Matthews and Barnaby Take Inaugural IM Pro Series Crowns

After a grueling season, Kat Matthews and Gregory Barnaby have emerged as the top points earners in the 2024 IRONMAN Pro Series, each claiming a bonus payout of $200,000.

Matthews’ dual second place performances at IRONMAN World Championship events propelled her past long-time series leader Jackie Hering to the top spot on the podium.

Following her performance at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship this weekend, Matthews commented: “I’m really proud to finish the year with the goal that we set out at the start and I think…pulling that together with everything else going on has been a real logistical challenge, as well as a physical one. The funding behind it [IRONMAN Pro Series] and our reward, really enables us to travel to places like New Zealand, and do these races properly, with professionalism and considering our health and performance on race day… Hopefully I’ve set a good benchline for the future years of the IRONMAN Pro Series.” 

Barnaby, however, had to take a different road to the title. He came into the weekend with the IRONMAN Pro Series lead, in part because he had scored already in the maximum five events. The most likely scenario for him to hold onto the lead was to beat Matthew Marquardt to the finish line. Barnaby did just that as Marquardt struggled with cramping.

Barnaby said after clinching his title: “I’ve been doing triathlon for 20 years now and I’ve never earned in 20 years what I earned today, it’s amazing. It’s been an amazing year for me, a really long season, it was amazing to take the win in Western Australia [at the IRONMAN 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship Western Australia triathlon], it wouldn’t have been the same to take the Series without taking a win in an actual race in the Pro Series so I’m really happy.”

Matthews’ Road to Victory

Matthews had remarkable consistency throughout the year, with five podium finishes to her name at IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events.

Matthews started her Pro Series campaign with a victory at IRONMAN Texas. She followed that by another victory at IRONMAN Vitoria-Gastiez, where she won with a comfortable eight minute margin, thanks to a dominating 2:54 marathon

Next came a second-place finish at 70.3 Tallin. But it was her remarkable duel with eventual IRONMAN World Champion Laura Philipp that saw Matthews rocket up the Pro Series leaderboard. That second place gave Matthews a firm grasp on second place, and with an open score available to her at 70.3 Worlds, any finish would see Matthews wrest the title from long-time leader Hering.

Hering, who had held first since a second-place at this summer’s IRONMAN Lake Placid, did not improve upon her score this weekend. Still, with over 18,000 points, Hering was able to take second place and the $130,000 check associated with it.

Lotte Wilms rounded out the podium, moving past Hannah Berry with her effort at 70.3 Worlds.

The top 10 finishers in the 2024 Pro Series are as follows:

Barnaby’s Title Journey

Barnaby came into the Series-deciding race having scored in five races this season, including an excellent sixth-place at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona and his first IRONMAN 70.3 victory at Western Australia. That win propelled him past IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange into the lead of the Series.

It set the stage for a one-on-one battle between Barnaby and Matthew Marquardt for the lead in the series. Marquardt, like Matthews, had only scored in four events coming into the finale in Taupō. It meant whoever came to the finish line first between those two, so long as they were within 8:46 of the winner, would wind up Pro Series champion.

Unfortunately for Marquardt, it was not to be; he struggled mightily with cramping as soon as the race hit the bike and would finish in 36th place. That would still be enough to move him into fourth place in the Series standings and to take home a $70,000 check.

Marquardt’s misfortune solidified Barnaby’s and Lange’s 1-2 finish. Kristian Høgenhaug, who led the chase group on the bike during 70.3 Worlds, finished 17th on Sunday and earned enough points for the final podium spot.

The final top 10 standings:

The 2025 Pro Series will kick off in three months, with IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong and spanning until next year’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Marbella, Spain in November.

Tags: