IRONMAN 70.3 Men's World Championships Preview
We have made it, just, I think, to the end of the season and year of racing (well at least for the Northern Hemisphere). It’s been a ridiculously long and monumental season for the sport, with the inaugural PTO T100 series and IRONMAN Pro Series. The former finishing a month ago, Taylor Knibb (USA) and Martin Van Riel (BEL) being crowned the T100 Champions. The later culminates this coming weekend at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Taupo (Toe-Paw), New Zealand.
We are going to see races within races. The crowning of the IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion, but also the IRONMAN Pro Series winner, who takes home a lovely $200k for the honour. Most athletes will want to win the race, the World Champion title, or of course do the best they can, for the best result, on the day, and therefore points. But there may be some strategic games to be played by athletes wanting to secure their ranking in the Pro Series.
So just like the 2024 season has been long… so is this article, so let’s see who’s racing and what may happen.
For New Zealand on the men’s side there is actually a chance that there could be a Kiwi clean sweep of the podium. But very definitely two New Zealanders on the podium. Hayden Wilde and Kyle Smith.
Both of these athletes call Taupo home. Wilde was born here and Smith has spent most of his life living in the town. Both these athletes will either cross the line winning, or be carried off the course through trying, having completely exhausted themselves in the process. They both feel they have nothing to lose and want to desperately win in their home town. They are also both athletes who race hard from the gun, and will put it all out there, pushing the pace all the time. Wilde, the Olympic Silver medallist, has no Alex Yee to haunt him over this distance. His competitors would be naïve to think his lack of longer distance races will result in less experience and being less competitive. As said, he has nothing to lose and a home town win would mean a lot, as well as showing the middle distance guys he can race the longer distance. Smith, actually missed his slot for this race, when it was due to be in 2020. He won the IRONMAN 70.3 Taupo, his first big win, resulting in a slot for the World Championships. He then somehow missed the Award ceremony and therefore his slot. Luckily for Smith in this case, Covid was perhaps a blessing, meaning he was able to rightly qualify for 2024. These two boys will be lapping up the opportunity of having so many world class athletes travel to their backyard to play.
Jelle Geens (BEL) is another Olympic athlete stepping up. Geens scored a Wild Card for T100 Las Vegas, where he beat his fellow countryman, Martin Van Riel (BEL). Van Riel went on to win the T100 but won’t be in Taupo. Geens like Wilde is not to be ignored. He’s race four middle distance races this year, with the upward trend, starting in 4th, then 3rd, 2nd and 1st in the T100.
Rico Bogen (GER) is the defending Champion from 2024, but won’t necessarily be down as a favourite, which will be wrong. After his surprise win in 2024, 2025 has been a solid year, infact more than solid really with a 2nd and 3rd in two great T100 races, Dubai and San Francisco respectively. But he’s not had a win, or that big performance that perhaps people expect from a World Champion. To be honest, he’d only ever won one race, before winning at Worlds last year. He does however, I feel, have the ability to produce big on the day, and so I wouldn’t be surprised as defending champion, he steps up and brings it!
Casper Stornes (NOR), the ‘other’ Norwegian, and still a very good one, is another name to watch along with Leo Bergere (FRA). Mathis Margirier (FRA), will for sure be pushing the pace on the bike. Margirier comes off a 2nd place at IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain and has had top 10 finishes in his T100 races.
Then there’s the race for the IRONMAN Pro Series. After IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia, Gregory Barnaby (ITA) moved to the top spot, dropping Patrick Lange (GER) to second. Lange won’t be in Taupo, so won’t be able to change his ranking, and will be at the mercy of the other athletes who are racing and the outcome. However, as the IRONMAN World Champion, he’s probably not too worried. Third and fourth in the Pro Series ranking, Kristian Hogenhaug (DEN) and Matt Hanson (USA) are racing. Barnaby, Hogenhaug and Hanson, are all maxed out on races, that is they already have 3 IRONMANs and 2 70.3 counting. So whatever their result in Taupo, it will only add a few points to what they already have. (Assuming their points score in Taupo is more than their current lowest points race.) However, the athlete that is likely to gain the most from Taupo, and is potential threat to Barnaby’s reign on the top, is American Matthew Marquardt. Marquardt is in 8th, with 16582 points (to Barnaby’s 19,059) But Marquardt only has one 70.3 counting, therefore his race in Taupo will count for a lot of points. Infact if he scores more than 2477 (the deficit from Barnaby to Marquardt) as long as he’s in front of Barnaby, he’ll take the win. That equates to being less than 8minutes and 40seconds behind the winner. Barnaby just has to finish in front of Marquardt, and I’ve heard rumours he’s just going to sit on Marquardt’s shoulder all race, and then get ahead at the end. Funnily 2477 points, is the points that Barnaby scored at 70.3 Mallorca, and is his lowest points scoring race. Worth noting that 2477 meant he was just 23 second behind 1st place!
Other athletes to keep an eye on, and again I could say many more names, would be Justus Nieschlag (GER). Nieschlag came 6th at the T100 Dubai, off just a few days notice to race. He’s an athlete that has been mentioned as being one to watch, and if he can stay injury free and healthy, could be one of the best in the World. Henri Schoeman (ZAF), could also make a mark. He will for sure in the swim, but could hang in on the bike and the run too. Tom Bishop (GBR) is a darkhorse for me, that could be up there! Let’s go the Brits!
As with the women we are missing a few of the big names, although not perhaps as many – Marten Van Riel and Magnus Ditlev, PTO ranked #1 and #2 respectively, Mike Noodt (GER), Youri Keulen (NED), Sam Laidlow (FRA), Alistair Brownlee (GBR) and those other Norwegians, Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden. Again the strength and depth of the men, means the very best are still in Taupo, and we will have a cracking race to watch unfold!
Get the popcorn at the ready!
From a Parcours perspective, obviously we wish all the men the best, but especially to Parcours athlete Kyle Smith, and his Parcours wheels!
