While we enjoyed a spectacular women’s race on Thursday and witnessed Chelsea Sodaro surprise the world, as she outraced some of the world’s best triathletes, we’re now getting ready for the men’s race at the Ironman World Championship on Hawaii. The race will kick off at 6:25 AM local time (18:25 CEST).
Will Kristian Blummenfelt defend his Ironman World Championship title from St. George on the Big Island? Or will his training partner, friend, and Ironman 70.3 World Champion Gustav Iden do the job? Or… one of the many other strong pro men out there! Don’t miss a second and watch the action unfold live, through the livestream or our liveticker.
Down below, you find the livestream of the race, and – in case you’re unable to watch the entire event – a liveticker that will provide you with all essential updates. The latest update is placed on top, so by refreshing your browser you will first see the latest news. In front of the update, you can see the race time.
8:15:29: Thank you everyone for following our liveticker, today and last Thursday. We hope you enjoyed this amazing race just as much as we did!
8:02:16: Cameron Wurf just missed top then and sub-8 as he crossed the line in 11th place after 8:00:51 hours. Florian Angert followed in 12th place (+21:28), Timothy O’Donnell (+22:34), Denis Chevrot (+22:59), and Matt Hanson in 15th position (+24:30).
8:00:10: The top ten:
- Gustav Iden
- Sam Laidlow (+1:59)
- Kristian Blummenfelt (+2:59)
- Max Neumann (+4:19)
- Joe Skipper (+13:40)
- Sebastian Kienle (+15:15)
- Leon Chevalier (+15:28)
- Magnus Ditlev (+16:13)
- Clement Mignon (+16:33)
- Patrick Lange (+17:55)
7:59:35: Kienle crosses the line in tears. His last race on this magical island, after so many succesful years of racing here.
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7:46:50: Gustav Iden: “I think my plan was quite solid for a rookie, because apparently you can’t win this race when you race for the first time”, Iden laughs at this old saying. “The legend of the hat was bigger than the legend of the island.”
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7:44:44: Max Neumann settled for a still incredible fourth place (+4:19).
7:43:23: Ironman World Champion St. George, Kristian Blummenfelt, completes the podium (+2:59).
7:42:24: Sam Laidlow takes second after racing with a lot of courage (+1:59).
7:40:24: HE DID IT! Gustav Iden your 2022 Ironman World Champion and Kona course record holder as he finished in 7:40:24 hours. Iden’s marathon time: 2:36:15 hours.
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7:35:22: Just before we move to the finish line for Iden: Skipper has entered the top five.
7:34:47: It’s a matter of time before Iden gets to lift the tape. The crowds are getting bigger, and he can slowly start to feel the special Kona vibe.
7:19:22: Magnus Ditlev is struggling and dropping back. Joe Skipper has just passed Ditlev. Skipper is now sixth place. Kienle is still in 5th position, but Skipper is approaching fast and only one minute behind, so that could change within the next few kilometers.
7:17:30: Iden isn’t only about to win the Ironman World Championship, he’s also about to crush the course record were he to continue like this, which he will likely do. 7:51:13 that’s the current course record, held by Jan Frodeno (2019).
7:16:26: A NEW RACE LEADER! Gustav Iden has just flown past Sam Laidlow. Laidlow tried to tag along for a second, but soon realized that wasn’t going to happen.
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7:10:59: 23 seconds! Only 23 seconds between Laidlow and Iden. Another 7 km to go until the finish line. The toughest part of the race is awaiting them. It’s no longer about being physically strong, but definitely also being mentally strong.
7:09:43: The top four at 33K:
- Sam Laidlow
- Gustav Iden (+0:59)
- Kristian Blummenfelt (+2:24)
- Max Neumann (+3:27)
7:06:16: 9000 meters to go. Gustav Iden is only 59 seconds behind Sam Laidlow now. Laidlow’s chances for a gold medal are shrinking rapidly.
6:58:30: Blummenfelt seems to have a hard time. Also, he’s constantly looking at his watch.
