Ironman
Have you ever wanted to know more about Norway’s dominant trio of men? The beloved Gustav Iden, Kristian Blummenfelt, and Casper Stornes?
Well, Iden kindly took the time to sit down with us and revisit their shared history, which goes all the way back to high school! He also shared more about his race in Kona this year, his cancer fundraising efforts in honour of his mom, and what he’s still working toward in the sport.
Let’s dive into all of it!
The Norwegians Knew Each Other Back in High School
Hard to believe, right? Three athletes who knew each other back in high school have gone on to dominate the sport, sharing years of training, racing, and adventures along the way.
From high school sports to the Norwegian national team, and from short-course racing to the pinnacle of long-course triathlon, their journeys have remained remarkably intertwined, having trained together “essentially nonstop since 2011.” And now, each has an Ironman World Championship title to his name: Blummenfelt in St. George in 2021,* Iden in Kona in 2022, and Stornes in Nice in 2025.
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Iden has also won two Ironman 70.3 World Championship titles, in Nice in 2019 and St. George in 2021.
But let’s rewind to where it all began.
The three attended an athletically focused high school, funded in part by the Norwegian Olympic team.
“I was the only one who managed to finish high school, actually,” Iden shared. “The two others, they are not quite up there intellectually, the same as me, you know. They struggle a bit more.”
(Perhaps the other two were simply smart enough to realize they didn’t need high school to become world champions?!)
Iden himself grew up primarily as a cyclist and runner, but when considering the hours required to go all-in on professional cycling, he realized he didn’t want to give up running. So, triathlon it was. He would just need to learn to swim!
He also shared that Norway didn’t have a national triathlon program at the time, and the trio was part of its inception. Fascinating to think that they were there at the beginning, helping build a program that would eventually produce three Ironman World Champions. (Four if we count Solveig Lovseth!)
The Leap From Short-Course to Long-Course
Their collective years in short-course racing were, of course, punctuated by Blummenfelt’s Olympic gold in Tokyo. Iden finished eighth at those Games, although he shared that short-course racing had always been more challenging for him. Having to make up a deficit after the swim meant biking and running incredibly hard, often without results that reflected the effort.
Iden had already captured the long-course world’s attention in 2019, winning the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, where Blummenfelt finished fourth. And it was following the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 that the duo really began shifting their focus more fully toward long-course racing, quickly establishing themselves as a dominant force.
Their success, however, wasn’t simply a matter of two talented athletes moving up in distance.
Iden shared that he has believed in their training methods from the very beginning. Despite Norway having little in the way of an established triathlon program when they started, their approach was grounded in science, with metabolic testing, lactate measurements to establish appropriate training zones, and an enormous aerobic base built through repeatable training at controlled intensities.
It’s an approach that has since attracted considerable attention, with more coaches and athletes incorporating elements of the Norwegian methodology into their own programs. (Although there are also those who argue that only the Norwegians can survive Norwegian training!)
It was also in 2021 that Iden and Blummenfelt prepared to take on their first full-distance races. Iden had been set to make his debut in California. As he put it:
“My first Ironman was supposed to be in California, lining up against Jan Frodeno, which would have been extremely cool as my first full distance. But that didn’t happen. It was cancelled because of the extremely heavy rain, and we raced Florida instead. Jan didn’t bother to change his schedule, so it was me and Lionel [Sanders] instead.”
Always willing to poke fun at his rivals!
Iden took the victory with a stunning 2:34:51 marathon, setting a new course record at Panama City Beach. Meanwhile, Blummenfelt also won his Ironman debut in Cozumel in an incredible 7:21:11, recording what was then the fastest time ever achieved over the full Ironman distance.**
And while Stornes stepped up to the full distance later, he also did so in remarkable fashion, continuing the Norwegian streak of winning the Ironman World Championship on debut with his victory in Nice in 2025. (And let’s not forget Lovseth, who accomplished the same feat in Kona. At this point, it’s practically Norwegian folklore!)
