Just trying to compile a list here (for curiosity really). I can add the first few that comes to mind:
More??
Not trying to be difficult, but we’re back to the discussion of whether records exist (my stance: no), and which results count. For instance, consensus rules out Lange’s 7:19:19 in Roth in 2021 and Blummenfelt’s 7:21:12 in Cozumel the same year.
Not talking about records here. Just if an athlete has gone under 7h30m in what is considered an IM distance race, where all 3 diciplines were completed.
Tailwind: OK
Downhill Swim: OK
Having paid pacers on bike & run: Not OK
What happened to Lange i Roth 2021? My memory fails mere here 
Especially since there are races in that list that were intentionally made short but within “spec”
The word “records” wasn’t the best choice. Basically I mean what is considered a legit iron distance race (no different from the discussion on where a “record” is recognized and where it’s not).
The Roth course was made very short (170 km or even less) in 2021 due to roadworks, in contrast to being moderately short in other years.
To add to your list of races though (without expanding the list of athletes), Blu finished Texas in 7:24:20 a couple of months ago.
Oh, and look here. Chevrot! Plus 3 other guys getting really close
Thanks! Blu is already on the list 
IMO - a race where the bike is 170km or less is not really IM distance, but feel free to add Lange to the list.
I’ll play!
Thorsten has done this for ‘you’. ‘Obviously’ the Frankfurt results are not yet included and it’s arguable they should be given the significantly short bike. Wrt Chevrot in Hamburg: the bike course was truncated because of the tragic fatal incident so unreasonable to include.
https://www.trirating.com/ironman-distance-records/
I’ve added in KB and KHh but maybe there are others.
I’d further observe that the gap to Haug and Philipp (<40 minutes in Roth last year) suggests than those women are actually doing ‘better’ than the men.
(Gap in Kona has been 53 minutes in 2022, and 49 in 2019. though only 34 in Ryf’s standout year (2018, 8:26 v Lange’s 7:52).)
| Rank | Name | Nation | Time | Race |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kristian Blummenfelt© | NOR | (07:21:11) | IM Cozumel 2021 | |
| 1 | Magnus Ditlev | DAN | 07:23:24 | Challenge Roth 2024 |
| 2 | Kristian Blummenfelt | NOR | 07:24:20 | IM Texas 2025 |
| 3 | Magnus Ditlev | DAN | 07:24:40 | Challenge Roth 2023 |
| 4 | Kristian Blummenfelt | NOR | 07:25:57 | IM Frankfurt 2025 |
| 5 | Jan Frodeno | DEU | 07:27:53 | Tri Battle 2021 |
| 6 | Jan Stratmann | DEU | 07:28:25 | IM Barcelona 2024 |
| 7 | Kristian Hoegenhaug | DAN | 07:28:32 | IM Frankfurt 2025 |
| 1 | Anne Haug | DEU | 08:02:38 | Challenge Roth on 2024-07-07 |
| 2 | Laura Philipp | DEU | 08:03:13 | IM Hamburg on 2025-06-01 |
| 3 | Kat Matthews | GBR | 08:05:13 | IM Hamburg on 2025-06-01 |
| 4 | Daniela Ryf | SUI | 08:08:21 | Challenge Roth on 2023-06-25 |
| 5 | Kat Matthews | GBR | 08:10:34 | IM Texas on 2025-04-26 |
Having said all that, “Updated list of athletes that has subbed 7h30m in Ironman distance”. The “Ironman Distance” is 3.8km/180km/42.2km. If any of these disciplines is more than 1% short, it’s NOT an Ironman Distance. 2% if you must.
I like that definition.
Thanks for sharing the Thorsten list. Stornes was the 3rd athlete yday under that magic threshold.
It is an exclusive club - surely it will grow fast the next couple of years.
And in 1988 it was 30 minutes with PNF with the real standout year… And lets not forget her 11th overall at Kona one year too…Just adjusting your bell curve there… (-;
That small gap was driven by:
Of course, its why it is the far end of outliers, but non the less, it was Kona where everyone shows up tapered and ready. It was not a weak mens field by any means, but you are right in that a lot had to happen for Molina to win that year, his first and only…
I’m feeling a graph coming on, but trying to restrain myself.
Getting the data is agricultural effort.
I find it odd that Barcelona 2024 counts but not Frankfurt 2024. I did both and imho Barcelona had the same bike length as Frankfurt (175km) and a shorter marathon on top.
Agree: I’ve just added the times from Sunday to Thorsten’s data. He excludes Frankfurt 2024 so I guess will exclude 2025 too, on the same grounds. He provides an excellent, discursive caveat which I’d encourage everyone to read, if they want to pay attention to best times.
I applaud IM Frankfurt for actually advertising the bike course as 175.9km (2024 and 2025) rather than just saying “180km” on their ‘Courses’ page: Germanic honesty.
While applauding IMDE for announcing the 175.9km route (I agree), why are they not just added those 4 km? Sincerely feasible in so many place of that route. IMBCN same thing
That is what i dont get! Take one of the out back parts and add 2km more of road should be quite easy :S
Hi @Ajax_Bay Appreciate your input. Just wanted to clarify the bike distance in Hamburg 2023 was 178.59km according to Kristian Hoegenhaug’s (and others) Strava so within the 1%.
Also, at approximately 125.3km going past the accident site on lap 2 everyone had to get off the bikes, climb an embankment and run with the bikes approximately 3-400metres before returning to the road. By the time they returned to that same point (161.9k) a diversion onto another road had been put in place. Interestingly KH still managed a 3:57 bike split.
So maybe Denis Chevrot’s sub 7:30 should be included.
General post on this thread.
It seems in the time of Mark Allen, the number of those who had gone sub XXX was 8:10
Then it got to those who had gone sub 8
Then it got to those who had gone sub 7:45 (Marino VanH , Frodo, Sanders and the rest)
Now we’re talking sub 7:30
In that time from 1985 to NOW the 1500m world record moved by three people (Said Aoita, Noredine Morcelli, Hicham El Gherrouj):
from 3:29 to 3:26
We can argue that the last two in the 1500 world record progression were done in a suspect time (1998). But in the 400m, it only moved 4 times from 1988 (Butch Reynolds 43.29 1988, Michael Johnson 43.18 1998 Wade Van Niekerk 43.03 2016)
Basically in events where equipment made zero difference, humans did not become that much better.
So are we largely just seeing better bike equipment and better running shoes?
In the men’s marathon the record only moved from Carlos Lopes’ 2:07.12 at Rotterdam 1985 to “only” 2:03.59 (Gebersalassie Berlin 2008) and only to 2:02.57 (Kimetto Berlin 2014) pre supershoes.
The world records in track/running are the pinnacle of the human heap. Main thing is triathlon times keep coming down, and it seems to be a combo of equipment, and maybe depth of field (more fast young guys in long course all on the tarmac together).
There’s more variables to improve in triathlon so it makes sense that there are more opportunities for improvement. Plus, the sport hasn’t been as professional for as long as other sports.
If you’re talking 400m, there’s really only training methods and shoes that you can improve
But in triathlon, you can also include race nutrition, aerodynamics, swim equipment - plus competitive variables like bike/swim dynamics. And maybe also course selection - if Kona is the yardstick it’s a hard course.
