Following earlier victories in 2024 and 2025, Britain’s Lizzie Rayner claimed another triumph at Ironman 70.3 Cascais today. It was far from a tight contest, as Rayner was so dominant that she led from start to finish, taking the victory by several minutes.
Rayner immediately took control during the swim, opening up a lead of just over a minute over a chase group including Switzerland’s Leana Bissig, Portugal’s Madalena Almeida, and fellow Brit Francesca Smith heading into T1. Pre-race favorite Nikki Bartlett exited the water in sixth place, trailing by 2:47.
Those gaps quickly proved to be mere figures, as the bike segment was a one-woman show. Rayner dictated the tempo, leaving no room for her rivals to make up ground and steadily building on her advantage. By the start of the deciding half marathon, Bartlett had moved up into second position, but still faced a gap of more than five minutes to the leader.
Rayner’s victory was never in jeopardy on the run; in fact, she continued to extend her lead. She ultimately sealed the win in a time of 4:13:02. Bartlett finished second in 4:20:11, while Bissig rounded out the podium in third with a time of 4:24:16.
