike and put a laceless upper, called LightSpray, and you get the Strike LS. The upper weighs a total of 30 grams and is made from a single, 1,500 meter long thread. There’s environmental benefits, too, since the design eliminates the need for adhesives, and reduces the carbon footprint by 75%. It comes at a cost, though: the shoe carries an eye-watering MSRP of $330 USD.

10.) Solveig Lovseth – 1:20:36
Shoe: Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

Loevseth’s tenth best run was the key to her top 15 finish and a paycheck, nipping Hannah Berry to the line for 13th place.

The Adizero Adios Pro (say that three times fast) is — you guessed it — another carbon-fiber plated race shoe. Lightstrike Pro is Adidas’ take on Pebax foam, with two separate layers sandwiching the plate, dubbed Energyrods 2.0. Coming in closer to the 7 ounce mark in a women’s size 8, it’s a little closer to the AlphaFly formula than others.

The post The Shoes of the Top 10 Pro Women Run Splits From Taupō first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Former professional IRONMAN World Champion Michellie Jones headlines the list of 28 men and women who can call themselves IRONMAN 70.3 age group world champions.

Jones, the 2006 IRONMAN World Champion, won the women’s 55-59 age group in a time of 4:52:28. Her title was one of 8 won by Australian athletes this weekend, which is the highest total of age group champions from any one country this weekend. The United States placed second with 7 champions. France and New Zealand were the only other countries with multiple winners, with 5 and 3 age group champions respectively.

More than 6,000 athletes from 119 different countries, territories, and regions, ranging in age from 18 to 85, competed in the 70.3 World Championships this weekend in Taupō, New Zealand. It was the 17th edition of the race, as the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2020 edition of the race.

Your 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 age group world champions:

Women’s Champions

Men’s Champions

These athletes will have the opportunity to defend their title at the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, held in Marbella, Spain in November next year.

Photos: IRONMAN, Fiona Goodall / Getty Images for IRONMAN

The post The 2024 Age-Group IRONMAN 70.3 World Champions first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

For this article, we’re looking solely at the viewing experience from this weekend’s IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds coverage broadcast on the Outside Watch platform. Although I could have easily VPN’d myself into a YouTube coverage experience, I wanted to be able to review it as IRONMAN intended the experience for American and Canadian audiences.

Race Action Coverage: B

For the most part, across both days, the critical moves on course were captured. On Saturday alone we got to see, for instance, Taylor Knibb rocket her way past Sara Perez Sala and never give that lead up again. We were with Kat Matthews as she made her critical bridge up to Imogen Simmonds and Paula Findlay. And we saw the gap get agonizingly tight between Knibb and Matthews on the second lap of the run.

On the men’s side, we had a healthy back and forth between the leading group of 8 men and the 9 man deep chase group. We also got to see the pack dynamics within those two groups, as the likes of Lèo Bergère, Hayden Wilde, and Rico Bogen traded places back and forth throughout the lead pack, whereas Kristian Høgenhaug repeatedly tried to break the chase apart. And, of course, we watched Wilde’s lead evaporate in the span of two kilometers as Jelle Geens wrested the title from his hands.

We also saw a fair amount of “the race within the race” battles for positions within the IRONMAN Pro Series. It helped, of course, that Matthews was right at the front of the women’s field, but we also saw Matthew Marquardt’s struggles on the bike and run as he came up short in his bid to take the Series crown. On the flip side, Gregory Barnaby’s run and finish were missed completely. It also was somewhat surprising to not have him included in the immediate post-race interviews, having won the Series.

Camera Work: C-

I am admittedly sensitive to camera jostling and shaky images, thanks to my concussion history and mild visual processing issues. So when, during the broadcast Sunday, the camera feed swapped to chasing Høgenhaug as he looked to establish himself with the chase group on a downhill, I started feeling sick to my stomach. Høgenhaug was, at best, half in frame, and with the image bouncing everywhere.

It, unfortunately, was not much better on the run segment for the men. Even the critical pass for the race featured a fair amount of bounce.

The women’s race was not as bad. Whether that was due to the bike pace being slower, or if there were different camera operators in place each day, it made it slightly better. But clearly there was an issue of either equipment or operator given the conditions that were faced on the day. I was very glad to be done watching at the end.

Studio Broadcasters: B-

Michael Lovato and Dede Griesbauer have a thankless job. Being able to talk for hours on end, with what amounts to the same talking points, and make it at least mildly entertaining is extremely hard. There are precious few traditional broadcasters who are able to pull this off.

Lovato and Griesbauer have good chemistry with one another, and their passion for the sport comes through, which on the whole makes their broadcasting palatable. However, there are two areas with plenty of room for improvement. First is on athlete identification; both misidentified athletes on camera multiple times, but particularly during the men’s race. That would be more forgivable if more information about what was happening off-camera was being relayed to the pair and able to tell that story effectively.

For example: it was not until after the race that we heard of any bike penalties beyond the one to then-leader Mathis Margirier, and we only knew of that because we saw him pull into a penalty tent. More often than not, the duo are being forced to rely on what’s coming in via the tracker versus getting any information from spotters on the ground. That means when you have situations where timing boxes aren’t relaying information — like they failed during the women’s race on the bike — they, and us the audience, are left to wonder what is happening on course.