Kona 2026: Racing for His Mom
In 2023, Iden’s mother passed away from lung cancer, which had already spread to her brain by the time neurological symptoms prompted a diagnosis. That year, Iden was noticeably absent from triathlon, understandably needing time and space to grieve.
“Was your mom able to come watch many of your races?” we asked, imagining she must have been an enormous supporter of her son and all he was accomplishing.
“Unfortunately not many,” he replied. “She worked full-time and didn’t have the money or time off to travel. At least not until she got sick. Which is sad to think you don’t have the time until you are sick.”
She had made the long journey to St. George in May 2022 to watch him compete at what was supposed to be his Ironman World Championship debut. However, Iden recalled his disappointment at having to withdraw at the last minute due to illness.
His mom wasn’t able to attend Kona later that same year. As Iden shared, it was “too expensive and too long of a travel.” But she cheered enthusiastically from home alongside the rest of the family as her son claimed the prestigious title on debut, breaking the marathon record and setting a new overall course record of 7:40:23, a staggering 10 minutes faster than the previous best.
While Iden returned to racing in 2024, he wasn’t able to put in the dedicated training he once had. He explained that honouring his mom through a fundraiser was something he wanted to do when he could genuinely contend for the title.
“I just think it made more sense,” he said. “If I did the charity at that time, it would not be a good way for me, at least…when I knew there was no chance of being in the race. I know the charity isn’t about me, but I still wanted to feel good doing it.”
“Why not 2025?” we asked.
“Nice is also a really special place in my heart. It’s where I won my first world title, but it’s still not as iconic as Kona,” he replied.
Iden also reflected on how Nice felt more like a team event. He, Blummenfelt, and Stornes swept the podium, repeating a feat the trio had first achieved in Bermuda in 2018.
But Kona was different.
“As for why I was so emotional [in Kona]…I don’t know, you never know when the feelings will hit…”
Running on his own, wearing the special race suit, and with the significance of the fundraiser, the emotions all came rushing to the surface at the finish line.
Following the passing of his mother, Marit, Iden had shared a moving tribute: “Life is unfair, but I am one of the luckiest.”
He added: “I was born to the best parents, in the best country, in the best time to be alive. Even when my mother was diagnosed with cancer two years ago I felt somehow lucky. Lucky because I have had the opportunity to truly love someone enough to feel as sad as I did.”
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What’s Next?
What continues to motivate a man who has already accomplished so much, with two Ironman 70.3 World Championship titles and a victory on triathlon’s biggest stage in Kona?
“I plan to win many more Konas,” Iden said simply as we closed our interview.
He’s also clear that standing on the podium doesn’t inspire him nearly as much as standing on the top step. Reflecting on this year’s Kona, where he went all-in on the run chasing eventual winner Vincent Luis, he shared that he’d sooner risk finishing third in pursuit of a victory than play it safe to secure second.
Having grown up immersed in music as well as sport, Iden has also shared that, beyond winning, he’s here to entertain and give something back to triathlon beyond his performances.
We’re grateful for all that he and the Norwegian crew have brought to the sport, and for the time he took to sit down with us for this piece.
Let’s go, Gustav!
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Charity Details
In support of Norway’s largest cancer charity, Kreftforeningen, Iden’s goal was simple: to raise 1 million NOK before the Ironman World Championship in Kona. Iden went on to raise 1,054,283 NOK, surpassing his goal.
The prizes included his customized 2026 Giant Trinity TT bike, which he raced in Kona; his customized and signed 2026 Surpas race suit, also worn in Kona; €1,000 in On store credit for each of three winners; a Deboer Fjord 5.0 wetsuit for each of three winners; €1,000 in Maurten store credit for each of three winners; €1,000 worth of Plasmaide for one winner; and a pair of sunglasses for each of ten winners. All money raised went directly to Kreftforeningen.
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Footnotes:
*Blummenfelt won the 2021 Ironman World Championship, which was postponed until May 2022 due to the pandemic.
**The Ironman Cozumel time was not recognized as an official world-best performance due to the down-current swim, which Blummenfelt completed in 39:40.