6:57:40: Iden leaves Blummenfelt behind and hit the gas! Things are developing fast all of a sudden… Iden is at 1:59 minute from Laidlow and has dropped Blummenfelt (30 km point). Iden looks strong and in control.
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6:54:02: Blummenfelt and Iden are getting close and starting to become a treat to Laidlow, looking at their pace. On the last checkpoint, the Norwegians ran 22 seconds faster per kilometer than Laidlow and the men have another 13 km to go until the finish line. If this split and pace is correct, Laidlow will end up having a problem in the final stretch. Meanwhile, Neumann is 1:10 minute behind the Norwegian train.
6:47:24: Joe Skipper – 8th position – is working hard to get as much to the front as he can.
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6:43:57: He’s only 23 years old and a Kona rookie, but could he do it? Win the Ironman World Championship on Hawaii? Sam Laidlow is still in the lead with around 14 km to go. Can he keep the Norwegians off? It’s a great show to watch!
6:40:06: Laidlow looks Blummenfelt and Iden straight in the eyes after the turn. Their deficit has shrunk back to 2:50 minute, which means the Norwegians are getting closer to Laidlow again.
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6:38:20: Jan Frodeno – in the livestream – about the Norwegians: “They look incredibly strong.”
6:33:38: Check out the top ten at 22.6K. Ditlev and Kienle have passed Chevalier to take fifth/sixth.
- Sam Laidlow
- Gustav Iden (+3:05)
- Kristian Blummenfelt (+3:05)
- Max Neumann (+4:08)
- Magnus Ditlev (+9:09)
- Sebastian Kienle (+9:10)
- Leon Chevalier (+9:36)
- Joe Skipper (+11:28)
- Cameron Wurf (+11:55)
- Clement Mignon (+12:12)
6:29:09: 26 km done and Laidlow has for the first time gained some advantage on Iden and Blummenfelt, who are now more than three minutes behind again (it was less than three minutes two km before).
6:14:12: Neumann has lost time to Blummenfelt and Iden. The Australian is now running at 4:13 minutes from Laidlow, and is 1 minute behind the Norwegian train. It’s hard to tell whether Neumann struggles or just plays it smart, as he walked through the aid station.
6:14:00 – Kienle and Ditlev are still together and are about to pass Chevalier.
6:09:13: “What happens in training doesn’t matter. What matters is what happens on race day”, Blummenfelt said in a pre-race interview, while looking forward to today. Iden: “Training is one thing and racing is something different. I wouldn’t say that I show my weakness in training, but I would say I’m a bit smarter than him, I don’t fall for his mind games; I take it easy when I need to”, Iden commented on their bro-battle.
6:07:39: It was just short, because the Norwegians are now definitely running much faster again than Laidlow. 17K into the marathon and Blummenfelt-Iden are 3:22 minutes behind Laidlow, who seems to have bumped into the man with the hammer.
6:05:05: Laidlow seems to be picking up his pace, because at the latest checkpoint – 16 km – he’s running at a pace of 3:39 min/km, while Iden and Blummenfelt run 3:42 min/km. Meanwhile, a bit more to the back, Neumann has the same speed as Laidlow.
6:01:30: It seems like some rain could be coming, looking at the gray sky in the back. However, when looking into another direction, the sky is still clear and bright blue.
6:00:50: The Norwegians might be ahead – in second and third place – but Neumann is still right behind them and not losing any time. It’s a difference of 38 seconds.
6:00:23: Sebastian Kienle and Magnus Ditlev are currently running side-by-side in sixth and seventh position.
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5:56:09: Iden is wearing his lucky hat, that one that got him famous in Taiwan after he won the Ironman World Championship in 2019. Does it mean this will be his lucky day again?
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5:52:29: Blummenfelt and Iden are pulling off an incredible run so far. The two average at a pace of 3:18 minutes per km. The Norwegians are currently only 3:42 minutes behind Laidlow.
