Kat Matthews of Great Britain has gone down in Ironman history as the first ever winner of the IM Pro Series, taking home a bonus payout of $200,000 USD. Jackie Hering (USA) and Lotte Wilms (NLD) complete the Ironman Pro Series podium, receiving a bonus payout of $130,000 USD and $85,000 USD respectively.
The IM 70.3 World Championship in Taupō served as the series finale of the Ironman Pro Series, meaning it was the last chance for professional athletes to score points towards their end of year standings. Matthews went into the race second on the leaderboard with 17,836 points, needing to finish within 34 minutes of the leader in order to gain on Hering and finish atop of the rankings. In the perfect climax to an epic year of racing, Matthews put it all on the line in a quest for IM 70.3 World Championship victory, coming an impressive second, just 1 minute 15 seconds behind eventual winner, Taylor Knibb.
Hering, who had led the IM Pro Series since her second place at Ironman Lake Placid triathlon back in July had already completed her five required races, meaning today’s race was an opportunity to capitalize on the points premium and improve on her lowest scoring IN 70.3 triathlon. While Hering’s 18th place position and 16-minute deficit from the winner at today’s Ironman 70.3 World Championship wasn’t quite enough to improve on her existing score, her incredible season to date, inclusive of four podium finishes and an IM European Championship title, meant she finished the Ironman Pro Series in second place.
Completing the IM Pro Series women’s podium was Lotte Wilms, whose performance at the IM 70.3 World Championship triathlon saw her clock 1,975 points and move up the leaderboard by one place in the final standings.
At the post-race press conference, Kat 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 [IM 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.”
Matthews’ incredible IM Pro Series season saw her clock five podium finishes, inclusive of victories at Ironman North American Championship Texas and IM Vitoria triathlons. At the latter, she dominated the run course, clocking a 2:54:40 marathon for the fastest run of the day, going on to enjoy an eight-minute victory.
An incredible performance at the Ironman World Championship triathlon in Nice, France also saw Matthews earn her second IM World Championship runner-up spot and earn 5,515 points which moved her up three places in the Ironman Pro Series standings to second.
Matthews also came second at the IM 70.3 European Championship Tallinn triathlon, where she pushed hard to chase down Germany’s Caroline Pohle who went wire-to-wire for an impressive victory.
Today’s performance in Taupō was the perfect culmination of Matthews’ year-long triathlon brilliance, unwavering determination and unfaltering consistency, as she sets an unbelievably high bar of performance for future years of the Ironman Pro Series.
The top 10 female and male athletes in the series share a prize purse of $1.3 million USD, which is weighted according to ranking. Athletes ranking 11-50 all receive a bonus of $5,000 USD each, with the total prize purse $1.7 million USD. The bonus pay out is in addition to any pro prize money earnt at individual races throughout the season.
Top 10 Female Professional Results – Ironman Pro Series
| Place | Name | County | Pro Series Points | Bonus payout USD | Total payout* USD |
| 1. | Kat Matthews | GBR | 20761 | $200,000 | $363,000 |
| 2. | Jackie Hering | USA | 18093 | $130,000 | $190,750 |
| 3. | Lotte Wilms | NLD | 17678 | $85,000 | $128,250 |
| 4. | Hannah Berry | NZL | 17094 | $70,000 | $120,000 |
| 5. | Maja Stage Nielsen | DNK | 15999 | $50,000 | $78,500 |
| 6. | Danielle Lewis | USA | 15416 | $40,000 | $75,750 |
| 7. | Els Visser | NLD | 15295 | $30,000 | $53,250 |
| 8. | Daniela Bleymehl | DEU | 14999 | $20,000 | $38,500 |
| 9. | Alice Alberts | USA | 14000 | $15,000 | $32,000 |
| 10. | Penny Slater | AUS | 12997 | $10,000 | $44,500 |
*Inclusive of bonus and 2024 individual IM Pro Series event prize purses
