Kat Matthews at Challenge Roth. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon
We were able to get a bit of a heads up on what was going on with Kat Matthews at Challenge Roth on the weekend. Turns out the Brit started throwing up 40 km into the bike and was unable to keep any fuel down. She continued to have issues for the rest of the race, including having to make multiple portapotty stops during the run. Matthews passed Caroline Pohle in the last couple of kilometres of the race to take fourth.
Kat Matthews after crossing the line at Challenge Roth. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon
According to her husband, Mark, she’s bounced back really well and was itching to try and do another IRONMAN race this month. (She was talked out of that, though, we’ve been assured.) We’ll look forward to seeing Matthews at the 70.3 worlds in Nice, and, of course, in Kona later this year.
How ’bout the Hoff?
Last year I caught up with Ben Hoffman in Lanzarote (link below), this year I got to see the 2014 Kona runner-up and multiple IRONMAN champ and his family cross the line in Roth. The 42-year-old finished 24th in 8:18:47.
Ben Hoffman and family (that's Kelsey documenting the finish!) come across the line in Roth. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon
Some other notes from the weekend:
According to the local police force, there was a new record of spectators at Challenge Roth this year. Race director Felix Walchshöfer reported that there were roughly 300,000 spectators out on the course to take in the race on Sunday.
We caught up with TriRating’s Thorsten Radde before the race. According to the Radde’s stats, the “non-wetsuit swim and some wind on the bike, this years conditions were relatively slow for Roth – about 8 to 13 minutes slower than the record-setting years of 2023 and 2024.” That makes Laidlow’s world-best performance even more impressive, not to mention Alanis Siffert’s 8:09:09 – while that time is well off Anne Haug’s course record (8:02:38), it’s still the third-fastest time ever in Roth behind Haug and Daniela Ryf’s 8:08:21 from 2023.
Big Weekend for Bogens – Bianca Wins in Sweden
We mentioned this in our Roth recap – while Rico Bogen was taking third-place finish and becomding the fastest ever debut full-distance performer, Bianca Bogen took the win at IRONMAN 70.3 Jönköping in Sweden. Bianca managed to out-swim and out-run France’s Marjoleine Pierré for the narrow victory (37 seconds), with Denmark’s Anastacia Damm Nielsen rounding out the podium.
| Pos | Name | Country | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bianca Bogen | GER | 25:13 (3) | 2:16:40 (6) | 1:20:53 (2) | 4:06:51 |
| 2 | Marjolaine Pierré | FRA | 26:09 (5) | 2:15:20 (4) | 1:21:32 (3) | 4:07:28 |
| 3 | Anastacia Damm Nielsen | DEN | 28:02 (6) | 2:14:47 (2) | 1:22:33 (6) | 4:10:11 |
| 4 | Anna Bergsten | SWE | 28:13 (7) | 2:14:13 (1) | 1:23:07 (7) | 4:10:47 |
| 5 | Anne-Sophie Pierre | FRA | 29:37 (13) | 2:14:59 (3) | 1:23:10 (8) | 4:12:21 |
| 6 | Megan McDonald | GBR | 25:25 (4) | 2:17:23 (7) | 1:26:06 (10) | 4:13:43 |
| 7 | Sandra Huon | FRA | 29:34 (11) | 2:20:07 (9) | 1:20:25 (1) | 4:14:31 |
| 8 | Henrike Gueber | GER | 29:51 (15) | 2:19:43 (8) | 1:22:20 (5) | 4:16:37 |
| 9 | Anna Buettner | GER | 29:39 (14) | 2:22:59 (10) | 1:22:10 (4) | 4:19:25 |
| 10 | Natasha Harris-White | GBR | 29:27 (8) | 2:24:55 (14) | 1:23:12 (9) | 4:22:06 |
In the men’s race Lasse Nygaard Priester continued his podium run with his first win of 2026 – the German is coming off an impressive runner-up finish at T100 San Francisco and was second at 70.3 Valencia and third at 70.3 Pays d’Aix. He easily held off countryman Fabian Kraft and Brit Harry Palmer.
| Pos | Name | Country | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lasse Nygaard Priester | GER | 23:15 (4) | 1:57:30 (2) | 1:09:31 (1) | 3:33:50 |
| 2 | Fabian Kraft | GER | 23:18 (7) | 1:58:43 (3) | 1:12:51 (3) | 3:38:29 |
| 3 | Harry Palmer | GBR | 23:25 (12) | 2:00:49 (7) | 1:11:48 (2) | 3:40:05 |
| 4 | Robert Kallin | SWE | 23:23 (10) | 1:56:44 (1) | 1:16:46 (18) | 3:41:19 |
| 5 | Johannes Vogel | GER | 23:16 (5) | 2:00:36 (6) | 1:15:28 (10) | 3:42:57 |
| 6 | Gabriel Sandör | SWE | 23:18 (8) | 2:01:53 (8) | 1:14:48 (7) | 3:43:46 |
| 7 | Thor Bendix Madsen | DEN | 24:09 (13) | 1:59:52 (4) | 1:15:52 (14) | 3:44:12 |
| 8 | Pieter Heemeryck | BEL | 23:23 (11) | 2:02:56 (10) | 1:14:19 (5) | 3:44:29 |
| 9 | Jannik Schaufler | GER | 23:16 (6) | 2:03:23 (11) | 1:15:41 (12) | 3:45:54 |
| 10 | Kristian Grue | NOR | 25:08 (15) | 2:03:26 (12) | 1:14:42 (6) | 3:47:12 |
Derron Dominates at IRONMAN Switzerland
Julie Derron trailed Imogen Simmonds by almost four minutes out of the water, but was considerably quicker once on dry land to take a big win on home turf at IRONMAN Switzerland on Sunday. The pair were part of an all-Swiss podium as Loanne Duvoisin took third.
| Pos | Name | Country | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julie Derron | SUI | 56:44 (2) | 4:47:41 (1) | 2:52:26 (2) | 8:42:40 |
| 2 | Imogen Simmonds | SUI | 52:51 (1) | 4:50:52 (2) | 3:06:53 (9) | 8:56:27 |
| 3 | Loanne Duvoisin | SUI | 59:14 (5) | 5:07:05 (9) | 2:51:06 (1) | 9:03:32 |
| 4 | Leana Bissig | SUI | 58:07 (3) | 5:00:05 (5) | 3:02:36 (3) | 9:06:17 |
| 5 | Merle Brunnée | GER | 1:05:20 (17) | 4:53:41 (3) | 3:05:34 (6) | 9:10:51 |
| 6 | Barbora Besperát | CZE | 1:05:18 (16) | 5:00:27 (6) | 3:04:08 (5) | 9:16:02 |
| 7 | Jana Uderstadt | GER | 59:20 (7) | 5:04:53 (8) | 3:06:00 (8) | 9:16:34 |
| 8 | Eloise du Luart | FRA | 59:18 (6) | 5:08:36 (13) | 3:05:46 (7) | 9:20:21 |
| 9 | Mena Suter | SUI | 59:24 (8) | 5:11:03 (14) | 3:08:05 (10) | 9:24:47 |
2025 IRONMAN World Championship Documentary Available on YouTube
IRONMAN has released its documentary specials from last year’s world championship races in Nice and Kona. The documentary includes both pro and age group features. You can find the shows on IRONMAN’s YouTube Channel.