5:48:48: Wow! Ditlev is moving back to the front. He’s already in 7th place again, that means he flew past four people since he served his penalty (+9:13). Looking at his running pace, he will pick up more athletes during the run.
5:42:10: We’ve had the first quarter of the marathon. Iden and Blummenfelt are 4:16 minutes down to Laidlow, while Neumann runs 30 seconds behind them in fourth place. After these first four athletes, it’s quiet for a while, because the fifth athlete – Chevalier – is nearly another three minutes behind Neumann.
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5:41:04: Just like Sanders, Patrick Lange isn’t having a great day at the office either. He’s starting to get back into a good shape now on the run, though. Lange was in 21st position in T2 (+18:36), but moved up one spot in the first kilometers. Also, in 6 km Lange closed the gap to Laidlow with 1:20 minute. He will likely soon catch up with Sanders, who’s now still in front of him.
5:35:38: Lionel Sanders is not having his day. He was constantly far back during the bike part, but on the run he’s not catching up like he usually does either. Sanders is even running one of the slowest paces in the field. He’s in 20th position (+16:59).
5:31:08: Kienle is racing a strong goodbye race on Kona. The former Ironman World Champion has announced to retire in 2023 and to race on Kona one last time. Kienle is currently running in sixth position, as he just caught O’Donnell. The German is 8:52 minutes behind Laidlow.
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5:24:36: Neumann let’s Blummenfelt and Iden go off and slightly drops back. Blummenfelt and Iden are now 5:16 minutes behind Laidlow. In 6 km they shrunk their deficit with a minute. It’s Iden who’s constantly a meter ahead of Blummenfelt.
5:24:01: Ditlev works hard to get back into the race after his penalty. He moved from 11th place to 9th and is now 10 minutes behind Laidlow, meaning he closed 25 seconds.
5:15:20: Neumann, Iden and Blummenfelt are running together, but Neumann already seems to be taking off again. All of them are making up time to Laidlow. In 3000 meters they closed the gap with about 40 seconds.
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5:10:40: The fastest T2 times:
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5:09:14: Unbelievable! Neumann is running strong: he just flew past the Norwegians. Blummenfelt and Iden are running together and trying to get back to him, but it seems like they are unable to match Neumann’s pace.
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5:08:50: The T2 top twelve:
- Sam Laidlow
- Gustav Iden (+6:15)
- Kristian Blummenfelt (+6:21)
- Max Neumann (+6:21)
- Cameron Wurf (+8:37)
- Leon Chevalier (+8:55)
- Timothy O’Donnell (+8:58)
- Sebastian Kienle (+9:01)
- Robert Kallin (+9:12)
- Jesper Svensson (+9:44)
- Magnus Ditlev (+10:25)
- Joe Skipper (+10:57)
5:06:31: Skipper starts the run 10:57 minutes behind Laidlow and in 12th place.
5:05:58: Ditlev has sat out his penalty and racked his bike. He dropped back to 11th position and has a 10:25-minute deficit.
5:04:11: The big group gets ready to run. Wurf, Chevalier, O’Donnell, Kienle and Kallin are at a gap of 8:37 to 9:12 minutes to Laidlow.
5:01:50: Iden is second back in T2 (+6:15), followed by Blummenfelt in third (+6:21) and then Neumann (+6:21). The hunt for Laidlow is on!
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4:59:52: Ditlev serves his five-minute penalty just before T2.
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4:58:02: Laidlow is loving it! Smiling and waving at the crowd as he starts the marathon. The gap to Blummenfelt-Iden-Neumann is more than six minutes. That means there’s work to do for Laidlow’s chasers.
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4:56:34: WOW! He’s back in town: Laidlow is the first to complete the bike part, and he does so by setting a NEW BIKE COURSE RECORD! The previous record (4:09) has sharpened to 4:04:36 hours. And hopping off the bike, Laidlow looked quite fresh for someone who’s been riding the speed that he has.
