With that result in Busselton, Barnaby and Marquardt will start in Taupo with ‘winner takes all’ if less than 8:43 behind the winner. If they are more than that though, Barnaby wins the Pro Series (as he can call on his 2477 from his #3 at Mallorca as his fifth best score). Tie break mechanism? Maybe best in IMWC?
Great ‘hang in there’ from Wilms. She scores 2416 which effectively puts her 92 points behind Hering. So if she can beat Hering by that many seconds in Taupo she gets second in the IM Pro Series (with caveat of finishing within 11:37 of the winner, which is not a given for either Hering or Wilms).
In Taupo, Matthews has to finish within about 34 minutes of the winner to be assured of winning the IM Pro Series (add to that the time Hering is adrift).
So in other words, Western Australia only really gave Barnaby the handful of seconds he needed over Marquardt and the tiebreak in case they both don’t make it?
Barnaby was (effectively) 23 seconds down on the ‘best 4 to score’ so getting the 2500 has now set them level.
Racing here, thus completing 5, with Taupo as a spare, has also mitigated the risk of a DNS or DNF (same consideration as Hoegenhaug), but with the possible downside of a poorer performance in Taupo because 70.3 miles in his legs only a fortnight out. And the 2477 is sitting there as a backstop if one of Wilde/Bergere/Stornes/Smith/Bogen goes ballistic and widens the gap to mortals.
Matthews has chosen not to mitigate this risk and relies on Taupo ftw. If this hazard manifests, Hering will stay top and possibly Wilms will push Matthews down into #3.
Difference is, I guess, none of the three best men (in IM Pro Series) will be anywhere near the top places in the 70.3WC itself, whereas Matthews was #2 in Lahti and, more recently, #2 in San Francisco (both to Knibb) so has every chance of a podium or even the win; and the lost recovery (from Dubai), travel and training/prep time if racing here is, on balance, not worth it.
I suppose the other half of it is that Barnaby basically guaranteed himself top 2. Even if he has a terrible day, he’s still guaranteed 2nd. (Realistically - though technically a few can catch him if they win outright)
Marquardt, by staying home, can be anywhere from 6th give or take (DNF + depending on what others do), all the way to 1st.
I think that Hoegenhaug has a little more than a technicality chance if Barnaby has a horrible race to take it all. Dont know the exact math, but if he gets off the bike with the lead group and runs a 1;12 or so, think it is within his grasp. Long shot for sure, as he also has to hope that Matthew has a bad one too…
I would think that ironman would not be entirely happy with how the mens series played out this year with basically 3 lower level pros going for the top 3 podium spots. 3 guys that wouldn’t even be mentioned in the final race except for that fact, and they will have to put some cameras well back during the run to cover that particular race, while the actual race will be up ahead…
or they they think shit harldly anyobdy of the tier 1 pros cares about our sereis.
i am specualting this year its a clear win for t100 vs pro series
nect year with the more races for t 100 it could be a lot closer.
still the one think pro sereis defo win the the way the series scores ther point systen is defo better . and captures the interst more
First I’m sure a gentleman Dane like Mr Hoegen would never ‘hope’ another athlete has a ‘bad one’.
Agreeing with you, on their best 4 scores, KH is 291 behind MM so basically would have to beat him by 5 minutes. This is unlikely. Neither race 70.3 very often. They are both excellent swimmers and riders: I suggest both have a good shout at being close to the lead at T2.; a better chance than Barnaby btw.
But KH just ran 1:17 in Busselton, probably a couple of minutes slower than par for him (was 1:15 in Mallorca). MM ran 1:15 in MT earlier this year.
I see it as the opposite. We’re here, talking about a group of so called 2nd tier racers, moreso than the true favourites for the 70.3 WC.
If nothing else, the ProSeries has gotten us to care about what happens at some small otherwise non descript race in Australia, doing the math to see what one of the guys coming in 10th needs to keep his ranking in 2 weeks.
Agreed - and honestly has brought some new faces into our little world. Becoming a big Greg Barnaby fan - seems super chill, positive, works hard, success at both 70.3 and Kona…I love having some new faces to cheer for! It makes 70.3 worlds even more captivating!
‘Noone’ cares: I suggest that Lange’s clear effort to win the IM Pro Series and Matthews’ effort to choose to campaign for it (as well as T100) undermines that ‘thought’. [Lange = multiple IMWC; Matthews #2 in IMWC21, #2 in 70.3WC]
The IM Pro Series, set up as an alternative to the rather exclusive T100 Tour, in particular rewards athletes who prefer the full distance of an IM (or indeed Roth).
Apart from Blummenfelt (who was heading for Paris) the only top ranked athlete who didn’t go T100 was Lange - a multiple IM World Champion who is financially well set up and far better at full and does not prosper in MD.
Others eg Chevalier Mignon Baekkegaard didn’t have the financial and partner assurance, so signed (for an assured $140k).
Yet others who we expected to do well at T100 have not, for reasons I am at a loss to identify: West, RvB, Kanute, EPB.
‘In 2025, more T100 races will mean IM Pro Series will do comparatively better’: Not clear to me what the factors you think allow this inference.
‘A points system based on time (behind winner) as opposed to points for places alone is better and “captures the interest more”’: Interesting. I guess there might be general research on this. WTCS and F1 use points based on places. What series in other sports use one based on time with no weight on actual position?
and do you think that was ironmans goal .
I think the way the Pro Series has gone and the way a few “nobody’s” have thrust themselves into the limelight is a total accident. I am sure Ironman thought the usual suspects would be the ones fighting for the series win and what has happened instead has been a revelation for the Pro field.
Agree. But I also think it’s bad media for IM (or the other way around: lack of good media) if 2nd and 3rd tier pro wins the pro series. Winning the series, without winning any single full IM ever, isn’t shiny.
Yep,I agree which sends a clear signal as to which is the premier global Triathlon series…and it 'isn’t Ironman. 
I will now go put on my flameproof suit .
i hope you have a strobro poof suit .
you need an iron dome
For the athletes though, this is probably the best thing that could happen. Imagine how motivated those other 2nd and 3rd tier pros are after seeing this.
While the top tier athletes are either juggling T100 commitments with Pro Series races, or racing specifically to win the WC, here you have a set of guys/gals who can focus on just having a super consistent season and end up coming away with something decent.
absolutely .
but this is not the winner takes it all plan that ironman and pto follow, neither of them cares about development.
Sure, sure, someone benefits from this failure. I wonder if IM have confirmed that the points system will stay unchanged next season…
IRONMAN said so, in September, before IMWC Nice (I shared this in the IM Pro Series 2025 thread):