Kristian Blummenfelt did it again. He ran to victory at the Ironman 70.3 Aix-en-Provence at yesterday’s Pro Series race, with training partner and fellow Norwegian Casper Stornes hot on his heels to claim second.
Defending champion, Ruben Zepuntke from Germany, took control on the bike and had put a two-minute gap between him and Blummenfelt, but it was not a lead he could sustain on the run. Eventually, Zepuntke would fall out of podium contention as the battle came down to Stornes and France’s Simon Vlain, who took third.
Norwegians making good on their “comeback year”
Blummenfelt said after the race that he had fun on the challenging bike course, feeling the competition in the mix with about 15 other athletes up near the front.
“I felt strong throughout the whole day and felt super comfortable starting the run. I was planning to go in the last five or six [kilometres], it was just about waiting for the right moment. And I was quite pleased with how the legs felt when I did turn up that pace,” he said.
Seeing two Norwegians on the podium brings back thoughts of another year potentially dominated by the Norwegian cohort. Countryman Gustav Iden, unfortunately, had a tougher day finishing in 24th. But Iden has had some strong moments so far this season, including a second-place finish at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside a few weeks ago. The trio have signalled to the rest of the pro field that it is shaping up to be the “comeback year” they have touted.
Hometown crowd-pleaser in the women’s field
On the women’s side, hometown fans were treated to a victory from France’s Marjolaine Pierre, who kept increasing her gap on the bike as she rode to a one-minute-and-45-second-lead into T2. The battle on the run turned to Lizzie Rayner from Great Britain, and Lena Meibner from Germany, as they went toe-to-toe for second and third. It would be Rayner on the second step, after digging in on the second half of the run to drop Meibner, who held onto third.
For Pierre, it was an especially gratifying win as Aix-en-Provence is the town she studied and started her pro career.
“A lot of my family and friends were here so it’s so special. And the finish area is so beautiful so I’m very happy to have a nice picture on the line,” she said following her win.
Lucy Charles-Barclay returns to her roots
Across the globe in the Canary Islands, Great Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay returned to Lanzarote to claim the win at Ironman Lanzarote. It’s the place she debuted at her first professional race, besting that result this time by almost 20 minutes, since placing third back in 2016. It wasn’t much of a contest as she cruised to the finish 20 minutes ahead of second place athlete, France’s Jeanne Collonge. Germany’s Merle Brunnee rounded out the podium in third.
It was an emotional return for Charles-Barclay, which could be seen on her face as she grabbed the tape. After a tough race at T100 Singapore, it may have been just what she needed to remind herself how far she’s come as a professional athlete.
The Championship 2025
Over in Samorin, Slovakia, athletes competed for Challenge Family’s middle-distance championship title. It was a shake-up before the race even started, with weather conditions shortening the swim. Spain’s Sara Perez Sala lead out of the water, as expected. With the rain and wind picking up, Sala dropped back on the bike after losing some nutrition, while Belgium’s Hanne De Vet and Great Britain’s Daisy Davies advanced, eventually going one-and-two, respectively, on the podium.
On the men’s side, Denmark’s Kristian Hogenhaug dominated from start to finish after a strong swim. The action came from behind, with a sprint finish for second and third between Estonia’s Henry Rappo, and Great Britain’s Kieran Lindars and Will Draper. It would be Rapp and Lindars who had the winning surges to take second and third.
Another modified swim course
On American soil, Sam Long takes to the start line at Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga today for some redemption following his second place win in St. George recently. It was announced a day before that the swim would be cancelled due to unsafe water levels, a huge advantage for Long who’s weakest link is the swim.
As the race gets underway, it remains to be seen if the swim cancellation will help Long deliver a win, and if he will consider it satisfying enough without the swim to quiet his restlessness over St. George.
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