On Course Broadcasters: B+

Craig Alexander, Mirinda Carfrae, Matt Lieto, and Greg Welch combined to give great detail and analysis throughout their hours on-screen. In particular, Carfrae has proven herself to be an excellent addition to any broadcast she’s on. She is knowledgeable, insightful, entertaining, and versatile; she’s able to go from reporter to interviewer to host relatively seamlessly. Lieto, too, does a good job in his role heading out on course, whether on the back of a motorcycle or at a specific point during the run.

The primary letdown? Technical issues out on the bike course when Lieto was attempting to relay information.

On-Screen Graphics: C

Can we all please just admit that trying to use AI to write race predictions, based on old timing split data, is a terrible idea? It was at its worst as Wilde’s lead was evaporating, as the AI predictor was still trying to say that Wilde would win and run a time that he clearly was no longer capable of.

Perhaps the most useful graphic on screen was the topographic map to show where the lead of the race was. However, the placement of it in the bottom-third, which was cluttered with AI text and other items, versus in some of the empty space at the top, hindered the intended effect.

And, much like with other race formats, it only focused on the head of the race; it never gave splits back through the field, so unless you had your IRONMAN app on the entire time, you’d have never known what was happening for non-podium places until athletes crossed the finish line.

Commercials: B-

I am not counting any of the infomercial / in-broadcast advertising; this is just in reference to the actual ad units that the broadcast would cut to.

It’s very easy to hate on the advertising during an IRONMAN broadcast. You’re pretty much guaranteed to see ads for Qatar Airways, HOKA, Wahoo, Maurten, Breitling, Vinfast, etc. on a countless loop. And the ad breaks themselves often have impeccable timing; for example, starting the women’s coverage, there was an ad break less than three minutes into the broadcast. Coming right off of the back of the ad unit that had to be watched in order to access the broadcast, it can leave a sour taste in your mouth.

That said, I wound up counting up and timing the broadcast breaks on Saturday. There were 20 total commercial breaks during Saturday’s race, which constituted roughly 11% of the total broadcast time. For comparison’s sake, in your average NFL three hour game broadcast, a full 25% of the broadcast is commercials.

In other words: it’s really not as bad as it seems, at least from a time perspective. But better ad break coordination (especially, say, not missing the finish of your Pro Series champion on the live stream) would improve the experience greatly.

Platform Stability: A-

For as poor of a platform Outside Watch was during the original go-round of IRONMAN broadcasts, it has come an awful long way. There was only one moment towards the end of the bike during the men’s race where I suffered a moment of buffering. Otherwise, the platform was about as bulletproof as it possibly could be.

Overall Grade: B-

IRONMAN produced another decent triathlon livestream broadcast. It’s free for us to watch. We saw the major moments of the race, and it didn’t glitch. Although there’s definitely room for improvement, it scratches the itch for most of triathlon’s existing audience.

The post Grading IRONMAN’s 70.3 Worlds Broadcast first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

All Photos: Kevin Mackinnon / Slowtwitch

Jelle Geens passed long-time leader Hayden Wilde with three kilometers left to run to claim his first IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. Geens made his move in the final quarter of the race, as he closed a 45 second deficit to Wilde in two kilometers, then making the decisive move in kilometer 18 of the run.

Geens was toward the front of the race from the gun, swimming with the likes of Wilde, Kyle Smith, and defending champion Rico Bogen. Those men formed the bulk of a lead eight man bike pack that traded blows throughout the bike portion. Wilde would attempt to rocket away during the run, building a nearly minute lead over Geens at one point, but would pay dearly for that effort during the second half of the run. Geens 1:07:34 half marathon was enough to propel him to victory.

Wilde took yet another silver medal on a world stage, this time on home soil. And, much like the Paris Olympic Games, Léo Bergère took bronze, unable to catch Wilde again.

Post-race, Geens was ecstatic. “It’ll take some time to realize. It’s something you only dream about. A crazy day. I’ve been in this sport for a long time, and I’ve been doing ITU for a long time. It’s had its ups and downs…and for my first time to come to this race and become world champion…unbelievable.”

Speaking on the dynamics of the race, he said, “I wanted to not tire my legs too much at the end of the bike, I’ve really struggled in the second part of the run. It was easy to try to run too fast, so after a couple K I said I had to settle, find my rhythm. I didn’t really believe it anymore, but I kept putting pressure.”

Wilde, on the race, said: “I put a big ambition out there, obviously I went out there a bit naive. I felt like I rode appropriately. I know these roads like the back of my hand. I got the gap and felt really confident. I think all the short course guys can say this too, but it’s really hard to slow yourself down in the first 10K. I was too excited.”

Bergère said, “The whole bike I found very hard, a really tough experience riding in the group like this. I was spending a lot of energy falling too far back. By the end of the bike everyone was going crazy again and I decided to save my legs for the run. I was expecting a good race, I was targeting the title, but Jelle was just so strong today; even on the bike he surprised me, and he deserved the win. A special mention to Hayden as well, he was attacking and kept the race exciting.”

In the Pro Series battle, Gregory Barnaby was able to claim the crown with his 9th place finish here. Matthew Marquardt suffered from cramps very early on in the race and finished outside the top 30.

