Solveig Løvseth Wins Her First IRONMAN World Championship

Solveig Løvseth wins the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. Photo: Eric Wynn

After an amazing day of racing, Norway’s Solveig Løvseth won the IRONMAN World Championship in one of the most dramatic finishes in the event’s history. The Kona rookie came from behind in the latter stages of the bike and after an unbelievably tough marathon to pass Lucy Charles-Barclay and Taylor Knibb, both of whom succumbed to the brutal heat. Løvseth crossed the line in 8:28:27 to win the first IRONMAN world title of her career.

The Usual Suspect 

There is no such thing as a 100 percent lock in sports gambling, but of all the things you could place a bet on, Charles-Barclay climbing out of the water first in Kona is a pretty safe option. She wasted no time separating herself from the rest of the pros in Kailua Bay early on Saturday morning. By the time she reached the swim exit she had built up a lead of more than 90 seconds. Her final time in the swim was 49:26. 

A lineup of eight women followed Charles-Barclay into T1 a minute and a half later, led by American Haley Chura and Great Britain’s Holly Lawrence. Knibb was also in that first chase group.

Charles-Barclay led out of the water in Kona. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

Further back in the water was the 26-year-old Løvseth, who has turned a lot of heads this season with her third-place finish at the IRONMAN European Championship in Hamburg and win in Lake Placid. She was almost five minutes behind Charles-Barclay, entering T1 with Kat Matthews and Laura Philipp nearby.

Fastest Bike Split for Knibb

Just as everyone is used to seeing Charles-Barclay lead out in the swim, it’s never a surprise to see Knibb pass everyone in front of her on the bike. Some of the women in that chase group made up a bit of time on Charles-Barclay as they rushed through transition, but Knibb’s deficit remained the same at a minute and a half as she started to ride.

Knibb didn’t flinch at the gap, however, and she charged along the bike course, passing everyone but Charles-Barclay and moving into second. Over the next 50 miles, Knibb and Charles-Barclay played a little game of long-distance cat and mouse — Knibb would gain some time on Charles-Barclay, but then Charles-Barclay would steal it back and open the lead even more.

Knibb had the fastest bike split of the day with a 4:31:00 ride. Photo: Kevin Makinnon

The largest the lead got was 2:21 after 40 miles of riding, and after that, Knibb ate away at the gap mile after mile. By the time they reached the U-turn in Hawi, Knibb was only a couple of seconds behind Charles-Barclay.

Further back, Løvseth had dropped the first chase group and moved into sole possession of third place. She made it to Hawi seven minutes behind the two leaders, and in the back half of the ride she made up over a minute on the pair.

Philipp and Matthews were in a group two minutes behind Løvseth by the time they hit Hawi, and the gap to the top three only continued to grow as the race progressed.

On the way back to town, Charles-Barclay received a one-minute penalty for littering (a bottle fell off of her bike), which gave Knibb the chance to ride up the road on her own. Knibb entered T2 with a lead of around 100 seconds after riding the fastest split of the day in 4:31:00.

Løvseth had the second-fastest ride of the day. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

Charles-Barclay recorded a 4:33:58 split, and she hit the run course hard as she set off to catch Knibb. Løvseth made it to transition with under six minutes separating her from Knibb. She had the second-fastest ride of the day with her speedy 4:31:53 split.

By the time they made it to the end of the bike, Philipp and Matthews were more than 14 minutes back of the lead. At one point just after the pair left T2, one of the IRONMAN broadcast announcers said they figured the podium was out of reach for Philipp and Matthews unless the top three women started dropping out. At the time, that didn’t seem like a possibility with Charles-Barclay, Knibb and Løvseth looking so fresh, but it turned out to be quite accurate.

Løvseth’s Comeback Win

Early on in the run it was clear that it wasn’t a matter of if Charles-Barclay would catch Knibb, but when. The deficit was 1:43 as she left T2, but she caught and passed Knibb at the 10-mile mark. She was running extremely well, and although there was still a long way to go, it looked like she could cruise to the win.

Despite Charles-Barclay’s poise, Knibb didn’t give her much space to work with. The Brit got as much as 21 seconds ahead of Knibb, but that was when the gap started to close. Mile by mile, Knibb reeled in Charles-Barclay, who was suffering in the heat and walking through aid stations.

Knibb was smooth for so long on the run. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

Knibb caught Charles-Barclay and the pair ran together as they approached the Energy Lab. Charles-Barclay was forced to stop and walk through an aid station once more, however, and Knibb didn’t slow, pulling away and charging into the Energy Lab on her own.

Knibb looked so strong and so smooth throughout her loop in the Energy Lab, an image that was juxtaposed with that of Charles-Barclay, clearly struggling and slowing down further back.

Ultimately, Charles-Barclay didn’t make it out of the Energy Lab. It looked like she would have kept on running, but her husband and coach, Reese Barclay, pulled her off the road and encouraged her to stop. It was a tough scene to watch as she cried in Barclay’s arms and was escorted into a medical vehicle.

At that point, the race shifted drastically. It looked like all Knibb had to do was stay on her feet and the IRONMAN world title would be hers. Løvseth was suddenly looking at a second-place finish instead of third, and Matthews was in a podium position almost 10 minutes back in third after dropping Philipp.

Charles-Barclay struggled in the heat and ultimately had to pull out of the race. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

With only a handful of miles to go before the finish, many athletes in Løvseth’s position may have settled for second. She was virtually guaranteed a podium finish as long as she could maintain her forward momentum, and seeing as it was her first time on the Big Island, that would have been a huge result.

Løvseth is not like most athletes, though, and she was not ready to settle. In the final few miles, she started taking chunks out of the lead. With three miles to go, Knibb’s advantage was down to 2:45 and Løvseth was running a minute per mile faster. Knibb seemed to get word that the Norwegian was gaining on her, and she somehow found another gear.

With about a mile and a half to go, Knibb faltered. She slowed in an aid station and looked like she might fall over. She forced herself to get back running, but that only lasted a few moments before she staggered again. She stopped and sat on the side of the road, left with nothing to do but watch as Løvseth cruised past her.

Matthews ran the fastest marathon of the day with a 2:47:23 split. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

Løvseth called out to Knibb, asking if she was alright, but she didn’t slow. Looking smooth as ever, she made it to Palani, flying downhill to start the final mile. All she had to do was stay on her feet (something that Charles-Barclay and Knibb showed is easier said than done in Kona), and that was when Matthews seemingly came out of nowhere. The gap with half a mile left was just over a minute, making for an unbelievably close finish after more than eight hours of racing.

In the end, Løvseth held on to break the tape, pulling off what has become something of a tradition in recent years among Norwegian athletes, winning the IRONMAN world title in her first crack at the race. She crossed the line in 8:28:27, just 35 seconds ahead of Matthews, who gutted out an amazing race (including a new run course record of 2:47:23) for second in 8:29:02. Philipp rounded out the podium in third, crossing the line in 8:37:28.

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