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Domination and Devastation at IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships
70.3 Worlds recap, the "magic" muscle, and should you rethink winter training?
Matthew Sharpe
December 17, 2024
Good morning everyone,
I’m back in my hometown of Victoria, Canada for the holidays, and it’s been a blast training on the old roads, trails, and pool. And although I’ve been enjoying a bump in fitness by coming down from altitude, it hasn’t exactly helped when I’m swimming!
Back in Boulder, our pool is set up as 25 yards - which at 6’4’’ allows me to cheat quite a bit when I push off the walls. Not the case here in the 50m pool!
I’m sure my arms will adjust at some point. And with a race next month I’m hoping it’ll translate into an extra bump in fitness!
In today’s edition:
🏆 A recap of the incredible IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships
🧙♂️ The “magic’ muscle that’ll help unlock power and keep you injury-free.
⛄ And should you rethink winter training?
Thanks for being here.
-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor
Have a triathlete in your life who can't stop swimming, biking, or running? Fire this off to them. Forwarded from a friend? Sign-up for free.
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ONE BIG THING
Domination and Devastation at IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships
IRONMAN
What is it: This past weekend the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships took place in Taupō, New Zealand. And after a delay of four years due to the pandemic, the athletes were finally able to experience the beauty and warmth of a World Championship in Taupō.
In the professional women’s race, Taylor Knibb (USA) used her trademark bike strength to topple her competition and end the year undefeated at the middle distance.
The men’s professional race saw a short course showdown, with Jelle Geens (BEL) taking the win as fellow Paris Olympians flanked him on the podium.
Women’s race
Serious swimming: From the starting gun, pre-race swim favorite Sara Perez-Sala (ESP) rocketed to the front of the race and set a torrid pace. She would exit the water first, but select athletes were able to hang with her including Knibb, Lotte Wilms (NED), Imogen Simmonds (SUI), and Caroline Pohle (GER).
Podium threats Kat Matthews (GBR), Julie Derron (SUI), Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), and Paula Findlay (CAN) were all within one minute of the swim leader, and still in serious contention as they exited T1.
Bike bonanza: After a slower transition, Knibb immediately took the race into her own hands and quickly established a gap to the rest of the field. At 30km into the bike, Knibb had a gap of over ninety seconds to a chasing group that included Matthews and Simmonds.
As the bike progressed, Knibb continued to blow up the race, and with 10km left in the ride she had an astonishing lead of 4:26 over Matthews and Simmonds.
Behind, a group containing Findlay, Derron, and Gentle were almost eight minutes in arrears of Knibb!
Run and done: As Knibb exited T2 she had an insurmountable five-minute gap over Matthews/Simmonds, and another three minutes to the Gentle/Derron/Findlay group. Only an uncharacteristic blow-up stood between her and a third 70.3 World Championship.
Early in the run, Matthews had pulled away from Simmonds, and with a blistering pace seemed to have second place sewn up. Simmonds meanwhile, was in no man’s land as Gentle began her push for the podium.
And although Matthews was able to make significant inroads on the run, Knibb would not be denied her second world title of the year as she broke the tape in Taupo. Matthews would finish a strong second.
Gentle was anything but as she flew past Simmonds straight onto her first-ever 70.3 World Championship podium finishing in third.
🥇 Taylor Knibb (USA)
🥈 Kat Matthews (GBR)
🥉 Ashleigh Gentle (AUS)
Pro Series prosperity: With an incredible second place performance, Kat Matthews capped off one of the greatest seasons of racing we’ve ever seen as she took the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series victory and the $200,000 first-place prize.
🥇 Kat Matthews (GBR)
🥈 Jackie Hering (USA)
🥉 Lotte Wilms (NED)
Men’s race
Swimsanity: Of the 42 men who hit the pristine waters of Lake Taupō, only one of them exited first - Greg Harper (USA). He was closely followed by podium favorites Leo Bergere (FRA), Hayden Wilde (NZ), Kyle Smith (NZ), Justus Nieschlag (GER), and defending 70.3 World Champion Rico Bogen (GER).
IRONMAN Pro Series leader, Gregory Barnaby (ITA) was able to place himself comfortably ahead of series rival Matthew Marquardt (USA) as the bike began.
Brutal bike: A lead pack of heavy hitters formed early that included Bergere, Wilde, Smith, Bogen, and Nieschlag. Mathis Margirier (FRA) closed a significant gap out of the water and was also amongst the leaders early.
By the halfway mark of the bike, the front pack was flying away and they had a gap of 90 seconds to the second group that included Barnaby, Marc Dubrick (USA), and Tom Bishop (GBR).
By the end of the bike, the gap would grow to over two minutes, and the podium would clearly be coming from the front group.
Run for dough: In a deja vu of this summer’s Paris Olympics, Hayden Wilde took off at an incredible clip and looked to be on his way to a historic home World Championship win. Geens and Bergere were running on their own in second and third - quickly losing time to the Kiwi.
At 5km, Wilde had 40 seconds over Geens. At 10km, he had grown his lead to almost a minute.
But at the next checkpoint, the gap was stable. Then it began to fall…
At 15km, Wilde’s gap over Geens was 45 seconds. Only one kilometer later, the gap had closed to 25 seconds.
It was Paris all over again as Wilde’s incredible lead began to collapse. With 3km to the finish, Geens passed Wilde to take the race lead.
Geens would finish first and win his first-ever 70.3 World Championships. Despite the blow-up, Wilde would hang on for second, and Leo Bergere would match his bronze from Paris as he took the final podium spot in third.
