In just his second-ever Ironman win, American triathlete Matthew Marquardt delivered a breakout performance on home soil, seizing a surprise victory in a rain-soaked edition of Ironman Lake Placid. Marquardt, who was not widely considered a favorite heading into the day, secured the win with a calculated and powerful marathon to close out a stacked men’s field.
The race began with American Thomas Gordon setting the early pace in the water, emerging first from Mirror Lake in 48:51. Marquardt exited the swim in sixth, trailing by less than a minute – well within striking distance as the athletes transitioned to the bike.
On the challenging bike course, Denmark’s Kristian Hogenhaug launched an early solo attack but was reeled in, forming a leading group that included Marquardt, Hogenhaug, Trevor Foley, Robert Kalinn, Leon Chevalier, and Bradley Weiss. This front pack held together deep into the ride until Weiss was the first to drop off the pace around the 125-kilometer mark – a move that signaled the gradual splintering of the group.
By the time the athletes rolled into T2, Hogenhaug and Marquardt were shoulder to shoulder at the front. Foley trailed by 53 seconds, with Chevalier nearly three minutes back. The rest of the field had lost significant ground – over seven minutes behind – effectively eliminating them from podium contention.
The marathon quickly turned into a three-man battle between Hogenhaug, Foley, and Marquardt. Hogenhaug was the first to fade, while Foley surged into the lead and opened up a gap of over a minute on Marquardt. But the American wasn’t done. Around the 30-kilometer mark, Marquardt mounted a decisive comeback, reeling Foley in and overtaking him with confidence. From there, he never looked back.
Crossing the line in a blistering 7:50:08, Marquardt capped off a masterful race execution to take the title. Hogenhaug rallied to finish second in 7:56:16, while Foley, despite his earlier surge, slipped to third in 7:57:13.
