Perhaps the story of the day, at least if you love major surprises, is the victory just claimed by Jeremy MacLean: the just 21-year-old British-American athlete has just won Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga, securing his first-ever professional podium – and thus also his first win – while in the process staying ahead of big names like Matt Hanson, Sam Long, and Antony Costes.
Beforehand, there were few people who had even considered a victory for MacLean, who prior to this race had only competed in a pro race three times – twice in 2024 and once in 2025 – without achieving any noteworthy results. Until now, that is, because today MacLean showed himself at the front from start to finish. Right from the swim, he was in a lead group of nine men, leaving top favorites like Hanson (+1:06) and Long (+2:37) at a serious disadvantage.
While these men normally close the gap quickly on the bike – which is certainly true for Long – this time it was completely different: MacLean broke away together with Benjamin Zorgnotti, and together they saw their lead grow to nearly four minutes. In the final kilometers of the bike leg, MacLean also managed to open up a gap of over half a minute on Zorgnotti, putting himself in an excellent position for the win.
During the run as well, MacLean had an answer for the always-fast legs of Hanson and Long, who ultimately gained back just over a minute on him, which was nowhere near enough to make things difficult for MacLean. American Ari Klau did pose a threat, though; he made a spectacular comeback during the half marathon and charged up to second place, even closing within ten seconds of MacLean in the final meters.
MacLean won the race in 3:45:37, Klau finished second in 3:45:47, and Hanson came in third in 3:48:11. Long just missed out on the podium with a time of 3:48:35.
In the women’s race, the victory went to Grace Alexander, who won in 4:16:42. Paula Findlay finished second in 4:18:47, and Jackie Hering took third in 4:20:02.
