Knibb lost a race, LCB (usually guaranteed a podium whichever race she’s in) doesn’t podium and Gentle who was at one point winning any race she entered is struggling to get top 5.
Go ahead and compare times if you want, the evidence is pointing to the bar being raised not lowered!
Well Lucy went into the tank just 6 days before in a half ironman, so she has a legit excuse. And if you think Gentle is on her grand final form from last year, well I can’t help you. Something is wrong with her, she is not racing to her true form, or anywhere near last years…
Now if we were talking the mens field, I would tend to agree that the level is a notch ahead of last year for sure…
I’m just here to say Mika Noidt. Can we start a petition for him to change how he spells his last name?
No worries, it’s Noodt not Noidt 
Yeah, the owner of the worst looking trisuit in the field (as noted by @Lagoon) looking more and more impressive. His whole shtick of letting the hair loose for the finishing chute is the sort of small quirk that triathlon badly needs. Consistency is boring, but Noodt - Mr. Consistent - is not. He also deserves credit for focusing on the T100.
I found the races really good and if it didn’t require 7 hours of my time, I would’ve watched the entire thing without fast forwarding. Didn’t love the penalties, but I prefer anal officials to blind ones (the sort we saw in 2024). Definitely added unintended drama, too, as Geens got pulled up to the front by Noodt, which the Belgian was the first to admit helped him win the race.
And how about Learmonth and Lawrence. I know the motherhood thing is a tired subject already, still can’t help rooting for these women. Learmonth gives the best post race interviews - she always has - and I hope to always see her in the top 3 just so I can watch them. And Deadly Knibb has become even more sympathetic now that she’s not unassailable. So well done by her, uplifting the series and being a thorough professional in not talking about Kona all the time.
Finally, I couldn’t believe the guy talking in Greg Welch’s voice was Greg Welch. But he was! Providing insight and stuff! Being prepared! Following the sport! You guys are picking on him needlessly for repeating some phrases; just compare Welch in the Ironman booth with what we heard on Saturday.
I fear the ‘Noidt’ adaption to address a particular concern whooshed over your head.
The later contributions from Welch evidenced some preparation: good effort. Perhaps the PTO pay him more (than IM) to invest in prep time.
I do think he could resolve to eliminate his pseudo-authoritative gait analysis spewings. Fair enough for Sanders, Hanson, Knibb (just maybe) and Marquardt but offering a critique on others borders on speculation.
I loved how even after hearing a co-host say his name properly Welch jumped right back into calling him Noidt.
I understand Lang-eh vs Lange, and Anna vs Anne, but where the hell does the Oi come from?
Also in German the double oo is pronounced like a long o, not like a u (or how you pronounce the double oo in English).
So Age Group winner runs faster than Pro winner and finishes in a time that would put him in 9th place (bit different course bla bla)
It’s getting more and more common to be the fox’s head than the lion’s tail…
https://www.strava.com/activities/14809634863/laps
I can only hope for Funk that it is due to the Challenge Roth training that he isn’t that competitive as last year and can switch gears after Roth. Otherwise it might be better to focus on long distance fully next year.
Geens ran 58:23. Good spot though. Different ‘three sport’ comparison:
Luke Tasker 26:11 (x) 3:02 1:49:01 (x) 1:35 59:54 (x) 3:19:42
Sam Long 29:26 (19) 1:49 1:49:35 (9) 00:42 1:00:36 (8) 3:22:05
Two minutes more for Tasker in transition. Tide state difference.
13:41 ahead of the next amateur (Cartwright).
Anybody wondering if Luke has a background in endurance sports, well yes. Bio:
Luke Tasker has been an athlete his entire life. A former national-level swimmer, he transitioned to modern pentathlon before moving to Canada, where he continued swimming and running before adding cycling to the mix. His first 70.3 race sparked an obsession, and now he’s chasing victory at the 2025 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
Ok so definitely a pro racing as AG. I don’t understand why someone would prefer winning his AG when is clearly capable of qualifying as a pro and be getting some nice prize money in the meantime but fair enough
Has never been a pro. Was a U18 GBR modern pentathlete but gave it up ?8 years ago, ski bum in Canada for a few seasons, then fireman in Vancouver and got stuck into tri end 2023.
I have seen this problem before: the ‘late starter’ dilemma of wanting to consummate one’s amateur performance with a win at IMWC or, in this case 70.3WC (Marbella).
OR take a Pro card (BriTri would give him one in days and I assume Canada is less onerous) and go and race the big boys and girls.
He’s run out of time to qualify as a Pro for Marbella (should’ve taken his card after his (amateur) win at Oceanside).
a little pet peeve
chasing AGE group victory at the 2025 ironman 70.3 world champs.
sea/ocean
more marketing vs reality.
Different bike and run course for the amateur race.
But same distances. He would probably have performed better with the big guys having someone to race against instead of being all alone overtaking lapped athletes all the time.
42.5 km/h avg. with +600 m with that swim and run is something not all can achieve
um…aussie, aussie, oi, oi,…right
What does this mean? I don’t get it?
He what’s won every 70.3 within a days drive since 2023 so the result isn’t exactly strange.
He can pick age grouper or pro it’s his choice.
The course might have been much different and the weather overall.
As for strong age groupers if you win your age group by 20 minutes people think you should go pro, you race pro and are at the back of the pack people will complain about that and getting mixed with the women , so people just can’t win in this world unless your #1 and alway #1 . But even then someone will eventually complain your boring because you win everything , everyone is good at complaining.
