IRONMAN World Championship Press Conference Takeaways

Sadly I am of a generation who remembers the days when the pre-race press conference here at the IRONMAN World Championship was, well, a serious affair featuring extremely nervous athletes who, generally, told us all that they would focus on “their own race” on Saturday. (In 1998 a nervous Luc Van Lierde, the defending champion, even pulled out of the race minutes before the press conference.)

All that changed a little bit with the likes of Chris McCormack in the early 2000s, but those McCormack, Normann Stadler and Faris Al-Sultan pressers felt more like a fight was going to break out than anything else. Basically, for a long time, there wasn’t a lot of frivolity and fun at the Kona pre-race press conferences.

Those days are long gone. Today’s media-savvy pros have things dialled in, and, while we might not get a great deal of pre-race strategy plans from the stage, there’s certainly lots to keep us triathlon fans happy. Here are a few takeaways from today’s fun:

Taylor Knibb’s Explanation of the Energy on the Big Island

If you’ve got a psych degree from Cornell, you’re likely a deep thinker, and the reigning 70.3 world champ showed that off in spades with this answer to a question about the energy on the island.

“I think it’s a shared experience,” Knibb said. “As humans, we connect through shared experiences. It’s hard to connect with someone if you have no idea what they’ve been through. It’s almost a bridge between people: “I see something the same way, I’ve experienced something the same way.” For a race like Kona, people racing it 40 years ago probably had very similar thoughts and experiences. The island hasn’t changed that much, I don’t think. Well, except for those waves out there. That might be a first.”

“I might be wrong, but I feel like it links everyone together,” she continued. “Regardless of how fast you’ve raced, or how many times you’ve done it, there are moments that connect everyone. You can’t escape them, or maybe it’s not about escaping, it’s something you have to sit through and get through, and you can’t plan it. That shared experience is very unique in our sport. A lot of other races change and are new and fresh, and some organizations are brand new, so you can’t really connect. But for a race to have been here this long, with 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 people racing it a year, that’s a really big connection. It’s also the draw. Everyone has an idea of it before they come here. It even changes the career choices people make, because they want to get to Kona. Everyone’s path to get there is unique and different, but everyone has that want, I think.

Her response led no-less an expert than Patrick Lange to say “with that connection to the island, the win is coming to you (at some point).”

Lucy Charles-Barclay on Bouncing Back

After pulling out in the Energy Lab last year, Charles-Barclay turned things around and would end up winning the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella.

“The day after the race last year, I thought, ‘I might never come back here, and I might not race again for the rest of the year, just to see how my body comes around,’” she said. “Within 24 to 48 hours I thought, “No, I can’t end my year like this. There’s another world championship looming.” I knew I’d done so much work to be on the start line here last year. As long as my health wasn’t a question mark, I felt I should be good to race four weeks later, after going home, checking in with the medical team and getting the all clear to get moving again. I had a lot of motivation from having a bad race, but also from a really tough time going on in our family at that point. Our family really needed a lift, and the only way I could give it was to go and race to the best of my ability. To go and get the win there was amazing. Winning any world title is incredible, but doing it after a really bad result means so much more.”

When asked about her “change in strategy” by skipping the 70.3 worlds this year, Charles-Barclay had this to say:

“For me, it’s been a slightly different year, with my focus just on the full distance. I didn’t want to change the way I’ve been training all year, because it’s been working really well, and this race has always meant everything to me. After what happened last year, I wanted to give everything to this race and stand on the start line confident that I couldn’t have done anything else to be in the best shape possible. Whatever happens on race day will happen, but I’m super proud of the training I’ve done to be here, and hopefully I’ll be proud of the performance I put on at the weekend.”

Laura Philipp and the Excitement of the IRONMAN Pro Series

Heading into Saturday’s race there are just 61 points between Laura Philipp; and Solveig Løvseth for the IRONMAN Pro Series title.

Laura Philipp explained just how the points from each race forces athletes to push harder.

