Josh Ferris and Julie Derron delivered commanding performances at Ironman 70.3 Langkawi, taking wire-to-wire victories that left no doubt about their dominance. Both athletes led from the gun and sealed their wins with impressive solo efforts across all three disciplines.
Ferris in Complete Control
In the men’s race, Josh Ferris stamped his authority early. His swim of exactly 24:00 already gave him a lead of more than forty seconds over Josh Amberger and Tjebbe Kaindl. But it was on the bike where Ferris truly blew the race apart. Despite limited timing data for much of the ride – at least for Ferris, who was missing in the IM app – he entered T2 with nearly a seven-minute advantage, making the outcome all but certain.
From there, the run was little more than a victory lap. Ferris broke the tape in 3:46:56, taking a commanding win. Behind him, the battle for the podium was also decided by huge margins. Denmark’s Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen claimed second in 3:50:25, while Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk rounded out the podium in 3:55:30.
Derron Untouchable in Women’s Race
The women’s race followed a similar script. Switzerland’s Julie Derron took control from the outset with a 24:51 swim, at that point closely shadowed by Fenella Langridge, Natalie van Coevorden, and Regan Hollioake. But once on the bike, Derron began to distance herself, establishing a modest yet decisive lead of about a minute by T2.
Any suspense vanished on the run, where Derron’s pace proved untouchable. She powered to victory in 4:13:52, with Van Coevorden finishing second in 4:18:11. The fight for third was thrillingly close, as five women crossed the line within just over a minute of each other. Justine Guerard secured the final podium spot in 4:22:17, followed by Langridge (4:22:50), Hollioake (4:22:57), Megan Armitage (4:23:19), and Magda Nieuwoudt (4:23:42).