Kristian Blummenfelt is the Most Motivated for Marbella

Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

There aren’t many people who would be disappointed with a third place finish at the IRONMAN World Championship, but Kristian Blummenfelt is one of them. “Disappointed” might be a strong word: Blummentfelt says he was proud to be part of the history-making podium sweep with his best mates. But his competitors better believe he made use of the 56 days between Nice and Marbella–and hell hath no fury like a disappointed Norwegian with a world title up for grabs. 

 ”It’s disappointing to lose the race because, in one way, I sort of came third and finished on the podium, but at the same time I was the one who lost the race with the position I came back to T2 with,” he admits. “I should have been the stronger runner. So I do feel I lost the race more than I won the podium.” 

“But at the same time, it was a pretty cool moment to sweep the podium with the squad,” he continues. “So it’s mixed feelings. I lost the race but also we won it in one way.”

After Nice, the trio set up camp in Sierra Nevada, up at altitude and just 2.5 hours from the Marbella course. Getting back into the “daily grind” has looked different for each of the three Norwegians, Blummenfelt shares, adding that it has been the easiest for him.

Gustav Iden, Caspar Stornes and Blummenfelt on the run in Nice. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

“I still have mental energy left,” he says. “ How much more motivation you have for the season can definitely make a big difference in the race. Ultimately, at this time of the year, the ones who have gotten good results, they might feel like they’re sort of happy and ready to just wrap it up. And the ones who haven’t had a good season, they might feel like they wanted to quit one month ago. So, it’s important to stay focused and do the training right until the very end.”

Blummenfelt was the 70.3 world champion in 2022 (he won just three weeks after taking third in Kona) and has another five half-distance wins out of the 10 he has raced during his career. This year, he started his season at Oceanside, finishing 15th after a flat tire ran up the clock on the bike. But that setback propelled him to break the run course record with an incredible half marathon time of 1:07:19, more than two and a half minutes ahead of the next fastest runner. If that’s any indication of how his mind works, Marbella is poised to be his perfect opportunity. 

Still, compared to Nice, Marbella is a completely different race. The rolling course is different, the competitors are different, the distance, speed and even the swim might be wetsuit legal. Although he dodges the question regarding any bike and equipment changes with a sly smile and a “who knows,” he does say that the course reminds him of St. George–the course where he won his 70.3 world title.

“ I’m excited to race a world championship in Spain,” he says. “It’s always great to have big events in Spain. We had Pontevedra, the Grand Final two years ago, and the crowds were amazing and crazy at the same time, so I’m expecting nothing less here in Marbella. It’s going to be a great event.”

What changes can we expect to Blummenfelt’s bike on Sunday? We’ll keep our eyes open, for sure. For now, here’s the link to our feature on the bike Blummenfelt rode in Nice.

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