As the Race Unfolded

Race day dawned with mild temperatures and light winds. Like the women’s race yesterday, the water did have some chop to it, which would negate some of the benefit that the wetsuit-legal temperatures would provide. Unfortunately, Casper Stornes was a race morning withdrawal, still recovering from a run-in with a vehicle earlier in the week while riding.

Almost all of the pre-race favorites lined up on the far left side of the beach, closest to the first turn buoy, with defending champion Rico Bogen lining up the furthest to the left. As the airhorn sounded and athletes dove into Lake Taupō, it looked like the athletes on the left were making ahead, with Marc Dubrick leading the pack. The frantic pace saw athletes starting to be dropped before that first turn buoy, just 300 meters into the swim.

Making their way into the sun, Dubrick led an attempted breakaway, with Léo Bergère, Greg Harper, and Josh Amberger alongside him. In the chase group of roughly 20 swimmers were athletes like Kyle Smith, Hayden Wilde, Gregory Barnaby, and Matthew Marquardt. But as other athletes in the lead group took their turn on the front, the chase group was able to re-attach itself around the 600 meter mark, giving a large single pack again.

The group started to stretch out again around the 1000 meter mark, with a single-file line of about 15 swimmers before getting back to a slightly larger pack. Harper had gone to the front, and his effort was so strong that he was beginning to drop the rest of the leaders. At the final turn buoy, he’d successfully broken away from the Bergère group.

Harper earned swim prime honors in 21:48, with a 12 second margin over Amberger, Bergère, and Dubrick. The main chase came another 15 seconds later, with Bogen, Henri Schoeman, Hayden Wilde, Kyle Smith, Jelle Geens, and Kacper Stepniak there. Gregory Barnaby led the second chase group another 30 seconds down, with Braden Currie, Matthew Marquardt, and Jason West also in the mix.

Bergère used his World Triathlon Championship Series experience to blitz through transition and lead everyone out onto the bike. Wilde and Geens also jumped through the field via fast transitions. Bogen, Amberger, Smith, and Stepniak all were right up front starting the bike segment, as a pack of 9 men formed. Crucially for the Pro Series standings, Marquardt was well off the pace and suffering from cramps.

The leading 9 men – Bergère, Wilde, Geens, Bogen, Dubrick, Schoeman, Amberger, Justus Nieschlag, and Smith – had opened up a roughly 30 second lead over Mathis Margirier. A bit further down came Barnaby, who was riding with Stepniak. They were 10 seconds in front of a sizable pack, led by Ben Hamilton and including names like Harper, Mike Phillips, Currie, and West. Looking to chase onto that group was Høgenhaug.

Rolling through the hills towards the 20 kilometer mark and the leading pack got shaken up, as Dubrick (who dropped a chain) and Amberger slid back to Kurt McDonald and Wilhelm Hirsch. Margirier, meanwhile, rode his way up into the front pack to make it an 8 man deep lead group. Those 8 men kept their 20 second gap to Dubrick’s group. Next on the road was Høgenhaug’s group, 1:19 down from the lead, and that group had Barnaby, Stepniak, and Ben Hamilton in it.

During the next 10 kilometers, there was a lot of shuffling around in the front pack; first Margirier leapfrogged to the front, then followed by Bergère coming to the front. The hard pace saw the 8 leading men become 7, as Nieschlag started to drop backwards. But the hard pace had opened the lead up to 1:13 over Dubrick’s group. They were about to be swallowed from behind, as Ruben Zepuntke and Høgenhaug brought their group to within 10 seconds of the Dubrick chase. Further back, Currie was in danger of losing the back of the group at 2 minutes from the lead. And West was riding solo, almost 2:50 behind.

Approaching the halfway mark of the bike and the lead group started to see some relentless attacks against one another. The attacks had let Nieschlag back onto the group. Bogen was the athlete most in danger of being dropped now. Those attacks, though, had kept Høgenhaug’s group from making inroads, leaving them hovering around 90 seconds behind. Høgenhaug had 8 fellow riders with him: Zepuntke, McDonald, Dubrick, Hirsch, Barnaby, Stepniak, Thomas Bishop, Harry Palmer, and Amberger.

As the race started to turn back towards Taupō, the lead pack of 8 remained. The elastic at times appeared to be in danger of stretching or snapping for Smith, Schoeman, or Bogen, but each time they managed to claw their way back on. Høgenhaug’s group remained 1:27 down, but their hot pace had spit Amberger out the back. Amberger was 20 seconds ahead of Phillips and Hamilton.

With a third of the ride left, Bogen came to the front of the leading group, sharing the workload with Wilde, Margirier, and Bergère. The front group was just starting to pull away from Høgenhaug, extending their lead out to over 90 seconds for the first time. That second group was also seeing some elasticity in it, as Stepniak and McDonald were running the risk of being dropped from that chase. Amberger had indeed dropped to the Phillips group, which also had Currie in it.

On the approach to Heartbreak Hill, the front pack dynamics appeared to be taking a toll on Schoeman and Nieschlag, as they were seeing gaps open that would need to be closed with sizable efforts. The effort list had seen the gap grow to the chase pack, led by Høgenhaug, now standing at 2:04. That second pack still held the likes of Dubrick, Barnaby, Zepuntke, and Palmer.