“At some point during the marathon you may feel, ‘This is the position I’ll end up in,’” she said. “In Hamburg I knew it would be super tough to catch a super-fast-running Solveig, and I had very little belief that I could. But then I had a second thought: even if I might not change my overall position, I would get more points. I think this shows how great the Pro Series is for us. Not only does the racing get more exciting, because I could have slowed down and still taken second, but I decided not to, and hopefully that made the race more fun to watch. The lesson I learned, and we all know this, is nothing new: we need to push until the end, especially on this island with the conditions, where so much is still possible until the end. Last year’s race was the best example of that. When it gets tough, we can all remind ourselves that it’s still worth pushing.”

Kat Matthews on Race Dynamics

After finishing just 35 seconds from the win last year, Kat Matthews knows that, in theory, a similar performance (same run, slightly faster swim and bike), might get her the win. She’s also aware that “in theory” rarely works on the Big Island, and especially not when it comes to a field this strong.

“This year is different from last year, and that’s what makes this race so exciting,” she said. “I absolutely don’t believe we’ll see the same race. There’ll be some similarities, but it’s going to be different, and that’s what keeps it interesting. It’s why none of us can predict it, and I always think it’s so unfair to professional athletes when people try to predict the podium. But if we look at last year, what you can take from just 35 seconds is how close it is.”

You can read more about Matthews’s mindset coming into Saturday’s race here:

Solveig Løvseth on Race-Day Strategy

Surprisingly, it doesn’t appear that the defending champion has spent a lot of time worrying about pre-race strategies.

“Last year I didn’t really have a plan at all, and I definitely didn’t plan to break away,” she said. “It just happened, and I’m really happy it did. I didn’t have the confidence that I could ride that strongly by myself. When I was in a good cycling group from the start, riding with Laura and Kat and Lisa, my genuine thought was “just don’t get dropped from this group.” And suddenly I was by myself, and I thought, “Okay, I guess I have to go for it now.” It’s fun to think back on. If I hadn’t gotten that gap on that downhill, I think the whole outcome would have been really different, because I don’t think I’d have had the confidence to do it otherwise. This year I don’t really have a plan either. I just need to see what happens. You can’t plan too much anyway. You have to adapt to how the race falls out.”

And does that stay the same with the IRONMAN Pro Series on the line?

“That’s hard to plan, because you can only control yourself,” she said. “I can’t control where Laura is in the race, unfortunately. Otherwise I’d plan for her to be no more than 60 seconds in front of me at any time. That would have been ideal, but I can’t program her in any way. It’s definitely another really fun layer to the race. There’s even more at stake this year because it’s both the title and the Pro Series. But if I do my best in the race, that also gives me my best chance of winning the Pro Series, so it’s best to just focus on the race. Of course, I really hope both Laura and I have really good races on Saturday. If not, it’s something else that can motivate me towards the end. It’s definitely going to be in the back of my head.”

You can read more from Løvseth and her pre-race mindset here.

The Rookie Will Focus on Herself

Olympic silver medalist Julie Derron is a Kona rookie, and while many anticipate she could have a stellar run and work her way towards a top finish, she appears ready for a more conservative approach.

“I’ve raced all of these women over the half distance,” she said. “I haven’t raced the ones sitting here over the full distance, and only a few of the others lining up. It’s a really strong field, and my plan is to focus on myself, race the best race I can, and see where I end up. As I said, I’m a rookie at this level over the Ironman distance. I’m very curious where I’ll be when I cross the finish line.”

A Legend’s Last Hurrah

Patrick Lange, the three-time IRONMAN World Champion, still has dreams of taking a fourth title and becoming only the third man to have at least that many (along with Mark Allen and Dave Scott). For him, connection with the island is critical if you are to be a champion here.

“Ever since I came here for the first time in 2016, it just clicked with me and the island,” he said. “I think if you want to win this race, you have to make that connection. I loved listening to Taylor. What you said absolutely resonated with me, so I’m pretty sure you’re in for the win if you can feel that.”