🥇 Jelle Geens (BEL)
🥈 Hayden Wilde (NZ)
🥉 Leo Bergere (FRA)
Pro Series prosperity: After setting himself up with a great swim, Gregory Barnaby (ITA) would finish the day in 9th place which was good enough to ensure he held on to first place in the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series - earning him the $200,000 first-place prize.
🥇 Gregory Barnaby (ITA)
🥈 Patrick Lange (GER)
🥉 Kristian Høgenhaug (DEN)
Tempo’s take: Next time, lets not delay in getting back to New Zealand. Based on the coverage we’ve seen and the sentiment from athletes on the ground it sounded like the World Championships in Taupo was an overwhelming success. With the community’s enthusiastic embrace of the event consistently highlighted.
For IRONMAN, the event was a success and capped off a year where the corporation - led by new CEO Scott Derue - was able to bring some magic and momentum back to the brand.
In 2025 the event will be held in Marbella, Spain and we should expect similar, and maybe even greater success for an event that will be extremely accessible to those who qualify and are willing to travel.
Knibb and Geens also showed that they will be middle-distance forces for years to come. The only question is whether they will be returning as World Champions next year?
Knibb, as the winner of T100 Series, will be offered a significant six-figure contract. And with the World Championship win, Geens will go from wildcard winner in Las Vegas to tour stalwart in 2025.
After regrettable contract language in 2024, it’s been rumored that the T100 Tour will be tightening down on its 2025 contracts so that athletes will be unable to compete in most IRONMAN events. It would be a huge win for the T100 to keep both 70.3 World Champions in its walled garden, but they also might not have the resources to make that happen.
The pro season may be over. But the battle for talent starts now!
FAVORITES
🍑 Magic muscle: The quads, gluteus maximus, and calves are often the muscle groups triathletes focus on the most. But this small, but critical, hip muscle could hold the key to unlocking power and keeping you injury-free. [Triathlon Magazine]
🍣 Fats for performance: Consumption of Omega 3 fatty acids is linked to better overall strength, endurance, and recovery. So how can you get more of this essential macronutrient in your diet? Salmon is a great start. And so are these other options! [Fuelin]
⛄ Rethink winter training: They say winter training is all about logging slow, easy miles. But does that actually make sense for you? No exactly! This article explains why you should rethink winter training and how it can lead to your best summer of racing! [Strava]
🧘 When to stretch: It’s a great debate of our time, should you stretch before, during, or after your run? Ok… definitely NOT during! But when should you actually stretch? And should it be static or dynamic? Find your stretching answers here! [Marathon Handbook]
🏃 Yee marathon: Alex Yee (GBR), the Olympic old medalist in triathlon will be taking on a new challenge in 2025 as he is set to make his professional marathon debut at the TCS London marathon! [The Independent]
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REEL TIME
Maybe its better that they’re faster? 🤔😆
YOU SAID
Tempo readers had plenty of interesting opinions on the future of the IRONMAN World Championships!
Reader: Good to have different venues each with their own challenges like 70.3 Worlds.
Reader: I’ve been fortunate to qualify for 2025 in Kona. If it has been a Nice year for the women I wouldn’t have taken the opportunity. I think reducing the field back down and having everyone in Kona would be ideal.
Reader: I benefitted from the Covid Kona slot expansion and snagged a slot for the 2022 race. I’ve turned down a Nice slot but wouldn’t hesitate to say yes to Kona again, and even favor fewer slots if that is what it takes
Reader: Even if it means fewer age group numbers to meet the island's requirements, IM and Kona go hand in hand. I'm pretty sure age groupers will pay damn near any price to get to go to Kona if they qualify. Kona is a high-value component of the IM brand.
Reader: Come back to Kona on a rotating basis, but take the IMWC around the world. Men and Women need their own day, on the same weekend, or back to back weekends at most.
Reader: Unless you’re aspiring to become a World Champion, if it’s not Hawaii it’s just another Ironman
Reader: I think many people are caught up in the history of Kona. It is not a true world championship because it never changes places. Most other professional sports rotate their world champs around the world. We cannot have the world champs on the same day because professional women do not get a fair race.
Reader: Kona is too small to accommodate the number of people who come to race or watch. In addition to crazy costs, no parking, and stores running out of dairy and other products, local support seems to be diminishing. Several of the run aid stations had only a few volunteers, who were trying their best but not able to keep up (e.g. I was lined up to get water). I have raced in Kona three times and been a spectator twice, so it pains me to say it, but it is time to move beyond Kona, either in combination with another location or at a new spot every year.
Reader: Would you rotate the venue or have separate days for the Boston Marathon? I didn't think so. Ironman says it's about getting more women into Ironman racing but as we all know it's about the bottom line. With women making up 25% of the field at North American races and 10% at European, Asian, and South American races I don't see an increase in female participants happening anytime soon. Women have always had the opportunity to do Ironman. Most choose not to. I say go back to the old Kona—a single-day IMWC in Kona, with fewer slots for both men and women. Oh, and bring back the mass start.
Reader: Your suggestion is excellent, or AGs and Pros on separate days? Or is there an in between group? So like "Competitive AGs" race with regular*("I just want to finish and soak it in") AGs on one day, and then true "this is my career" pros racing another?
Reader: Any splits or rotations will not work well if Kona remains in the mix. Stay with Kona, start the pro waves an hour before the AGs and reduce the AG numbers.
Reader: Any splits or rotations will not work well if Kona remains in the mix. Stay with Kona, start the pro waves an hour before the AGs and reduce the AG numbers.
Reader: I have done races in both Kona and Nice (I won my age group in both locations). No question Kona is the best venue with both men and women racing on different days..
Reader: I really like your idea Matt. Hopefully the people of Kona would be receptive to trying that. But, would the 50 pro women doing a full IM without the energy of the age groupers find the race dull?
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