Going over the top of Heartbreak Hill and there were multiple attacks amongst the front group, but none of them quite stuck. Bogen also received a talking to by an official; no card was shown on screen, but it appeared to be a warning of some type. That ongoing effort was paying dividends on the chasers, though; Høgenhaug and his group was now over 2.5 minutes back. It looked like the podium would emerge from the front pack, and Barnaby would seal his victory in the IM Pro Series.

On the descent into town and Margirier managed to slip away from the rest of the lead pack, but it was all to try to build a gap as he had to serve a penalty. Wilde wound up the first into T2 after a 1:58:51 bike split as he gapped out the field in the descent, followed by Bogen, Geens, Bergère, and Smith. Next came Nieschlag, the last athlete within 28 seconds. Schoeman was next, 1:19 down. Zepuntke led the chase at 3:38, followed by Palmer, Barnaby, Stepniak, Hirsch, Bishop, Dubrick, McDonald, and Høgenhaug.

Wilde blasted out of transition, opening a 100 yard gap in his early strides. Geens had moved up to second place, 21 seconds off the pace. Smith was another 8 seconds back in third, followed by Bergère in fourth, 45 seconds from Wilde. Nieschlag held fifth, and Bogen was going the wrong way, the slowest of the lead pack riders, in sixth and losing time to the chasing Schoeman. At the quarter way mark and Bergère made his move past Smith for third on the road; the top four men were just 90 seconds apart from one another. Bogen had also managed to catch Nieschlag and pass him for fifth, and maintaining a minute gap to Schoeman.

At 8 kilometers it looked like this would be a two horse race for the win: Wilde held a steady 45 second lead on Geens, and they were matching pace with one another. Bergère was third, just under a minute behind Geens, but not matching the leading pair on pace. Smith was tightening his grasp on fourth; though Bergère had dropped him, he was also keeping the likes of Bogen, Nieschlag, and Schoeman at bay. Dubrick, Barnaby, and Palmer closed out the top 10, and nobody behind appeared to be closing up.

Halfway through the run and Wilde had split 34:31; it wasn’t quite the 1:05 half marathon pace he was seeking but it was indeed faster than anyone else on the road. Geens was 55 seconds behind, followed by Bergère at 2:11 down. Smith sat in fourth, 3:24 from Wilde, and with a 25 second gap to fifth placed Bogen. Nieschlag kept firm grasp on sixth and ready to pounce if either Smith or Bogen faltered. Schoeman was 7th, 4:52 from the lead, 42 seconds behind sixth. He had a healthy 1:20 gap over 8th placed Dubrick, with Palmer and Barnaby in 9th and 10th. Those two had a little to worry about, as within a minute of them was Bishop, Hirsch, and Stepniak.

With 5 kilometers left to run, Wilde’s lead had been cut to 45 seconds. Assuming that paces held, Geens would have Wilde in sight for a sprint finish. But Wilde faltered in the 16th kilometer, with the lead cut down to just 25 seconds. With the 17th kilometer, Geens closed further. And in kilometer 18 the pass was made. Wilde, with a grimace on his face, could do nothing as Geens blasted past him. Further back, Bogen continued to slide backwards, passed now by Schoeman for sixth.

Geens closed out the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, running 1:07:34 to victory. Wilde, fading hard during the second half of the run, still held onto second. Bergère came third, earning another bronze medal this year. Hometown hero Smith held onto fourth, edging Nieschlag for it. Barnaby finished down in 9th, but claimed the IRONMAN Pro Series title in the process.

Top 15 Results

1. Jelle Geens 3:32:09
2. Hayden Wilde 3:33:22
3. Léo Bergère 3:35:08
4. Kyle Smith 3:37:51
5. Justus Nieschlag 3:38:06
6. Henri Schoeman 3:39:20
7. Rico Bogen 3:39:36
8. Harry Palmer 3:39:42
9. Gregory Barnaby 3:40:14
10. Marc Dubrick 3:40:27
11. Wilhelm Hirsch 3:41:27
12. Thomas Bishop 3:42:01
13. Kacper Stepaniak 3:42:26
14. Braden Currie 3:44:28
15. Matt Hanson 3:44:47

The post Jelle Geens Runs His Way to 70.3 World Title first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

All photos by Kevin Mackinnon

The energy here in Taupo for the first IRONMAN World Championship event in New Zealand has been pretty special, but you really got a feeling of how unique this race was going to be when the “waka,” which was made up of “wahine” (women), kicked off the opening ceremonies for today’s race.

Here’s how the folks at IRONMAN described it:

When the waka arrives on the beach, Ngāti Tūwharetoa wāhine will emulate the mahi (strength) of the tāne (men) and challenge the female athletes to push themselves beyond their normal boundaries. With their kahui maunga (chiefly mountains) at their backs, their moana (inland sea) at their feet and Aotearoa’s most significant awa to their side (Waikato River), they will uphold the traditions of their forefathers and mothers in a demonstration of mana whenua (custodianship) and aroha through a demonstration of Ahai (rakau/paddle moves), wero (challenge), and haka.

