The best female and male professional and age-group triathletes are currently preparing for the grand finale of Ironman 70.3 triathlon racing at the IM 70.3 World Championship event in Taupō New Zealand on 14 & 15 December. With more than 6,200 athletes from 119 different countries, regions and territories, including nearly 100 professionals, the athlete field is as diverse as the landscape that awaits them on the North Island of New Zealand.
Over 2,400 women will take centre stage on Saturday, while around 3,800 men will go head-to-head on Sunday. Not only will new IM 70.3 World Champions and Age-Group champions be crowned, but the event will also serve as the deciding race of the inaugural IM Pro Series.
“After two brilliant IM World Championship events, we are now onto our third and final world championship event of the year in the stunning lakefront town of Taupō. Originally scheduled for 2020, Taupō is of our most anticipated destinations for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship event and we hope athletes agree it’s been worth the wait. Our theme this year is ‘Tuituia’, which is a Māori word meaning ‘Bound Together in Unity’. IM is all about people, from around the globe, connecting with each other, and with the land and in the oceans and waterways. Nowhere exudes such a culture and a lifestyle that is so entwined with the workings and the beauty of the natural world than New Zealand.” said Diana Bertsch, Senior Vice President of World Championship Events at The IM Group.
In total, 119 countries, regions, and territories will be represented at the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship triathlon. European athletes lead the way with 31 percent of athletes registered to race, and North America is a close second, accounting for 29 percent of athletes. Eighteen percent of the field will proudly represent the home continent, Oceania, and 12 percent will be representing Latin America. Asia makes up six percent of the field, with Africa and Middle East representing two and one percent respectively to complete the 2024 athlete field.
The United States of America is the most represented nation with 1,586 athletes, followed by Australia (765), France (421), New Zealand (401), United Kingdom (390) and Canada (372). Athletes are flying into the North Island of New Zealand from all corners of the globe including the Philippines, French Polynesia, Oman, and Iceland to race at the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship triathlon.
Each athlete lining up has a unique story with their own motivations, inspirations and aspirations.
Some notable age-group athletes competing on 14 & 15 December at the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship race include:
- Team Wes (France): Team Wes is made up of two brothers – Valentin and Théophile – who were inspired by Team Hoyt, the father-and-son duo who were the first special team to compete in and finish the Ironman World Championship triathlon. Théophile lives with Cerebral Palsy, leaving him unable to move without assistance, is partially blind and completely deaf, and therefore non-verbal. However, that has not stopped Team Wes from competing in triathlons around the world since 2014. In 2017, they participated in the IM 70.3 Vichy race, and in 2019 they completed their first full distance Ironman event, also in Vichy. They then set themselves the challenge of doing sub-six-hours at an IM 70.3 triathlon and sub-14-hours at an Ironman triathlon, which they have done successfully. Team Wes is now heading to Taupō with the aim of getting as close as possible to five hours and 30 minutes while crossing an Ironman 70.3 World Championship finish line. Valentin, who is a physiotherapist, trains with Théophile over 20 hours a week. Both Théophile and Valentin love that triathlon helps them to explore new limits, adventure and travel the world together, with their family supporting alongside.
- Olivia Ritchie (New Zealand) – Olivia’s journey to the Ironman 70.3 World Championship start line has been anything but smooth. A keen triathlete, in June 2023 Olivia’s world came crashing down, when a car she was traveling in hit black ice with the vehicle rolling several times. Olivia was airlifted to Christchurch hospital where she was operated on later that day. She had fractured her spine at the T11/T12 level, and the fractured vertebrae were compressing her spinal cord, causing a lack of movement and sensation in her legs. Fortunately, after the surgery, where metal rods were inserted to stabilize her spine, the pressure was relieved from the spinal cord and Olivia slowly began to get some small movement back in her legs. Slowly but surely, she was able to stand and then take her first steps with a walking frame. From there, it was small steps, doing as much she could each day to regain some strength and function again. By December 2023, Olivia was able to jog a little and with a lot of hard work and self-belief, she was able to complete the IRONMAN 70.3 New Zealand race in March 2024. Though getting to the start line itself was a huge achievement, the cherry on the top was earning a qualification slot to the VinFast Ironman 70.3 World Championship event.
- Ciara Stockeland & Bella (USA) – Ciara and Bella are a lovable mother and daughter who have found a common bond in training and racing in endurance sports. After watching her father complete his first Ironman race in Tulsa, Bella decided to begin training for her own triathlon with the goal of completing an Ironman when she turned 18. Bella would go on to finish the IM 70.3 Hawaii and then IM Coeur d’Alene races and even earned podium spots at both races, securing her a place at the Ironman World Championship triathlon in Kona, Hawaii in 2023. With no sports background, Ciara first started running in her mid-30s. After trying her hand at a couple of sprint triathlons, she settled into short distance running and triathlon until she, too, was inspired by her husband, Jim’s finish at the Ironman Tulsa race. Ciara switched gears from training for a fast 5k to training for her first IM triathlon, and in only 16 weeks completed her first at the Ironman Texas triathlon. She has since competed in the IM Alaska race, Ironman Texas race (for a second time) and the IM World Championship race in Kona, alongside Bella. The mother daughter duo also host their podcast together, Two Talk Tri.
- David Zaharakis (Australia) – David is a recently retired Australian AFL player who played for Essendon – one of Australia’s best known and most successful football clubs – for 13 seasons. He also starred in a season of Australian Survivor. Following his retirement David threw himself into triathlon, with his first race at the Ironman 70.3 Melbourne triathlon in 2022. Since then, he’s gone on to race IM triathlons in Busselton and Port Macquarie and Ironman 70.3 triathlons in Tasmania, Geelong, Sunshine Coast, Western Sydney, and Boulder.