“There are so many great memories, and proposing to Julia (Lange proposed to his then girlfriend after winning the race in 2018) is definitely really high up there,” he continued. “But I have to say, in 2024, on the run course, seeing my mother out there and her helping me catch this dude (patting Sam Laidlow on the shoulder) was definitely the most emotional. That will forever be with me. I’m incredibly grateful to be here one more time, and it’s kind of like having two hearts beating in my chest right now. One is definitely the fighter who still has the fire and desire to win here one more time. I think it’s a historic opportunity that’s there for me to pick up, being the third man ever to win it four times. At the same time, the other heart is really saying, ‘Embrace it one more time, enjoy it,’ and give a big mahalo to the community and the island in general.”

When asked about what has made his run such a weapon, Lange had this to say:

“Running in an IRONMAN is special, and it needs some talent as well,” he said. “But we also worked on it early, because we realized efficiency is king. I think we were one of the first to dive down the rabbit hole of running technique, especially coming off the bike, and learning how to be the most efficient. That definitely helped me in the beginning. When I did my first Ironman, a sub-2:40 was still (rare). Now these guys, I think Casper last year ran a 2:28-high or 2:29-something, which is [incredible]. I’m grateful to be one of the ones who pushed the limits up a little, starting with taking Mark’s (Allen’s) record.”

Sam Laidlow Doesn’t Try to Break Bike Course Records

He’s renowned for his impressive bike splits, but when asked if he’d need to ride faster than his 3:57:22 split from 2024, Sam Laidlow was his usual straight-laced self:

“If the conditions are the same, the bike time will be somewhere around that for me, maybe a bit faster,” he said. “I always get asked, ‘Are you going to break the bike course record?’ I want to clarify that I don’t come into this race wanting that at all. I have to race to my strengths. I’d love to have the confidence to stay in the pack with Patrick and Kristian and outrun them, but I’ve got to be realistic. My best opportunity is being good across the board and going fast from A to B. That’s what I’ve done this year, and so far it’s been good for me. It’s just a bit more risky doing Kona than everyone else.”

Laidlow comes into this race unbeaten in 2026, but he was quick to joke that might not have been the case had he raced in Nice. MC Paul Kaye asked him how he will keep that unbeaten streak alive in 2026:

“By avoiding the 70.3 World Championship,” he laughed. “Yeah, the win streak, I’ve cheated a little this year, I’m not going to lie. It’s going to be super tough. Even looking back at 2022, when I came second, I was the first person to really race aggressively right from the start, and pretty much it was just me. Now I feel like I’m not even an aggressive racer. There are lots of Kona rookies like Jamie, Jonas or Martin who love to push the pace from the swim and get out, like we saw last year in Nice. It’s about finding the balance, and hopefully I now have a good balance between having the ability to follow and the experience to know when to push on.”

Laidlow was also honest about the back-and-forth banter between he and Blummenfelt:

“I’m just glad I have someone who can take the banter, because when I tried it four years ago… Sam Long couldn’t take it,” he said. “But, when the cannon goes, it’s all quiet. It’s just racing. In the lead-up to Challenge Roth this year, way before I called out Kristian, that’s kind of where it started. It almost seemed unrealistic, and I still have to remind myself that it’s an honor and a privilege to be here and to have my name thrown in with Kristian’s. He’s done a lot in our sport, probably more than anyone else. When I came in 2022, I was literally just a kid with hardly any sponsors, and I nearly beat them both, but Gustav got the better of me. Looking at Nice was impressive, and I think Gustav’s doing the ‘Gustav special,’ trying to fly under Kristian’s wing. I’m sure it’s going to be very dangerous on the weekend.”

Speaking of Blummenfelt …

A 65-minute half marathon (“It looked like he was sprinting the entire way,” Patrick Lange said) wasn’t quite enough to earn Kristian Blummenfelt another world title in Nice, but the Norwegian star had a quick answer on how he dealt with the disappointment. He was also quick to put the fast run in perspective – he would far preferred the win over a record-setting run split.