For a blow-by-blow recap of today’s race, make sure to check out Ryan Heisler’s excellent piece posted earlier:

Here’s a look at the day from my perspective behind the camera:

Triathlon fans who were near transition early got another glimpse of how the day was going to go based on defending champ Taylor Knibb’s mood. Pre-race nerves? Not here.

Knibb might have been laughing early, but once the horn went off, she was all business.

She was a bit behind heading into the water …

… But powered out to the lead over the first few hundred meters. “Good luck with your goggle choice,” she warned the men after the race, referring to her difficulties navigating the first turn buoy.

Lotte Wilms would lead the women out of the water …

… While Hannah Berry led the chase pack that included Kat Matthews. The Kiwi was 47 seconds behind Wilms coming out of Lake Taupo. After the race Matthews said that a good swim was critical for her success on the day.

Once out on the bike, there was simply no touching Knibb, who has dominated the bike at every long-distance race she’s entered this year. During the post-race press conference, Knibb said that she would have liked to have been able to get some splits so she would know “where I am” during the bike.

“Off the front,” Ashleigh Gentle said, generating a laugh from the crowd.

… And Imogen Simmonds were able to create their own tiny chase group, but still ended up almost five minutes behind Knibb into T2.

“I am going to make the bike work for me,” Simmonds said after the race. “90 km through the countryside was beautiful. I hope they got some good shots out on the course.”

(I’ll leave it to her to decide if I did.)

This shot of Nikki Bartlett would hopefully satisfy Simmonds.

The second chase group, that included speedy runners Ashleigh Gentle and Julie Derron (and is being led here by Paula Findlay) ended up over eight minutes behind starting the run.

Derron would charge out onto the run course.

“On the run I went for the podium, but the wheels came off,” she said after the race. (Keep going for proof of how much the “wheels came off.”)

After feeling that she’d been “snubbed” by Hayden Wilde at Thursday’s press conference when he predicted that either Julie Derron or Ashleigh Gentle would post the day’s fastest run split, it was Matthews who would move into second and put together the 2nd fastest run of the day. Her 1:15:34 split was almost a minute faster than Gentle, and …

… 38-seconds faster than Tamara Jewett, who had the second-fastest run of the day, which was enough to move her to ninth.

Hannah Berry and Laura Madsen run together early on in the run.

“There wasn’t a quiet moment on the run course,” Imogen Simmonds said after the race. “And, although advertised as flat, I think there was only 1 km of flat on the course.”

In the end, there was no touching Knibb, who even managed a stop at a port-o-potty on her way to a 75-second win.

When asked what it means to have won three 70.3 world titles on three different continents on three different courses, Knibb was her usual analytic self:

“I’m not sure how different they were,” she said at the press conference. “They were all wetsuit swims, with challenging bikes and not-flat runs. Thank you, IRONMAN, for giving us tough courses.”

Second at this championship last year, second at the IRONMAN World Championship in St. George in 2022, second at this year’s IRONMAN World Championship in Nice … but first in the IRONMAN Pro Series for Kat Matthews.

And, as usual, Matthews was all class as she celebrated the day of racing with Knibb at the finish line.

In a bit of a reversal from the T100 final in Dubai, it was Gentle who paced things perfectly to move her way to the podium, running her way from sixth in T2 to third.

“I did the first transition like it was an Olympic distance and paid for it,” Gentle said after the race. “I tried to pace (the run) a bit better, and felt a lot of support from the sidelines. This event has encapsulated the spirit of triathlon.”

Even though she moved down a spot from last year, Simmonds was thrilled with fourth.

“Beating the bib number (3) was always going to be tough,” she said after the race. “I am well chuffed (with fourth).”

Derron gave it all to get to the line in fifth.

Now the only question is: Can the men top this day of racing? It won’t be easy, but we look forward to seeing them try.

Stay tuned for more fun from Taupo tomorrow.

The post Ladies Day in Taupo: Recapping the Pro Women’s Race in Words and Pictures first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Taylor Knibb successfully defended her IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, using her bike prowess to build an insurmountable lead over the field. Knibb held nearly five minutes in hand coming off of the bike over Imogen Simmonds and Kat Matthews. Matthews tried desperately to claw her way back up to Knibb, running nearly a full four minutes faster than Knibb, but it was too little, too late.

For Matthews, though, second was a strong consolation, as it also consolidated her victory in the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series.

Ashleigh Gentle took third with a well-balanced performance, riding in the primary chase pack and emerging from it to chase down Simmonds and Julie Derron.

Knibb, recounting her day, said, “Well, I think I dragged the whole women’s pack off the course during the swim. For the bike course you had no information, so I think I overrode a little bit. And then on the run course, there was everyone! This is an impressive community and I want to thank everyone.”

“I think it is really cool that for the 70.3 World Championships they have been very different courses and on different continents. It reminds me why I love IRONMAN races.”

For Matthews, she was happy with her second second place finish in world championship events this year. “I’m really proud. I can’t believe how well Taylor has done again. The whole women’s field really pulled it off. To come second in both, I’m over the moon.” Speaking on what it would take to win, she said “Cleary it is the bike that I need to commit to; I had a great time riding with Imogen Simmonds all day and we still lost time to Taylor.”