- Anne Roesler (Germany) – Anne had aways been into sports ranging from badminton and gymnastics to CrossFit and weightlifting, and eventually triathlon. In 2020, doctors spotted something wrong with her blood tests, which was odd as Anne felt fit and healthy in all aspects of her life. This began a five-year journey with her health. After many more tests, MRIs and ultrasounds the doctors believed Anne had a rare form of cancer in the liver bile duct (Cholangiocarcinoma), meaning part of her liver would need to be removed to prevent the cancer from spreading. In July 2023 Anne went into surgery thinking she would get 30-40% of her liver removed but when she woke up from the operation, she was told they had to remove 70%. Recovery was tough, requiring a lot of sleeping and eating, but Anne’s surgeon eventually cleared her to begin cycling at first, and thus slowly started her training process again. Anne lives life now knowing there is a risk, but not letting it affect her life decisions too much. She is a curious and ambitious athlete and is ‘beating the odds’ in all aspects of her life, as she researches Microeconomics, a very male dominated field. This is where she has created a ‘Women in Theory’ conference to support women in Economic Theory.
- Matteo Ruberti (France) – Matteo was diagnosed with autism at age 10. He began running and triathlon in his early teens and completed his first marathon by 16, and has now completed multiple marathons, clocking a personal best of 2hr41min. Earlier this year he completed the Ironman 70.3 Aix-en-Provence triathlon where he qualified for the IM 70.3 World Championship race in Taupō. Next year Matteo hopes to complete his first full Ironman triathlon, and has his eyes set on the IM South Africa race and IM France race in Nice, with the aim of earning an Ironman World Championship slot. He also wants to take part in the 2028 Paralympic Games, and complete all Six Star Marathons by 2026, of which so far he has completed four. This year, Matteo had the honor of being asked to carry the Olympic torch for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
- Javier Merida (Spain) is a Spanish para-triathlete who got into the sport after losing his leg in a traffic accident. Some of his more notable successes include winning the 2013 Middle Distance Para Triathlon European Championship, as well as being World Vice champion in Para duathlon. He was also the first disabled Spanish athlete to cross the English Channel in 2013, and the first amputee athlete to complete the “Triple Crown”, which consists of swimming the English Channel, the Catalina Channel and the 20 Bridges Swim (formerly known as Manhattan Island Swim). He is a 5x IM triathlon finisher and has completed over 10 Ironman 70.3 triathlons
Additional interesting facts and stats on the field competing in the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship event:
- 43 is the average age of registered athletes
- Robert Heins (USA) is the oldest male registered to race at 85 years-old, while Zane Moore (USA), aged 18, is the youngest.
- At 80 years old, Cherie Gruenfeld (USA) is the oldest in the women’s field, and Annika Rantanen, also aged 18, is the youngest.
- Originally scheduled to host the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in 2020, over 1,000 athletes have been waiting to race in Taupō, New Zealand and deferred their entries to this year
- 31 athletes (15 women, 16 men) have their birthday on their respective race day
- 119 countries, territories and regions represented, with the top five being the United States, Australia, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
- 47 US states will be represented, with the top five California (269), Colorado (119), Texas (114), Florida (100), and Washington (64).
- Six returning age group champions from the 2023 IM 70.3 World Championship race in Lahti, Finland will be racing in Taupō: Great Britain’s Kerry McGrawley (F45-49), America’s Beni Gras-Thompson (F50-54), Estonia’s Timmo Jeret (M30-34), Great Britain’s Chris Standidge (M40-44), Australia’s Mark Clough (M55-59) and America’s Tim Bradley (M60-64).
- This will be the first time that the Ironman 70.3 World Championship triathlon will be held in New Zealand, and the second time it will be hosted in Oceania, with the first location being Mooloolaba, Queensland in Australia back in 2016.
The 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship triathlon will start the race with a 1.9-kilometre swim in the pristine waters of Lake Taupō with views of Mt Ruapehu, Mt Tongariro, and Mt Ngāuruhoe in the distance. The point-to-point swim course sees athletes diving into the water by the Taupō Yacht Club, heading straight for 300m before turning left and swimming parallel to the shoreline for 1200m. One more left turn brings athletes out on the shore opposite Kaimanawa Reserve, the location of T1. To get there, first athletes must run past thousands of spectators and over a footbridge to reach their bike.
Athletes will then embark on a 90-kilometre, single loop bike course features stunning and wide-open countryside but will challenge athletes with plenty of rolling hills and punchy climbs, as well as New Zealand’s infamous chip-seal road surface. The bike course begins with athletes exiting T1 and heading northeast out of town, taking in breathtaking views of the Aratiatia Rapids along the way as they make their way towards the fully closed State Highway 5, featuring some steady uphill sections followed by long, flowy downhills. Along State Highway 5 athletes will cross the Waikato River for a second time before as they begin their journey back into town and into T2.
The final leg of the 2024 IM 70.3 World Championship race is a 21.1-kilometre run course featuring two laps along the Taupō lakefront. The course will be lined throughout with spectators, with the local Taupō community known for its fervent support of athletes at Ironman events. The course will see runners exit T1 and turn right towards the centre of town, turning around on Ferry Road and heading back out along the waterfront and past the recently erected Te Atea – Tapuaeharuru, a run course hot spot. From here, athletes will continue along the path out past Two Mile Bay Sailing Club – another run course hot zone – before turning around at the Two Mile Bay Boat Ramp and heading back into town. Athletes will repeat this lap before completing their final flourish, turning right onto Tongariro Street where they will reach the IM 70.3 World Championship finish line.