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4:51:30: It may be Laidlow who’s playing the main part now, but the biggest favorites for the win – Blummenfelt and Iden – are about to start the run in a great position. Although the Norwegian are at least five minutes behind Laidlow, they definitely have the potential to run him down; also, the friends could work together. Neumann isn’t one to overlook either, because while the Norwegians are the highest ranked athletes of this pack, the Australian has won many races in his impressive career too.
4:48:50: 4000 meters left before Laidlow will be the first man to rack his bike back in T2.
4:40:51: Laidlow has past the 168 km point, and he’s still leading with a big margin. He’s flying towards T2. Only another 12 km to go, until we get to see what Laidlow can do on the marathon. We will likely soon see Blummenfelt, Iden and Neumann breathing down his neck. Meanwhile, Ditlev has moved away from Blummenfelt-Iden-Neumann a little, but he will still need to sit out a penalty.
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4:26:58: Laidlow now leads with more than four minutes to Iden, Blummenfelt, Neumann and Ditlev.
4:22:47: Magnus Ditlev will have to sit out a five-minute penalty once he passes the penalty tent. Shame, because the Danish athlete has been doing a lot of work at the front, and is one of the stronger cyclists of the field.
4:17:40: Skipper and Baekkegard have been dropped from the big chase group. They are now riding in 12th and 13th position. The duo is about a minute behind the group of Kienle and Wurf (six men in total).
4:16:33: Lionel Sanders is moving up position wise, because he’s in 25th place now, still far behind in time, though (11 minutes).
4:14:05: Gustav Iden working hard in the chase group, but still not managing to get Laidlow back in sight. Only another 30 km to go, we’re reaching a crucial point in the race.
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4:06:14: +2:28 minutes for Laidlow! He keeps it coming.
4:05:45: How fast do you need to bike to get away from athletes like Ditlev or Blummenfelt? 27.03 miles per hour (ca. 44 km/h), because that’s the speed that Laidlow is currently cruising at.
4:02:22: Laidlow is really off: he’s now more than two minutes in front of Iden-Blummenfelt-Neumann-Ditlev. After the aid station, Blummenfelt took over the lead in the chase group, as Iden asked him to do so.
4:00:01: Gustav Iden makes it clear that he wants someone to take over the lead in the chase pack, but nobody seems to willing to do the dirty work. Ditlev has been taking his turn before for a long time, so it makes sense that the Danish athlete doesn’t act upon Iden’s request.
3:56:42: Gustav Iden is moving sideways quite a lot on the bike. It’s not too windy and other athletes are riding still, so it doesn’t seem to be that the wind conditions are bothering him.
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3:50:40: Florian Angert – who was right in the mix at the start of this bike leg – had dropped back from a 3rd place to 36th place because of a five-minute penalty (+6:31), but he already moved back to a 21st place. He’s made up positions, but lost time, though, because Angert is now 8:59 minutes behind Laidlow.
3:44:10: 125K into the race and the group of Wurf-Kienle-Skipper has lost a few more seconds too. They are now 6 minutes behind Laidlow, while that was 5:34 at the last checkpoint.
3:41:56: The time difference between Laidlow and the group of Blummenfelt-Iden-Neumann-Ditlev has increased to 56 seconds. Blummenfelt took over the hard work from Ditlev before, but now it’s Iden’s turn, as he just past Blummenfelt to pull the group along. In 24 km, Laidlow has increased the gap between him and the first chasers from 25 to 56 seconds. Some strong work by the Frenchman!
3:37:39: Ditlev seems to tell his followers that he’s not going to do all the work alone, and Blummenfelt acted upon it, because he just took over and is now leading the chase pack.
3:33:20: Laidlow taking control and leading the race.
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3:25:08: The gap from Laidlow – leading solo – to Blummenfelt, Ditlev and Neumann is 25 seconds. With only 111 km done, is this a smart move from Laidlow or is the Kona-rookie taking too much risk? The next group has lost another minute to the race leaders (+3:30 at 111K), while Wurf’s group of uberbikers is 5:34 minutes behind, and therefor also nearly half a minute further back than before. Whatever Laidlow is doing, it’s working.