Gentle was reflective, saying “I guess I was a little bit down coming out of the water, and did the first part of the bike like it was the only part of the race and I soon had some regrets. I had to burn some matches. It was a really tough day out there but thankfully I found my rhythm on the run. For me, this race was five years in the making and it was really great.”

As the Race Unfolded

Race day in Taupō dawned with nearly perfect weather for a race: 66 degree water, and upper 50s air temperature. That made for a wetsuit legal swim, which was beneficial given that the water was slightly choppier than it has been all week. The race here is a beach start, which made for plenty of space. Lotte Wilms lined up apart from the rest of the pre-race favorites, versus Taylor Knibb right with all the other highlight swim caps on the inside line towards the first turn buoy, a 90 degree left hand turn.

A frantic initial swim with the wide beach start; three columns of women developed, with the athletes on the left-hand side gaining the lead, led by Taylor Knibb and Sara Perez Sala. On the right hand side, Imogen Simmonds and Julie Derron took out the pack hard. At the first turn buoy it all came back together, in a single pack, with all the pre-race favorites in that main group.

Knibb’s pace on the front was such that the elastic was starting to snap to athletes like Kat Matthews and Ashleigh Gentle. The current was quite strong, as the lead pack swam well inside the sight buoy line. At roughly 800 meters, the elastic snapped, with a 4 woman lead group breaking away. Wilms, Rebecca Clarke, Knibb, Perez Sala. The second pack consisted of roughly 15 women, which had Ashleigh Gentle, Kat Matthews, and Paula Findlay in it.

After another 600 meters, though, the groups came back together, led by a charge from Jodie Stimpson. As the race headed for shore, and into more current, the groups spread into long lines of single swimmers. Sara Perez Sala took swim honors in 24:20. Also there were Wilms, Clarke, Marta Sanchez, Knibb, Imogen Simmonds, Caroline Pohle, Julie Derron, Hanne De Vet, and Jodie Stimpson. All also within a minute of the lead were Hannah Berry, Kat Matthews, Ashleigh Gentle, and Paula Findlay. Further back were Ellie Salthouse (+1:26), Maja Stage Nielsen (+1:55), and IRONMAN Pro Series leader Jackie Hering (+2:07).

18 women started the bike within 1:02 of one another, led by Perez Sala. But within five minutes of the bike starting, Knibb accelerated her way past Perez Sala to take the lead. By 8 kilometers into the bike, Knibb had blitzed her way to a 42 second lead, with Simmonds closing up toward Perez Sala. Gentle led the primary chase group, just under a minute behind from Knibb, joined by Sanchez, Derron, Wilms, and Pohle. Another 10 seconds back were Matthews, Findlay, Clarke and Stimpson.

As the course started moving back uphill, Matthews began charging her way through the chase pack, passing by everyone to climb into second place. Findlay was also a strong mover on the climb, ripping past Sanchez and with the Perez Sala in her sights. The fireworks behind, though, had given Knibb the space to extend her lead to 1:25 over Simmonds, Matthews, and Findlay. That chase trio was starting to put space between them and Sanchez, Perez Sala, Derron, Gentle, and Poole. Wilms led the third chase group in 10th place, but now was more than two minutes behind.

Over the next 10 kilometers and Knibb continued to ride away from everyone, extending her lead out to a full 90 seconds over Simmonds and Matthews, who had left Findlay behind. Findlay was 30 seconds from Simmonds and Matthews, and riding with Sanchez and Perez Sala. Derron led the next group on the road, 2:28 down from Knibb, and that had Pohle, Gentle, and Hanne De Vet in it. Wilms was barely hanging onto the back of De Vet, with Hannah Berry and Clarke the next women on the road but over 1:20 from Wilms.

Approaching the halfway mark of the bike and Knibb added another 10 seconds to her lead on Simmons and Matthews. The Findlay group had ceded even more time, now over 1:10 behind Simmonds and Matthews and 2:53 from Knibb; shortly after the time split, Derron pulled her group up into the chase. So now all together were Findlay, Derron, Sanchez, Perez Sala, Pohle, Gentle, Wilms, and De Vet. 

As the return leg of the bike course began, Knibb brought her lead out to over two minutes on Simmonds and Matthews. Derron and Wilms took control of the chase pack, 3:38 from Knibb. Missing from the group was Perez Sala, who received a blue card for a position foul and served it. Also receiving a penalty was Sanchez. The rest of the names all remained the same, and they were the last riders on the road within four minutes of Knibb. Further back, Laura Madsen led a five woman group that included Berry, Salthouse, Lisa Becharas, and Grace Thek.

With 30 kilometers left to ride, Knibb padded her lead to 2:25. Simmonds and Matthews continued to legally work together, keeping the chase group well away. In fact, they themselves now had a 2:30 lead on the chase, led by Derron. Sanchez had yet to serve her position foul penalty and sat fifth on the road. That chase group had even ceded time to Madsen’s group, which was just a minute from the back of the pack. Perez Sala, who had served her penalty, had fallen all the way to 26th place, in between Tamara Jewett and Jackie Hering, 10 minutes behind Knibb.

