Laura Philipp is Ready for Kona

Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

After her stunning win at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice last year, Germany’s Laura Philipp has continued her impressive run into 2025. She began the campaign with a win at IRONMAN 70.3 Kraichgau, then blazed to that incredible 8:03 finish at IRONMAN Hamburg. She followed that up with her first win at Challenge Roth. We caught up with the 38-year-old after her win in Roth to chat about the day and her plans heading into to Kona.

Slowtwitch.com: Well, congratulations, Laura. We talked about what it would mean to get the win here and you got it. You’re still smiling. How how does it feel to have finally, got the win here?

Laura Philipp: Yeah, it’s definitely special. And it was really as good as I had imagined. To run the marathon in the lead was already pretty unique. The crowds out there are crazy. And especially in the stadium – that was mind blowing, to enter the stadium … You really feel like a a rock star, you know, and it’s so cool if people are happy with you. I just tried to soak it in and enjoy it.

You talked about this being a really good build last year for Nice. Last year you came second. This year you got the win. Does that make you feel more excited about heading into Kona? 

Well, you know, I’m very well aware that every race is different. Every field is different. The conditions are different. So, I think it’s always a great motivation to win. But today I’m just really grateful that I was able to pull that off. I was sick in the beginning of the week and I was close to calling Felix to tell him that I was probably not going to make it. I didn’t talk about that beforehand because it’s always sensitive. You really need to listen to your body and make smart decisions. I really gave myself a lot of rest and was hoping that I will make it. I did feel good. I was maybe missing a little bit of the final end push, but that’s one of the reasons why I’m very grateful that I didn’t have to dig super deep until the finish. If that would have been a fight like Hamburg, I think that would probably have been too much for us today. 

It seemed like you were very patient on the bike. Was that the plan or was that because you were wondering about how your health was? 

Yeah, for sure. I tried to go by feel. I did have a pacing strategy in my mind, something I wanted to try over the course. We’re constantly working with my partners on finding ways to be fast and. Swiss Side are great in advising you on how to ride a course. It was something I tried in Nice – it worked out very well there, so I was trying to do it today. But, honestly, on this course with the two laps it’s very difficult. The second lap you really get a stiff neck because you have to keep your head high and be super cautious.

Iit was good to go by feel, and it’s always smarter to be patient and not go like super crazy hard. And yeah, I think I did that well. It was obviously motivating to hear that the gap was coming down. If Alanis would have increased her gap, for example, I would have probably thought about changing something. I’m confident in my run, but today I wasn’t too sure how I was feeling and especially since the air on the canal was super dry (and dusty), so I definitely felt like this is tough for for my lungs. So yeah, I think it worked out perfectly for me. I’m happy that I was able to show what I did. I know it’s not close to eight hours, but that was never my goal, especially coming into the race not feeling 100 percent. It felt a little bit ridiculous beforehand to even talk about that because I think you need to be Like 100 percent and ready. 

That’s just how it is. The guys never got the question about any records because they could just race for the win. The number one goal, as professional athletes, is you race for the win. And then there can be races for records, but I think most of the times records just happen because we have super intense racing, and perfect conditions. I think, otherwise, you need to set up something like Lionel (Sanders) and Jan (Frodeno) did – a record attempt where you’re trying to optimize everything that is within your control.

What happens now as you lead up to Kona. Hopefully you have a little bit of a break?

A break, for sure. I think at least two weeks. Kind of a season break, and then I actually start my Kona build and I will go to Hawaii in early September. I will do a long heat prep in Maui. That’s pretty cool for training. And then we go over to Kona for the race week. 

You’re going to be going into Hawaii as the defending champion and coming off two incredible races. A lot of people are going to be picking you as the person to beat. Do you look forward to that, or do you dread that?  

I think the good thing about the world champs is that I’m not the only favorite. There are five to seven girls that are really, really strong, and we are about the same level. In the end I’m not the only defending champ that is returning. (Lucy Charles-Barclay is the last woman to win in Kona.) So, I think the pressure will be on several shoulders. I think what I’m really looking forward to is going into the race wearing bib number one. I think that is super special and that is kind of what I want to enjoy and celebrate, in a way, because maybe I will never experience it again. And then, yeah, I think it will be a mental challenge to feel pressure. But, I’m obviously also putting pressure on myself. I want to do good and see if I can be better in Kona.

I already fulfilled that dream (of being world champion) once. I am not sure if I will be able to do it again, but I think the main goal is to go there in the best possible shape, feeling healthy, and then just go for it. And I think you can’t ask for more and then giving everything you have on the day.

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