3:24:03: The conditions look good for a fast race. Little wind means that the bike course record (4:09 hours) could be broken today!
3:12:46: With nearly 100 km in the legs, the first chase pack – Smith, O’Donnell, Svensson – is 2:30 minute behind the race leaders. That gap has widened quite a lot in the last few kilometers. It means Laidlow, Ditlev, Neumann, Blummenfelt and are putting the hammer down. Hogenhaug and Baekkegard are currently stuck in between this and the next group (+3:30).
3:08:42: The group of Wurf-Kienle-Skipper (position 11 to 21) remains at a distance of five minutes from the front, which says a lot about the incredible speed at front. Much further back, Lionel Sanders has entered the top 40, but he’s more than eight minutes behind.
3:06:23: Blummenfelt and Iden have caught up with the first little group! Laidlow is still lonely at the front of the race, but Ditlev, Neumann, Blummenfelt and Iden are right behind him. The first athletes have reached the turnaround point in Hawi! That means they’ve just past the highest point of the race.
2:52:01: Three time Ironman World Champion Jan Frodeno, who unfortunately can’t race due to an injury, has joined the livestream commentary team. “The black lava rock has a radiating heat that keeps coming back. It feels like that punches you in the face like a boxing ball”, Frodeno says about the tough conditions of Kona. His favorite for the day? Frodeno mentioned before that he hopes to see Sebastian Kienle – who’s about to retire – win one last time.
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2:47:50: 80 km into the race. While Ditlev is in front with Laidlow and Neumann, Blummenfelt and Iden are riding together in fourth and fifth place (+0:30). Behind them, a big pack follows.
2:47:18: Magnus Ditlev currently rides 28.38 miles per hour (ca. 46 km/h).
2:44:50: A new race leader! Ditlev moved towards Laidlow and Neumann, solo, and took over the lead.
2:35:49: The top 15 at 67 km.
- Sam Laidlow
- Max Neumann (+0:02)
- Magnus Ditlev (+0:41)
- Kristian Blummenfelt (+0:46)
- Jesper Svensson (+1:01)
- Gustav Iden (+1:03)
- Timothy O’Donnell (+1:08)
- Daniel Baekkegard (+1:20)
- Kyle Smith (+1:21)
- Kristian Hogenhaug (+1:23)
- Sam Appleton (+2:57)
- Josh Amberger (+3:57)
- Luciano Taccone (+3:58)
- Collin Chartier (+4:01)
- Tim van Berkel (+4:03)
2:32:00: 67 km into the bike part. The first chase group is making up a lot of time to the race leaders and now at a distance of only 45 seconds. Behind them, Ditlev and Blummenfelt seem to try to break away from the chase group; they created a little gap and continue to hunt down Laidlow and Neumann (still 40 seconds away). Meanwhile, the weaker cyclist – who dropped back from the initial front group – merged with the group of uberbikers like Wurf, Skipper and Kienle. That second chase group has about 20 athletes now.
2:12:53: Florian Angert is relaxed despite his penalty. “This seems to be the same jury member as who gave the penalty to Laura Philipp on Thursday. But I’ll try to catch up again”, he smiles.
2:10:30: Another two penalties: Mathias Petersen and Arnaud Guilloux.
2:08:19: Two athletes in the penalty box to sit out a 5-minute penalty: Florian Angert (now confirmed) and Clement Mignon.