Cresting the top of Heartbreak Hill and with just under 10 kilometers left to ride, Knibb extended her lead out to almost 4.5 minutes. Matthews and Simmonds had 3:10 in hand on the now 10 woman chase group, led by Findlay and containing Madsen, Derron, Gentle, Wilms, Pohle, Becharas, De Vet, Sanchez, and Berry. Salthouse came next on the road, another 50 seconds back and the last woman within 10 minutes of Knibb. Nikki Bartlett held 15th, riding solo in front of Grace Thek.

Knibb flew into transition after a 2:10:09 bike, 4:39 in front of Simmonds. Matthews came next, another 13 seconds back. Derron came in 4th, 8:06 down, leading the group of Pohle, De Vet, Findlay, Gentle, Madsen, Becharas, Wilms, and Berry. Ellie Salthouse had moved into 13th, 10:01 down. Bartlett and Thek rounded out the top 15.

In the opening kilometers and Matthews went on a charge, quickly dropping Simmonds and running 10 seconds per kilometer faster than the leader, Knibb. Simmonds was now a full five minutes behind. Derron held fourth and was matching the pace of Knibb, but that was good enough to pull away from Gentle and Findlay. De Vet, Pohle, Madsen, and Berry came next, with healthy gaps to Becharas and Wilms.

A quarter of the run done and Knibb’s lead had been trimmed to 4:24 over Matthews; still, a comfortable margin if their run paces held. Simmonds was losing time, 1:25 behind Matthews and just two minutes ahead of Derron. Gentle had found her running legs and sat 5th, 23 seconds from Derron and matching the pace in front. Findlay had also opened up a small gap in fifth; she was a minute behind Gentle, but 25 seconds in front of Pohle, the last woman within 10 minutes of the front of the race. Madsen, Berry, and De Vet closed out the top 10 runners at this stage of the race.

Over the next few kilometers and Knibb continued to cede time to Matthews. As they came into town, Matthews chewed a full minute out of Knibb’s lead, now just 3:17 at the halfway mark. Projecting that pace out through the finish, Knibb would hold onto the win by just over a minute. Simmonds continued to hold onto third, roughly 3 minutes behind Matthews. But Derron was coming, now trailing Simmonds by 46 seconds. Gentle held fifth, 7:19 from the lead. Findlay was holding onto sixth, 2:07 from Gentle. Findlay had a 28 second gap over 7th placed Pohle. Salthouse had put in a healthy move, moving all the way up to 8th. Madsen had 9th, and Berry 10th. 

Lots of movement over the next few kilometers: namely, Gentle blasted past both Simmonds and Derron to move her way onto the podium. At the front of the race, Matthews had gained another 40 seconds, pulling the lead down to 2:35 with 6K left to run. Looking further back, and one to watch was Thek: she was outrunning the likes of Madsen and Berry in front of her, with the potential to move into the top 10 by the end.

Matthews continued her relentless charge towards the front. With 3.5 kilometers left, Knibb’s lead was cut to 2:19, and with just under 2 kilometers left, it was under 2 minutes. But it looked like Matthews would run out of real estate. Gentle had opened up a 45 second gap in third over Simmonds. Simmonds, to her credit, had dropped Derron. Findlay appeared to have a comfortable grasp on sixth. Pohle and Salthouse were about to be in a battle for 7th place. Thek had moved into 9th, while Tamara Jewett had moved herself up into 10th, now the fastest runner on the road. 

Taylor Knibb crossed the finish line in 3:57:34 to defend her IRONMAN 70.3 title. Matthews took second and the IRONMAN Pro Series title, just 1:15 behind after a 1:15:34 half marathon. Ashleigh Gentle took third place.

Top 15 Results

1. Taylor Knibb 3:57:34
2. Kat Matthews 3:58:49
3. Ashleigh Gentle 4:03:01
4. Imogen Simmonds 4:05:12
5. Julie Derron 4:06:02
6. Paula Findlay 4:07:12
7. Ellie Salthouse 4:07:48
8. Caroline Pohle 4:08:06
9. Tamara Jewett 4:08:47
10. Grace Thek 4:09:08
11. Nikki Bartlett 4:09:53
12. Laura Madsen 4:10:01
13. Solveig Løvseth 4:10:40
14. Hannah Berry 4:10:52
15. Hanne De Vet 4:12:53

All Photos: Kevin Mackinnon / Slowtwitch

The post Taylor Knibb Three-Peats, Wins IM 70.3 Worlds first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

We are just hours away from the kick-off of the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Taupō, New Zealand. The nervous excitement for the event permeates through us all, whether or not we are racing. And there’s more than ever at stake here this year, as 70.3 Worlds will mark the conclusion of the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series. There’s an awful lot on the line.

With that in mind, our two senior editors — Kevin Mackinnon and I — have put some thought into it. Here’s what we think we will see happen this weekend.

The Women’s Race

Kevin: It’s hard to imagine there’s a more prohibitive favorite for Saturday’s women’s race than Taylor Knibb. The two-time defending champion is coming off a stellar year. Last year’s runner-up, Kat Matthews, should certainly be the one to watch for another podium finish and a move to the top of the IRONMAN Pro Series standings, even though its hard to imagine how she’s still in one piece after the tough schedule she’s had this year. Any sign of faltering from Knibb or Matthews, especially on the run, will open the door for the speedy run capabilities of Julie Derron and Ashleigh Gentle, or the sheer consistency of last year’s bronze medalist, Imogen Simmonds.

