Kristian Blummenfelt Goes Even Bigger to Take Dramatic IRONMAN Texas Repeat

He came, he saw and, just as he did a year ago, he conquered. This time, though, everything was bigger … and faster. How much faster? Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt came within 12 seconds of his “world best” IRONMAN time from Cozumel in 2021 (he went 7:21:11 at that race that included a with-the-current swim that he finished in 39:40), this time with a swim that took him 48:33. He also managed a 3:57:46 bike split, despite a slow leak during the latter stages of the ride, and followed that up with a 2:30:47 run split, which pulled him clear of Belgium’s Marten Van Riel and well ahead of his training partner Casper Stornes, who rounded out the podium.

Today’s brilliant effort allowed Blummenfelt to take the overall and run course records here in Texas – he already held both of those after last year, but now those splits will be even more unreachable for regular humans in the future. While it wasn’t in any way a shock that Blummenfelt would take the win here in The Woodlands based on his brilliant wins at IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong and Oceanside (yes, there was that sixth in New Zealand, but the word is he was sick at that race), and we were certainly anticipating a “world-championship-like” scenario based on the field, there were still a few surprises. A couple of those included:

• Jelle Geens not exhibiting the patience we anticipated he would need in his first full-distance race, pushing the pace early on the bike, then appearing to push the pace early on in the run before eventually dropping out.

• Patrick Lange having to pull out during the bike due to back issues. The German three-time Kona champ never really looked comfortable, even as he came out of the water. The reason all that is a surprise is because Lange appeared to be in such great spirits coming into the race, and he certainly loves to train and race here in Texas.

And, in what might have been a surprise to many, but really shouldn’t have been:

• 20 metres doesn’t make any difference for those who miss the train in the swim. Sam Long (15th) and Lionel Sanders (45th) were well back after the bike (eight minutes for Long, roughly 12:30 for Sanders) after trailing by just under six minutes out of the water. And, while there could be an argument that the leaders benefit from the coverage motorcycles, for a lot of the. ride the eventual winner, Blummenfelt, found himself well back of the leaders and in full chase mode. I do believe that in a smaller, less competitive race, the 20 m zone will make a difference, but in something with this kind of firepower, I don’t think so. I was on a media motorcycle, and couldn’t believe just how hard the folks at the front of the two main groups were surging. It almost looked like attacks you’d see at a Cat 1 bike race.

• Low 2:30 marathon splits are the requirement to make the podium at these kind of races now. Blummenfelt ran 2:30, Van Riel 2:32 and Stornes ran 2:33 to make the podium. A 2:34 only got Vincent Luis to fourth. Fifth (Rudy Von Berg) through eighth all ran within 47 seconds of each other, but at the higher end of the 2:30 spectrum (2:39:24 to 2:40:11).

• A low 2:30 run split doesn’t help if you’re not fast on the bike – the only man who didn’t ride under four hours was Matt Hanson, who ran a 2:31:50 marathon to move himself to 11th.

We’ll no-doubt have more insights to share over the next few days, but we’ll leave you with the podium finisher’s takes on the day. Here are the quick Q and A interviews I did with them after the flower presentation at the finish line.

Kristian Blumenfeldt, congratulations — what a day. You’ve got to be happy with that.

Yeah, I’m very, very stoked. It was a tough day out there on the bike. I felt like we were chasing for the first 100 km — I decided to put on the calf sleeves in T1, which maybe cost me a few seconds, and I ended up on the wrong side of the two groups and had to chase for that first 100 km. I didn’t really recover on the last 80 km on the bike either, and the last 10 to 15 km was quite rough. I lost a minute to the guys again.

Somehow I was able to recover on the run for the first 15 to 20 km and I felt quite amazing there. But then, around 15 km, Martin was dropping Jelle and bridging up to Jonas and dropping him too. From there it was probably 20 km where I was just chasing Martin, sitting between five and 15 seconds behind him. I had to give it everything at the end — try to go by him and get that mental advantage from coming from behind and passing him. It was a rough final 11 km, but it tastes really, really sweet to take this win. Three wins in four weeks — it’s been busy!

Is it exciting that everyone is just pushing to the limit?

Yeah, I do think what IRONMAN is doing now with the Pro Series is really lifting up the sport — getting professionals to race more against each other, creating more exciting races, and bringing more attention to the sport. When all the best athletes are racing against each other, more people are going to watch. I think IRONMAN is on a really good path and I’m excited to see what the future brings.

Finally, are the guys going to follow the script this year? If you’re winning all the early races, do you get to win the World Championship — or are they going to make your life difficult again?

I think it’s never getting easier. Both Gustav and Kasper are former World Champions and they want to do it again. There are 300 guys out there and we’re never getting anything for free, so I have to fight again in October.

Martin Van Riel, congratulations — second here today. How are you feeling?

Thank you, yeah, I’m actually very delighted. My preparation wasn’t 100% what I wanted, so it makes me pretty emotional to already be competing at this level. I think I can do even better this year, so yeah — it’s a good feeling. It’s a really good feeling.

I guess it’s just a great sign of how competitive this race is and how fast everyone was going.

Yeah, I love that we can have a field like this multiple times a year now. No one is shy about battling each other, and most of the best in the world were here. I think it was a great show for the people here in Texas and hopefully all over the world — that’s what we want to show in our sport. The Norwegians gave me a really, really good battle and I’m happy to be in the sandwich!

Casper, congratulations — third here today. I’m guessing you’re okay with that since a Norwegian won.

Yeah, I’m happy that Kristian took it today. Since I didn’t manage to take the win, I’m very happy that he did. As long as a Norwegian won, it’s the best!

Last time we talked you were worried about your calf coming in, but it looks like things are on the right track.

Yeah, I feel good. I think I’ve made smart choices in training and the road towards Kona is looking good.

Finally, what’s it like to be part of this Norwegian juggernaut? Kristian having another amazing race — it must just be exciting to be part of it all.

Yeah, we really enjoy travelling together and doing every session together. We’re having a lot of fun just travelling the world. It makes it very easy to be away from home for so long when you’re with your best friends. We just enjoy life and have fun.

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