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2:06:23: An update at 50K:
- Sam Laidlow
- Max Neumann (+0:02)
- Florian Angert (+1:09)
- Magnus Ditlev (+1:14)
- Jesper Svensson (+1:16)
- Kristian Blummenfelt (+1:18)
- Clement Mignon (+1:20)
- Gustav Iden (+1:22)
- Timothy O’Donnell (+1:24)
- Daniel Baekkegard (+1:26)
- Kristian Hogenhaug (+1:18)
- Sam Appleton (+1:28)
- Kyle Smith (+1:29)
- Mathias Petersen (+2:34)
- Tim van Berkel (+2:36)
- Collin Chartier (+2:38)
- Josh Amberger (+2:39)
- Andre Lopes (+2:40)
- Luciano Taccone (+2:41)
- Igor Amorelli (+2:43)
2:02:41: Angert is pushing hard in the first chase group behind Laidlow-Neumann. Is it because he knows something we don’t; that he needs to sit out a penalty later? We still don’t know what happened between him and the jury, but we will once the athletes ride past the penalty tent. One thing’s for sure: he’s riding strong and doing a lot of the dirty work in the front.
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1:55:16: We still have Laidlow and Neumann in front at the 40 km point. The chase group with Blummenfelt – and now also Angert – contains 11 men (+1:20). Then there is a second chase group of nearly 20 men at (+1:50) and then a third chase group of approximately 10 men with Wurf-Skipper-Kienle at (+4:47).
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1:52:10: An exciting moment! The group with Joe Skipper, Leon Chevalier, Matt Trautmann and Kienle just caught up with Cameron Wurf.
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1:48:32: Florian Angert was just talking to the marshall and seemed frustrated. It’s unclear what was going on or whether a penalty has been given.
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1:31:10: The uberbikers (but weaker swimmers) struggle and are so far unable to make up much time. While Skipper and Kienle lost about a minute, Sanders has lost three minutes to the race leader since the swim part. Wurf remains the most consistent of these strong cyclists, still being stuck at a 4:30 minute deficit. Also, Wurf moved up from 42nd position after the swim to 33rd. Check out the positions of these four men and their deficit down below.
33. Cameron Wurf (+4:34)
34. Joe Skipper (+5:06)
38. Sebastian Kienle (+5:22)
47. Lionel Sanders (+7:12)
1:26:09: Ditlev is now taken back into the group of Blummenfelt.
1:22:19: While we still have Laidlow and Neumann in front, Angert in third, we now have Ditlev in fourth place and then a big group, led by Blummenfelt. The chase group contains these fifteen athletes: Iden, Baekkegard, O’Donnell, Appleton, Currie, Svensson, Smith, Kastelein, Amberger, Petersen, Wilkowiecki, Amorelli, Chevrot and Lopes.
1:21:20: And within a kilometer that changed again! Ditlev moved up to fourth place; leaving Blummenfel and the group behind the Norwegian behind.
1:19:11: After 18 km of cycling, this is the top five:
- Sam Laidlow
- Max Neumann (+0:01)
- Florian Angert (+00:54)
- Sam Appleton (+01:17)
- Kristian Blummenfelt (+1:18)
1:11:29: The BIg Blu getting at it in the chase!
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1:09:50: Laidlow just took over from Neumann. The two are probably going to take turns in front now and help each other out to keep the other men from re-joining their pack.
1:08:42: Who was the fastest in and out of transition?
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1:07:17: Cameron Wurf has dropped other strong cyclists like Joe Skipper, with whom he got out of the water.
1:05:58: So far, Cameron Wurf – averaging at 24.94 miles per hour (ca. 40 km/h) – the fastest biker of the field. Magnus Ditlev is riding the second-fastest split.
1:01:57: Max Neumann took the lead on the bike and split apart – with 20 seconds – from the rest of the front pack. Things are spreading out among the first guys, because not all men are together anymore. Behind Neumann, Laidlow is in second place 7K into the bike part. Then a little gap to Svensson and another gap to Blummenfelt, who still has the rest of the former lead group following his lead.
58:30: With a deficit of 1:30 minute, the second chase group – with Lange, Heemeryck and Ditlev – has a great chance of bridging the gap to the front. But would we see these merge into a pack of 30 athletes? That would probably be a bit too much, and likely some uberbikers will work hard to make people suffer.