Ryan: On paper, this should be Knibb’s race to win — the two-time defending champion has dominated middle distance and with this course, it should have her name written all over it. But I also find it interesting that Knibb has mentioned in nearly every single interview this week that she’s been battling either an illness or allergies when outdoors in Taupō. I don’t think she’s playing games with it; she’s always straight-forward in her interviews. But that throws a wrinkle into the mix that could open the door of opportunity.

So strike me as someone who thinks that Ashleigh Gentle will be able to defeat Knibb for the first time in a couple of years at this distance. Knibb battles valiantly for second place. And Kat Matthews will take home the IRONMAN Pro Series with a third-place finish here, beating out a fast-closing Julie Derron for it.

The Men’s Race

Kevin: The men’s race is shaping up to be a barn burner. Look for a World Triathlon Championship Series-style lead pack out of the water as the Olympians and speedy swimmers push the pace from the sound of the horn.

Local heroes Hayden Wilde and Kyle Smith will be enjoying the adrenaline rush of what is expected to be an immense crowd of Kiwi supporters, but don’t expect that to affect Jelle Geens or Léo Bergère in the slightest. Defending champ Rico Bogen will no-doubt swim and bike with the leaders, but hanging with this calibre run crowd is going to be a stretch. If Wilde runs the 65-minute half-marathon he believes he’s capable of, there won’t be any touching him. But there will be a few folks in that lead bunch who will do everything they can to ensure his legs are whipped by the time he gets off the bike. 

Ryan: My prediction? Pain.

This has all the makings of a 1970s heavyweight boxing title fight. It’s going to be a war of attrition. Expect drama from the opening cannon, battles back and forth, and a huge surprise in the closing kilometers.

That, in my mind, makes this a race by those with the most WTCS experience; they’re used to spending hours attacking and attacking on the bike, over and over again, while still having the legs to run extremely fast once the hit T2. And who better than home country hero Hayden Wilde to take the win based on those strengths? I think it’s a battle between Wilde and Léo Bergère for the win. But, just like in Paris, Wilde holds him off. For the third spot, I think it goes to the defending champion Rico Bogen; his recent run time from T100 Dubai would see him run a just under 1:09 half marathon. I think that’s probably fast enough to get the job done.

As for the IM Pro Series: my money is on Gregory Barnaby to hold off Matthew Marquardt.

The racing begins later today. Live coverage can be found in the U.S. and Canada on Outside Watch, or globally on DAZN or at proseries.ironman.com.

The post Our Senior Editors Make Their 70.3 Worlds Predictions first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Matthew Marquardt at the pre-race press conference in Taupo. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

Leave it to an Ohio State medical student to have all the numbers dialled in. At Thursday’s press conference here in Taupo for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, Matthew Marquardt explained exactly how the winner of the IRONMAN Pro Series will be decided at Sunday’s race. If he and Gregory Barnaby are both within 8:43 of the winner, whoever crosses the line first will take the US$200,000 first prize. If they are both more than 8:43 behind the winner, Barnaby will remain in first place in the overall standings.

All of which sets up an extremely exciting “race within a race” on Sunday for the 27-year-old, who somehow manages to balance life as a pro triathlete with his studies at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and research at the OSU James Comprehensive Cancer Center.

While Barnaby padded his chances with an extra 70.3 race in Western Australia (which he won), Marquardt skipped that race in order to spend time with family for Thanksgiving.

“The Pro series is a big reason why I came to this race,” Marquardt said in an interview after Thursday’s press conference here in Taupo. “I start clinical rotations in about three weeks, and that’ll be a huge shift for me in terms of how I balance my time with school and with training. So, I originally did not want to come to this race because it’s so late in the season, but with how the Pro Series was shaping up, it was very clear that it was going to be a necessary thing to do in order to compete for the title. It literally is going to come down to a winner take all scenario. Hopefully that will make very exciting viewing for everyone else, because there’s really, especially for the men, two races going on. There’s the race for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, and then there’s the race between me and Gregory.”

In June I wasn’t the only person at the IRONMAN 70.3 Mont-Tremblant press conference who was surprised to learn that Marquardt had never done a professional 70.3 race before. (He would eventually finish third.) Marquardt had competed over the distance during his short, but impressive age-group career, which included winning his age group in Kona in 2022, then taking third in his age group at the 70.3 worlds in St. George a few weeks later. He would then turn pro, and focussed on full-distance races during his rookie year in 2023, which included podium finishes at IRONMAN Texas (third) and IRONMAN Coeur d’Alene (second) before finishing 11th in Nice and third again at IRONMAN Florida.

So why all the fulls?

“I think, based on how my metabolism works and everything, the longer distance is what suits me best, which is why we focused on that,” he said. “But, with the Pro Series, we obviously needed to put together some 70.3s as well. So, I think there’s a lot of unknowns exactly how it’ll play out. I did well at Mont-Tremblant racing against Lionel (Sanders), which was definitely a really good learning experience, which provides some confidence. I know what I can do in training and hopefully that’ll translate into the race and I’ll put together a good showing.”   

The post Head to Head: Can Matthew Marquardt Win the IRONMAN Pro Series first appeared on Slowtwitch News.