Part I: The Unknown Norwegians Racing in Nice

The start list for the IRONMAN World Championships is now closed and on that list are no less than five Norwegians. You’ll know the two former world champions, Kristian Blummenfelt (2022 St. George) and Gustav Iden (2022 Kona). You might even know Casper Stornes, who trains with the two champions and qualified at the hotly contested IRONMAN Texas. But do you know the other two Norwegians lining up in Nice? 

This is Jon Breivold

Gudmund Toverud Høglund/Høglund Media

Jon Breivold is having a breakthrough year. He just won the notoriously difficult Alpe D’Huez Triathlon and, in spectacular fashion, qualified for the world championships at Ironman Lanzarote, where he finished fourth. 

“These days, it’s really hard to qualify for world champs,” he says. “The field is really deep in all races. I’ve been trying to qualify for worlds since 2023. I’ve been close many times so I was not sure I would qualify. I overtook [Clement Mignon] and he blew up in the last 500 meters–it was quite insane.”

Pro Cycling to Pro Triathlon 

Breivold was a pro cyclist before he was a triathlete, racing at the continental level for four years while he was studying. Even though he was racing at his best, at the age of 25, Breivold realized he was considered “too old” by the big teams to go any further.

“  I decided to retire from cycling and just started to study,” he recalls. “But then, Norseman is a big thing in Norway, and I had this dream of doing Norseman at one point–and I’ve had that since before I started cycling actually. During the spring after I retired from cycling, I started to get this feeling that I wanted to do Norseman quite soon because I still had the fitness.”

“The change wasn’t just about continuing in sports,” he reflects. “It was about chasing a dream that lingered even before cycling took over my life.”

To qualify for Norseman, Breivold did IRONMAN Tallin. Not only was it his first triathlon, but he won his age group in 8:27:45, qualified for Norseman, and got the idea that maybe he could race pro. After a COVID delay, Breivold lined up for Norseman and took the win by over 23 minutes–and earned his pro license soon after. 

Working and Chasing Pro Triathlon  

For the past 5 years, Breivold has been slowly working on his craft–but also working. As a part time project manager for a construction company in Oslo, he’s no stranger to a hard hat or a job site. 

“My employer is also my sponsor,” Breivold smiles. “So, that’s a good deal. I get a lot of support, a lot of flexibility in my work. Otherwise, it would be hard to do it at the highest level.”

Finding the right mix of work and triathlon has been trial and error. This season, he went down to 50/50, and working just a little bit less has paid off. A better balance has given him more consistency and time to work on his weakest discipline, swimming, and the results speak for themselves with Breivold having his most successful season.

Nice World Champs

Preparing for the world championships has been an ongoing project for Breivold since he qualified. He did an early altitude camp, went to Nice to familiarize himself with the course, and has been including heat training in his regime. He’s also optimized his bike with small adjustments to his front and rear bottle cages. 

The bike course is something he is really excited about. 

Gudmund Toverud Høglund/Høglund Media

“ Kona, it’s a legendary race,” he says assuredly. “But probably more legendary for people who grew up with triathlon. I didn’t know what triathlon was until I was 20, so I don’t have these mythical feelings about Kona. It’s a special race, but it suits one type of rider. For me, it’s more exciting to go to Nice just because of the bike course.”

“I used to be a climber and a TT rider,” he says, referencing his days as a pro cyclist. “I would say I’m now close to the level I was when I was a cyclist.” 

Breivold might be coming out of the water with a deficit, but with his bike legs, you might just be noticing another Norwegian in Nice next month. 

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