For a long time, it looked as though either Sam Long or Jonas Schomburg would claim the crown at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside. But just one week after his spectacular victory at Ironman 70.3 Geelong, Kristian Blummenfelt has repeated the feat in California. He did so in almost identical fashion: unleashing a blistering run to erase a significant deficit and ultimately seize victory in impressive style.
Closely Fought Swim Sets the Stage
The swim saw a lead group emerge, but the heavy hitters remained in close proximity. Marc Dubrick was the first to exit the water (22:24), closely followed by Jonas Schomburg, Brock Hoel, Josh Lewis, Henry Räppo, and Casper Stornes. A short wait followed for Ben Kanute (+17 seconds), with Sam Appleton, Antonio Benito Lopez, Jason West, and Kacper Stepniak hot on his heels. Seconds later, Rudy von Berg, Kristian Blummenfelt, and Cameron Wurf also made their way to T1. The only two major names missing from the front in the opening phase were Gustav Iden and Sam Long, who trailed by 1:26 and two minutes, respectively.
Tactical Moves on the Bike
The dynamics of the swim naturally led to a large pack forming on the bike. However, Schomburg made an early tactical move to gap the field. Only Lewis could stay close in the opening kilometers, and by the halfway mark, these two held a slim lead.
Yet, it was Long and Iden who stole the headlines. Both moved through the field with impressive speed; Long surged into third place, trailing Schomburg by just 44 seconds, while Iden joined the main chase pack 1:09 back. Long’s relentless charge continued until he bridged the gap to Schomburg. After sitting in for a brief period, Long made his move with 15 kilometers remaining, taking the lead and putting further distance between himself and the chase group, although Schomburg was still following.
Drama in Transition
By T2, Long held a lead of over two minutes on the main pack, with Schomburg still for company. However, a fumbled transition by the German – struggling with his socks – allowed Long to kick off the run with an immediate advantage. The chase group starting the run two minutes back was stacked with talent, including Wurf, Jan Stratmann, Blummenfelt, Iden, Stornes, Jackson Laundry, Kanute, Ben Hoffmann, Lewis, and Appleton.
The Blummenfelt Charge
Schomburg quickly reclaimed the lead from Long in the first kilometer of the run. Long shadowed him for about seven kilometers, trailing by ten seconds before surging back to join the German. From that point on, the two traded blows at the front, essentially working together to hold off the threat from behind.
And that threat was real. Between kilometers five and ten, Blummenfelt began to dismantle the gap, shaving off a full minute. By the halfway point, his deficit was down to just sixty seconds – and it wouldn’t stay that way for long.
The Norwegian “powerhouse” looked tireless. At the 16km mark, he moved past Long, who had recently been dropped by Schomburg. Schomburg seemed to sense the inevitable; a kilometer later, the Norwegian colors flashed past him. Schomburg attempted to hitch a ride, but he could only hold Blummenfelt’s pace for 100 meters before “The Blu Train” steamed away for good.
The Results
Blummenfelt clocked a 1:07:01 half-marathon to take the tape in 3:40:08. Schomburg secured second place in 3:40:32, while a late surge from Casper Stornes saw him overtake Sam Long in the final meters to claim third in 3:41:58.
