Originally published at: Sam Long, Paralympic Champ Chris Hammer Among Pros Racing Final Edition of IRONMAN Arizona - Slowtwitch News
An athlete races during IRONMAN Arizona in 2023. (Donald Miralle for IRONMAN)
Sunday will mark the end of IRONMAN Arizona, an event that has been a staple of the North American race calendar since 2005. Many pros are in Tempe for the race’s final go around, including Americans Sam Long, Matt Hanson and Ben Kanute on the men’s side. American Paralympic triathlon champion, Chris Hammer, is also in the field, making his IRONMAN debut. On the women’s side of things, Britons Stephanie Clutterbuck and Jodie Stimpson are racing (like Hammer, Sunday’s race will be Stimpson’s first IRONMAN), along with American Alice Alberts and more.
The Men’s Race
Coming into November, Long was slated to race the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain (which took place last weekend), but he withdrew last-minute as he was awaiting the birth of his second child with his wife, Lara Gruden.
Long said he didn’t want to travel to Europe to race if the baby had yet to be born, and so he had to alter his plans and shift focus to IRONMAN Arizona (a race that is much more local for him, as he lives in Tucson). Gruden has yet to give birth, but Long will be on the start line on Sunday morning (unless, of course, Gruden were to go into labor overnight).
Kanute and Hanson are in the men’s field as well, but unlike Long, they did race in Marbella last weekend. It’s a quick turnaround (especially with the jet lag of a trip from Spain to Arizona), but both men could be threats to have big results in Tempe. They will be joined by several other Americans including Trevor Foley, Matt McElroy and Colin Szuch, among others. Great Britain’s Joe Skipper is also on the start list, as well as Switzerland’s Andrea Salvisberg and Dutchman Menno Koolhaas.
Hammer said on Instagram that tomorrow’s race could be a one-off.
“This will be my first, and maybe my last, race of this distance,” he wrote, adding that after this foray into long-distance racing he will be back to focusing on short-course events as he looks to qualify for the L.A. Paralympics. Born with just one hand, Hammer normally competes in the PTS5 division of Paratriathlon, an event in which he won gold at the Paris Games in 2024.
The Women’s Race
Clutterbuck and Alberts both raced in in Hawaii just over a month ago, but they are clearly eager to race again. IRONMAN Arizona presents an opportunity to qualify for Kona quite early, with three spots available for the world champs in both the men’s and women’s races.
Clutterbuck finished 34th in Hawaii, but she had a strong performance at IRONMAN Texas earlier in the year, finishing eighth. Alberts was 23rd in Kona and, like Clutterbuck, she also raced in Texas this year, where she finished fourth. Both women will be favorites for big results on Sunday.
Clutterbuck will be in Arizona just over a month after competing in Kona. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon
Another woman who could have a strong showing is Stimpson. A Commonwealth Games champion and former World Triathlon standout, Stimpson has had some great results in her career. She hasn’t raced an IRONMAN yet, but she finished third at 70.3 Boise earlier this year, and she could surprise people with a big race on Sunday.
Slowtwitch will be on site in Tempe, so be sure to follow along on Instagram for race updates all day long.
