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Lange Blasts Competition in Sensational World Championship Win

IRONMAN World Champs recap, recovery with age, and which liquid actually hydrates best?

Good morning everyone,

Many of us are still feeling a Kona hangover from the weekend and that’s not surprising! Some incredible racing mixed in with a heavy dose of FOMO and we’re already planning on getting to the big island next year…

Plenty of time to dream!

In today’s edition:

  • 🏆 Patrick Lange takes the win, his third, at iconic IRONMAN World Championships.

  • 💆 How you can improve your recovery as you age.

  • 🥤 And which liquid actually hydrates you the best? (It’s not water!

Thanks for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

Headshot of Matt Sharpe

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ONE BIG THING

Lange Blasts Past the Competition in Sensational World Championship Win

IRONMAN

What is it: On Saturday, the 45th IRONMAN World Championships took place in Kona, Hawaii, marking the first men’s-only event after last year's women-only race. Germany’s Patrick Lange showcased exceptional patience and skill, securing his third World Championship title with a course record of 7:35:53.

Swim shakeout: Not long after the cannon started the swim it was clear just how competitive the race would be. Early on a large pack of 30 athletes formed which included many of the pre-race favorites like Lange, Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), Magnus Ditlev (GER), and Sam Laidlow (FRA).

  • Just before the halfway mark of the swim Laidlow - sensing too many athletes for his liking - took the lead and injected a fierce pace.

  • His efforts helped shed a few competitors, but the bulk of the front pack remained, and over 20 athletes would hit T1 together.

  • Bike powerhouses Ditlev and Robert Kallin (SWE) would exit the water within striking distance only 75 seconds from the front group. 2022 World Champion Gustav Iden (NOR) was also alongside Ditlev out of the water, but after a difficult year with the loss of his mother and injuries, he did not have the form to once again battle for the win.

Lionel Sanders (CAN), a fan favorite, did not have the swim he hoped for as he exited almost six minutes in arrears from the front. However, he did have Cam Wurf (AUS) in his vicinity and a potential bike partnership could see them return to the front of the race.

Bike for show: Not content to sit amongst the lead group, Laidlow flew out of T1 and immediately hit a pace that no other athlete was willing to match.

  • By the time Laidlow had hit the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway he had a gap of almost 90 seconds to the massive chase pack of over 20 athletes that included Lange, Blummenfelt, Rudy Von Berg (USA), and a hard-charging Ditlev.

Hectic Hawi: Just over the halfway mark of the bike, as the athletes completed the turn at Hawi, Laidlow had extended his lead over the next athlete by over two and a half minutes.

Behind Laidlow, Ditlev had made a decisive move to return to the front of the race with only Blummenfelt willing to match him. However, the Norwegian quickly suffered as he began to projectile vomit most of his nutrition. He would return to the still-large second group shortly after.

Laidlow lays it down: Seemingly on for a one-of-a-kind day, Laidlow continued to press his advantage on the remainder of the ride. The Frenchman would complete the bike in a mind-blowing 3:57:22 - almost seven minutes faster than his course record from 2022 🤯🤯🤯

  • Meanwhile, Ditlev began to pay for his first-half heroics and had fallen back to seven minutes behind Laidlow entering T2.

  • Minutes later, a large chase group of 12 that included Lange, Von Berg, and Blummenfelt flew into T2 hoping for a big run, and perhaps, a lapse from Laidlow.

Laidlow lays down: Out of transition, and with a comfortable nine-minute lead over his rivals it appeared to be Laidlow’s race to lose. And over the opening miles, he appeared to be on pace for his second IMWC title as his gap to a hard-charging Lange remained at over eight minutes.

But as Laidlow ran up the hill on Palani Drive and began the first section of the Queen K it appeared cracks were forming. By mile 10 the reigning champ began to walk through the aid stations and when running his pace was significantly slower.

  • At the same time, Lange was flying through the field and ate into Laidlow’s lead with every stride.

  • Suddenly, Laidlow’s lead had evaporated and Lange offered his encouragement as he flew past the Frenchman and took the race lead.

Lange leads: Not even halfway through the marathon, Lange had taken a decisive lead. While behind, Ditlev, Von Berg, and Leon Chevalier (FRA) were locked into a battle for the final two spots on the podium.

  • At 30km into the marathon Ditlev had slid into second, while Von Berg was able to surpass a faltering Chevalier.

  • Pre-race favorites Laidlow and Blummenfelt had been reduced to a walk after massive early-race efforts.

Patrick’s party: There would be no one who could challenge Lange on the run. As he crossed the iconic finish line the German was able to soak up the incredible atmosphere of his 3rd win in Kona, his first since 2018. It was also a record-setting effort as he finished in 7:35:53 - over four minutes faster than the previous record!