“Luckily I had this one coming up a month later, and this is the biggest race we have in the sport this year,” he said. “You have the Olympics and then the IRONMAN World Championship, the big stakes. I would rather get second there and potentially win here than the opposite, because then I’d feel like I won a small race, but failed at the big one. That’s how much this race means.”

“I’m also not just going for the run course record,” he continued. “As Sam said about the bike split, you want to have the quickest swim, bike and run. Last month I was beaten by 18 seconds, so I almost feel like an idiot, coming out with that much energy for the last 21k. Maybe I should have spread it more evenly over the swim, bike and run. But, under the warm, humid conditions we have here on the island, I think it can be smart to save a bit for the run. Patrick mentioned there have been five run splits under 2:40. He has three of them, he used to have one, I have one, and normally you win the race if you run 2:40 yourself. So I still think it’s going to be important to have a bit left in the run legs.”

Despite the fast run in Nice, Blummenfelt has recovered well.

“I recovered quite quickly from the Nice race,” he said. “When I’m able to pace it that well and finish with a strong 3 km in Nice, it often takes less out of the body recovery-wise. I was able to do a specific weekend already the following week in Bergen, before we left for the Big Island, and I had two very solid weekends in a row where I was quite happy with how I felt and how I was responding to the heat. I tried to look back at how my training was in ‘22 and ‘24, and I feel I’ve been more relaxed with the pace I’ve been holding now and more comfortable. So I feel I’m ready for it in two days, but it’s all about putting it together. One thing that’s always tricky is when you have guys trying to break you apart. Two years ago, Sam was going up front and [Magnus] was flying by, and they’re not trying to make my race easier. So it’s about playing the cards smart as well.”

Gustav Iden “That Win Was Almost Too Easy”

You don’t hear that one too often – winning the IRONMAN World Championship begin “too easy.” Gustav Iden, the 2022 Kona champ, was asked about his comments around his first win.

“As I mentioned back then, that win was almost too easy,” he said. “I didn’t have enough time in the long distance to understand how much this race would mean, and I almost regret now that I didn’t take more time on the island and really savour that win. Who knows, maybe I’ll never win again, and I really regret that. But, I feel like I’ve had four really challenging years. Last year was still amazing, with a second place in Nice, and I’ve had some great showings this year, but I’ve been working much, much harder than I did in 2022, and if I win now, I’ll definitely enjoy it far more.”

“What’s changed the most is that people are adapting their racing style to what suits them,” he continued. “They’re following Sam Laidlow more, I would say. He pioneered racing aggressively, at least to some degree, because that’s what he needed to win. More people are trying to find out how they can win and race that way, and that makes it even harder for others, because there are so many dynamics going on. If you want to win, you have to pay attention to everything. You can’t just race your own race. So I think it’s more chaotic, but much more fun to watch as spectators.”

Jonas Schomburg Figures Out How to Win an IRONMAN

After so many races where he has been at or near the front of the race heading into the marathon, Jonas Schomburg finally dialled it all in at IRONMAN Sweden (Kalmar) in August. The key was simple:

“It clicked in my head that I can actually win the race by crossing the line first,” he said. “Running with the watch was also helpful. I think not running 15 minutes for the first 5k, like in Texas, helped. So I’m learning, still new to this game, step by step.”

Marten Van Riel Follows Belgian Legacy

He might be a Kona rookie, but lots of folks are anticipating that Marten Van Riel will be one to watch on Saturday. He’s yet another Belgian athlete looking to shine on the Big Island.

“We’re a pretty small country, so in the triathlon community everyone knows each other,” he said. “Luc Van Lierde, Frederik Van Lierde, Bart Aernouts and some of the others, are all people I’m very close with, and they really gave me the drive and the will to come here to Kona. This has always been the pinnacle of our sport for me. I got stuck in the Olympic pipeline for a very long time, but now I’m finally here, and that makes me really, really excited to race on Saturday.”

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