58:00: The fastest swim time of the day is noted by Angert: 48:15 minutes.
56:08: The men are getting cheered on by some shirtless women (something Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt started at the PTO Canadian Open).
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52:10: Some men to watch who are a bit further down the field after the swim:
24. Patrick Lange (+1:27)
29. Magnus Ditlev (+1:33)
42. Cameron Wurf (+4:35)
44. Joe Skipper (+4:40)
46. Sebastian Kienle (+4:42)
47. Lionel Sanders (+4:42)
50:05: The top 20. The first 19 were all in the front group, and then Heemeryck was the first chaser.
- Florian Angert
- Sam Laidlow
- Robert Wilkowwiecki
- Jesper Svensson
- Josh Amberger
- Daniel Baekkegard
- Kristian Blummenfelt
- Collin Chartier
- Gustav Iden
- Timothy O’Donnell
- Sam Appleton
- Braden Currie
- Mathias Petersen
- Max Neumann
- Denis Chevrot
- Kyle Smith
- Igor Amorelli
- Andre Lopes
- Nick Kastelein
- Pieter Heemeryck (+1:19)
49:09: It seems like Laidlow wasn’t swimming for a bonus, because he was quite slow when getting out of the water, which allowed Angert to fly by him and be the first past the checkpoint.
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45:56: More than 20 men heading onto the bike course simultaneously. Will we see a lot of penalties today? Just like in the women’s race?
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41:02: Four to five minutes, and then we will see the first athletes get ready for the bike part.
38:51: Only a few hundred meters left until the first men get out of the water.
36:20: While there are two big groups, Patrick Lange got stuck in a position nobody would want to be in: just in between these two groups, alone, in no man’s land.
34:55: The front group:
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27:02: The leading athletes are currently averaging at a speed of approximately 5 km per hour.
24:20: Some other athletes that can be found in front are Kyle Smith and Braden Currie.
22:40: Angert is setting a strong pace in front and that resulted in some athletes dropping off in the back. Patrick Lange had to let go of the fastest men.
20:43: Lionel Sanders in a pre-race interview: “Kristian might be able to hang onto the lead group, but he may have to give too much energy to do so. Gustav Iden probably won’t be there.”
17:01: Ben Hoffman and Magnus Ditlev are some of the athletes that are in the group that’s breaking apart from the front.
16:23: We have a new race leader in the water: Florian Angert has swum past Sam Laidlow. In the back of the lead group, there is a small gap taking shape behind Blummenfelt; will things break apart there, or will they be able to get back on? It’s likely a result of Angert deciding to pick up the pace.
15:09: The first Age Groupers are off!
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14:30: In the women’s race, Lucy Charles was the fastest swimmer. She clocked 50:57 minutes and ended up taking second place after an exciting battle with Anne Haug, who finished in third.
13:11: The first group is big: there are about 30 men in the group at the moment.
12:20: Blummenfelt had to bridge a gap to get back onto the first group, but he impressively managed to do so. Meanwhile, in front, Daniel Baekkegard is hanging onto Laidlow’s feet.
9:52: Gaps are starting to fall in the water.
7:05: While Lionel Sanders is in last position, Sam Laidlow takes the lead during the swim. It seems like a front pack is taking shape and breaking apart.
6:47: The first Age Groupers are getting into the water now too.
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3:33: The groups merged again. Slowly, some athletes are taking control in front.
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1:09: It looks like a little group of athletes has split away from the rest of the group, and follows a different line towards the first buoy. Is that a smart choice, or a mistake? Let’s see!
0:18: We’re off!! The Ironman World Championship 2022 – for the pro men – are ON!
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-2:20 – It’s nearly go-time! A beautiful classic Kona shot from the athletes lined up in the water, behind surf boards.
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-5:59 – A beautiful moment, just moments before the start: the national anthem.
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-8:16 – Goosebumps! The athletes are getting into the water to do a warm-up swim. The beginning of a big day. Who’s dreams will come true? And whose Kona dreams will shatter….