  • Eight minutes after Lange, Magnus Ditlev would cross the line in second place - one spot better than last year’s third OA in Nice.

  • Minutes later, Rudy Von Berg would seize the final spot on the podium taking third.

Tempo’s take: With a field featuring most of the top full-distance talent seemingly on their A-game, the race had the makings of an all-time affair. And on all counts it certainly delivered.

The massive swim group set the stage for a ride filled with intrigue. Laidlow’s bike heroics had us believing he was on for an incredible solo victory, only to falter when it mattered most. Meanwhile, the 38-year-old Lange was biding his time and played his cards perfectly to take the win and smash the narrative that ful-distance IRONMAN racing had become a young man’s game.

  • And the winner still believes his best days are still to come!

The island delivered on all accounts as we also witnessed inspiring efforts from athletes like record-setting double amputee Billy Monger, and the Pease brothers who competed and showed us all what inclusive sport looks like.

Kona’s future: The weekend’s success also raised more questions about what the future looks like for the IMWC, and if Kona will still be a part of it moving forward. After a poorly executed event in 2022, locals were furious and threatened to evict IRONMAN unless changes were made.

Now, Kona has a ceiling on the number of athletes who can participate. This is more sustainable for the island, but does it align with the interests of a for-profit entity? Especially one that would prefer to deliver a combined-gender World Championship experience to a larger cohort of athletes?

  • For many, it’s Big Island or bust. But for IRONMAN, it could be big money elsewhere.

What does the future look like for Kona?

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FAVORITES

🥤 Drink better: Is water what’s best for hydrating? No, according to sports scientist Asker Jeukendrup. Milk, apparently, is best! Water doesn’t even make the top five! Check out this blog on how various drinks stack up against each other for their hydrating properties. [My Sports Science]

💆 Recovery with age: Recovering from cycling (and training) as an older athlete can be less predictable at times. This article explains how aging affects cycling recovery, and as it turns out, you can train better recovery! [Trainer Road]

🏊‍♀️ Blueseventy outlet store: The Blueseventy outlet is now open! Find incredible deals on men’s and women’s wetsuits, swimskins, and more. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for you can always use “TEMPO20” for 20% off on the retail site!*

📈 Your next best training method: Cam Wurf, a current World Tour cyclist and pro triathlete just had a breakthrough race in Kona finishing in 7th. How did this happen? Non-negotiable training. Find out what this means, and how it can lead to your next best race! [The Tempo]

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REEL TIME

The real MVP’s of the IMWC weekend? The incredible volunteers! Here they are helping cool Magnus Ditlev enroute to his second place finish! 👏🙏

QUICK NEWS

Jordan jamboree: Aqba, Jordan is preparing to host a bevy of local and international athletes for this weekend’s Ayla Triathlon Championships. [MENAFN]

Australian admiral: Shaun Stephens has been named the new high performance director for Australia Triathlon. A former national coach and performance coach for Team Sky, Stephens will have a heady task ahead of him of returning Australia to the top of the podium at LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032. [AUS Triathlon]

Pro series standings: A huge win in Kona saw Patrick Lange (GER) jump into the lead of the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series standings. However, his lead isn’t exaclty safe and a few other athletes could still claim the lead, and the $200k first place prize! [Triathlete]

Dubai T100 start list: It’s a showdown for the ages at the Dubai T100 Triathlon World Championship Final as the women’s start list showcases an undefeated Taylor Knibb (USA) against T100 stalwart Ashleigh Gentle (AUS). The winner will take home the grand prize of $210,000. [World Triathlon]

YOU SAID

Tempo readers were clearly excited to watch the athletes compete in Kona!

Reader: I’m not really interested in watching a segregated world championship. The women and men qualify at coed events but race the championship at a men only or women only race at different locations on different days. If they want to separate the women from the men then they should have separate qualifying events. Of course Ironman is about the bottom line so this is their future I’m sure.

Reader: Absolutely the best and most exciting week of the year. Ironman Hawaii will always be the cat’s meow! Truly the Super bowl of triathlon. The strength of field is incredible. The only thing that would make it better is if it was the final race of the pro series.

Reader: A friend is racing who has endured every type of injury and overcome them all to earn his legacy spot at Kona. Dreams really do come true.

Reader: I feel like after a few years now of split world championships, we are all coming round to the fact that “Kona is Kona” it’s worth the exorbitant travel expenses, because if you haven’t been to Kona, you haven’t been to worlds. Athletes and sponsors alike are all buzzing for this race. Even Sam Laidlow won’t be happy til he’s won here. Nice was nice, but let’s bring triathlon home.

Reader: I can’t wait to see the athletes crush it AND I love the inspirational stories from the race.

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