The first split Ironman World Championships start this weekend with the men's best Ironman distance athletes descending on Nice, France. We will have to wait a whole month until the women round out the championships in the races' home of Kona.
Leading up to this race, much of the talk centred around the possibility of seeing three of the greats battle it out to stake their claim as the G.O.A.T. of triathlon. Unfortunately, an ill-timed injury for Alistair Brownlee (GBR) left him unable to qualify for this year's World Championships, a great shame, as this was likely to be a course he'd relish. Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) has also turned his attention to short course racing in an attempt to defend his Olympic title from Tokyo. Leaving Jan Frodeno (GER) to make it four Ironman World Championship titles and potentially put his status as 'greatest ever' out of question, at least for a good number of years!
Frodeno heads into the race, having won PTO Singapore, which will undoubtedly give him some confidence going into his final-ever race. As well as the absence of Brownlee and Blummenfelt, defending champion Gustav Iden (NOR) ruled himself out earlier this year for the same reason as his compatriot, meaning the challenge would be left to others to overthrow the German powerhouse.
Before the weekend, many have looked to those who performed well at the 2022 championships to mount a challenge. A surprising 2nd place finish for Sam Laidlow (FRA) combined with a Kona bike split record makes him one to watch. A home crowd and a challenging bike course will perhaps suit Laidlow even more than Kona. PTO Ibiza winner Max Neumann (AUS) was also labelled a potential winner after his 4th place finish last year and an impressive race in Ibiza, beating all the favourites. However, as with Brownlee, an ill-timed injury ended his Championship bid.
Another German threat, two-time World Champion Patrick Lange (GER), is the fastest runner in the field, and if he is in touch going into T2, he could well run through those ahead of him. Magnus Ditlev (DEN) is the final big favourite going into the weekend. He is the current World Record holder for the Ironman distance, which he set at Challenge Roth earlier this summer. The young Dane has improved year after year, his ability, work ethic and fastidious approach to performance gains has led many to think he'll be a multiple winner of this event.
Leading up to this race, much of the talk centred around the possibility of seeing three of the greats battle it out to stake their claim as the G.O.A.T. of triathlon. Unfortunately, an ill-timed injury for Alistair Brownlee (GBR) left him unable to qualify for this year's World Championships, a great shame, as this was likely to be a course he'd relish. Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) has also turned his attention to short course racing in an attempt to defend his Olympic title from Tokyo. Leaving Jan Frodeno (GER) to make it four Ironman World Championship titles and potentially put his status as 'greatest ever' out of question, at least for a good number of years!
Frodeno heads into the race, having won PTO Singapore, which will undoubtedly give him some confidence going into his final-ever race. As well as the absence of Brownlee and Blummenfelt, defending champion Gustav Iden (NOR) ruled himself out earlier this year for the same reason as his compatriot, meaning the challenge would be left to others to overthrow the German powerhouse.
Before the weekend, many have looked to those who performed well at the 2022 championships to mount a challenge. A surprising 2nd place finish for Sam Laidlow (FRA) combined with a Kona bike split record makes him one to watch. A home crowd and a challenging bike course will perhaps suit Laidlow even more than Kona. PTO Ibiza winner Max Neumann (AUS) was also labelled a potential winner after his 4th place finish last year and an impressive race in Ibiza, beating all the favourites. However, as with Brownlee, an ill-timed injury ended his Championship bid.
Another German threat, two-time World Champion Patrick Lange (GER), is the fastest runner in the field, and if he is in touch going into T2, he could well run through those ahead of him. Magnus Ditlev (DEN) is the final big favourite going into the weekend. He is the current World Record holder for the Ironman distance, which he set at Challenge Roth earlier this summer. The young Dane has improved year after year, his ability, work ethic and fastidious approach to performance gains has led many to think he'll be a multiple winner of this event.
We have looked mainly at those who have performed well on the 'Big Island', however, HUUB's Dave McNamee (GBR) has told us it's more complex. Nice presents an entirely different race and won't suit those Kona specialists! We asked him for his Top 3 predictions… He gave us 4:
- Patrick Lange (GER)
- Magnus Ditlev (DEN)
- Leon Chevalier (FRA)
- Arthur Horseau (FRA)
Lange and Ditlev we have covered, Chevalier and Horseau are two outsiders unknown compared to the sport's big names, but their results suggest they may well feature at the front end of the race. Chevalier has won Embrunman and Alpe D'Huex, two notoriously tough and hilly long course races. He also finished 7th at Kona last year, which shows he can mix it with the best. Horseau's win at Ironman Lanzarote, beating Laidlow and Cameron Wurf (AUS), showed us that he could perform under challenging conditions with a hard bike, which is almost certainly what we will get this weekend in Nice.
Keep an eye out on HUUB's Instagram and Facebook stories for live updates from David McNamee during the race, giving you an insight into what's happening from a pro athletes perspective.