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-10:49 – 8 (?) more hours until we will bring home the triathletes at this finish line! It’s already busy with fans!
-12:50 – Just like on Thursday, the temperature is around 24 degrees Celsius and the water temperature 27 degrees Celsius. The humidity is slightly lower: 84 percent versus 88 percent on Thursday. But what will the wind do? Will it start off “easy” and pick up later during the bike part? We will have to see!
-14:30 – Check out the palmares of some of the other highest ranked athletes: Lionel Sanders and Daniel Baekkegard.
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-16:30 – Kristian Blummenfelt is the one to watch today. Let’s have a look at his impressive palmares.
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-18:19 – Check out who are racing and what their BIB-numers are, down below:
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-28:30 – The sun is rising and that means the ocean starts to turn from black to blue.
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-43:10 – Joe Skipper seems relaxed, even joking he prefers the pub over a golf course. But talking about the race, he says: “After the swim it’s going to be a deficit, I’ll be down. Hopefully there will be a group of strong cyclists so that we can catch up with the front. On the run, it will all be about who can handle the heat and do it today.”
-46:29 – Sam Appleton struggled with a flat in the transition area this morning, but all is fixed now.
-49:43 – Want to see the list of pros who are racing? Check out the start list here.
-54:00 – As if he just walked out of a Rocky movie! Lionel Sanders is ready. “The strategy is to focus on myself. That’s what I did in St. George too; stay with my own race and not look at others. To trust on what I can do. I need to make sure that I have energy left after 35 km of running. The most terrible races are those when you have no energy left and still two hours to go.”
-1:03:00 – And there’s the other favorite for today: Gustav Iden. He seems relaxed. “I’m inspired by Chelsea Sodaro’s race; she was amazing. I hope we have an exciting battle too, but I can make sure we do.”
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-1:08:00 – Another dangerous “outsider”: Collin Chartier. This man is one of the fastest runners in the field. “It’s amazing to have the privilege to be here. It’s a unique opportunity.”
Tekst gaat verder onder afbeelding
-1:11:00 – Someone we will miss today is Jan Frodeno. The German struggles with an injury and is not able to race.
-1:16:30 – Previous winner Patrick Lange seems relaxed shortly before the race. “It’s going to be epic”
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-1:18:00 – Kristian Blummenfelt: “I feel as good as I can for an early morning. I look forward to race and hope to have great legs; otherwise it’s going to be an extremely long day.”
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-1:21:00 – The Big Blu is present. Kristian Blummenfelt arrived in the transition area. He’s not only the biggest favorite of the day, but also the defending champion. Check out the bizarre long brick session he did just a few days before the race.
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-1:23:00 – It’s still dark, but in 1:23 hours this is where the magical day will start.
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-1:27:00 – Florian Angert, fifth at the Ironman World Championship in St. George, is ready too. “That’s how I feel, at least. I’m in a better shape than in St. George. This is where I hope to peak. It’s my first time on Kona, so I don’t know what to expect, I only know what I’ve heard from other people.”
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-1:28:00 – Another dark horse who could definitely do very well today: Matt Hanson. You’ll have to watch him on the run. “It’s good to be back on Kona. I’m ready to rock and roll.”
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-1:30:00 – Want to see on what course athletes race today? Check out the swim-, bike- and run course overview here.
-1:35:00 – Of course, not only the pro men race today, so do thousands of Age Groupers. Check the start lists here.
-1:38:00 – The biggest race favorites, according to the organization? Check out their picks:
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1:40:00 – Cameron Wurf is in the house! Will he – again – note the fastest bike time? “I’m completely hyped. Last Thursday I enjoyed the women’s race, and now I’m ready to rock myself.”
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-1:47:00 – He may be the most dangerous “outsider” of the day: Denmark’s Magnus Ditlev. “I expect that I will be part of the front of the race today. One thing’s for sure: you need to be able to run a sub 2:40 marathon.”
