Pro Race Coverage | 2025 IRONMAN World Championship, Nice, Men’s Edition

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Ignition sequence starts. 6 5 4 3 2 1 zero. All engine running. [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh, [Music] [Applause] hey. [Music] Welcome to the Iron Man World Championship N France where athletes from around the world will descend here on the Kotazour to vive for the Iron Man World Championship title. But that’s not all. will be contesting an amazing course that has tons of history and I am Michael Lovado joined today by Dee Griebbau also here in studio but out in the field we’ve got Craig Alexander Fraser Cartail Matt Leedo on the ground in this beautiful town in the south of France and Dee we have been waiting for 11 months to crown a new Iron Man world champion the time is now the time is now and today’s Iron Man World Championship brings together nearly 60 of the world’s top professional male triath athletes. Uh, pure pure talent here gathered today. 6,000 points up for grab in the Iron Man Pro Series. This is the 15th stop in the Iron Man Pro Series for the year. Also, Michael, there is a piece of $375,000 professional prize purse up for grabs with the winner taking home $125,000. That’s right. We’ve got men today, amateurs and professionals. More than 2500 of them, of course, 86 countries, regions, and territories. is all represented. And here’s the cool thing. Nice has just been the heart of triathlon since 1982. We hosted the Nice International Triathon back then. Then we had Iron Man France. And now, of course, well, we did have the Iron Man 70.3 World Championship. And now this amazing Iron Man World Championship. And I tell you what, with a course this legendary, DD, and with a field this epic, we are bound to have an amazing race. And we are building to that. And I feel like I’m as excited as I could possibly be and I still have to wait because it’s time to do the body marking. Of course. Yes. Yes. This is where it all gets underway. We’re looking at uh just a few of our almost 1,500 volunteers who have been active all week this week, helping the athletes get prepared. They’ll be helping the athletes through this body marking station as well as out on the course throughout the day today. This is where everything gets underway. Our professionals will stream through here uh any minute now to get themselves prepared. They’ll make their way into transition and this race will get started. This is where it all gets going. This is where it gets going. And it’s still dark. So, folks come in here. Uh, you know, these folks have been up, these volunteers have been up for since earlier hours. Probably the triathletes have been as well, uh, nervously preparing themselves in their homes, their hotels, their hosts, or their home stays, whatever the case may be. Um, but here’s what’s really neat about this. As we watch and wait for these athletes to come in, D, we have almost everyone. We have eight of our top 10 coming back from Kona here. Uh, eight of our top 10. That’s a huge stat. We’ve got three-time Iron Man champ Patrick Longa here, Magnus Ditle, Rudy Von Berg. I mean, the names go on and on, but also 2023, the guy that won right here at this race, Sam Lelo, he’s back. Not only that, we’ve got the last four men to win world titles are here. We also, uh, Michael have 21 rookies in our field. So, not only is it chalk full of super talent and veterans and names we know, there going to be 21 guys that have never competed in an Iron Man World Championship that will get their chance today, which is super cool because that’s where the good stuff happens. A lot of times you find someone that’s not necessarily a dark horse, but someone that’s just really nothing to lose, nothing to expect of themselves other than, hey, let me go out and have a great race. uh which which as we have that out there DD I’ll say you’re going to hear someone today and in the interview or during the process say you know what it’s just another race and you get that it’s just another race I’m just going to treat it like it’s any old race but in the end it’s not because this is the Iron Man World Championship it is a race that even if you try your best to play it down it’s still for all the marbles it’s still for all of the experience it’s still for the money the points for the Iron Man Pro Series everything comes to the head today. And so despite that attempt to keep the nerves down, it’s not just another race. No, it is not. And we are taking a look here at bib number 18. This is Yan Stman. He wins the award for first into body marking today hopefully for this German athlete that bodess well and that trend will continue throughout the rest of the day for Yan Stman. Yeah, it’s pretty good. It’s a good spot if you if you uh Hey, I was first in first for something, right? I mean, I’m not saying he’s not going to have more accolades, but uh but certainly getting his tattoo, getting the numbers, and these volunteers, it’s really a treat for them because they get to put uh the numbers on. Those two individuals right there putting the numbers on the first athlete uh first of 2500 plus that will come through and get marked up. Uh it’s one of the cool traditions of triathlon that we keep. I think from the days of old when it was just a Sharpie on your shoulder and now we’re still marking. It’s maybe something that is a little less important, but it’s still it’s still key. You know, we have to keep that identification. We have to keep it throughout for us and for safety and for photographs and everything. And I tell you what, those volunteers, I remember back to the days when I raced in a world championship. You will, too. Those first volunteers, they are so kind in the morning when your nerves are at an all-time high. They’re the ones, their kindness, their enthusiasm, their excitement help settle you and prepare you for the day. So, kudos uh to all of our volunteers. We see them applauding Yan Strapman as he makes his way through body marking. Hopefully, he will make his way over to our very own Craig Alexander and Craig. We’ll get a couple of uh words with Yon Stman. That’s a treat. Get to zip over there and talk to another three-time Iron Man world champ. Um so, Craig Alexander from Australia, one of our crack commentators today down in body marking. Thank you, Michael and Deei. I’m here with Yan Stratman. Get prize for the first into transition this morning. How’s your how’s your morning been so far? Uh my morning has been great. Thanks for asking. Um it had to be a German to be first in transition, I think. But yeah, I was so nervous. My hotel is right there. I thought I’m too late. So then I’m the first. Well, that’s what I was going to ask. You’ve done a lot of big races. You’re very experienced. Do you still get very nervous or you you calm on race morning? I And what’s what’s your race morning schedule look like? Yeah, obviously it’s my first Iron Man World Championships over the full distance. Uh so that’s the little bit of extra neiosity. Um and I’m yeah a little bit more excited than for the other races. And um yeah, my my routine is normally I stand up uh 3 hour 15 before the start to get ready and then have a breakfast, have a coffee. I do my own coffee always bring my own mo coffee machine and then uh yeah do a bit of mobility trying to get some food down. It’s not always easy. And then yeah, getting hyped for the race. Any rituals? Do you listen to music, do some yoga? What how do you, you know, fill the that last, I guess, hour before you come down here? Yeah, first of all, I do like my own coffee ritual. That means like I grind my beans and everything and that calms me down a bit and then I do like 20 minutes of mobility to get the body a little of moving and then I I hear calm music in the morning when I’m like I don’t want to be too hyped up before and um just when I start uh checking my bike, you know, afterwards I try to get myself up. Awesome, man. Well, good luck. Iron Man World Championships. We’ll be cheering for you out there. Have a great day. Thanks for having a chat. Thank you. Back to you guys in the studio. Well, I tell you what, that young man has a great morning routine, coffee and mobility. He has won DD Iron Man Brazil. That was last year. He also took out the Iron Man 70.3 victory in 2021 at Salami. So, an accomplished athlete around the board and has also won. Um, but it’s neat to see and and I really enjoy that trying to keep the food down. So, folks that are watching at home and they’re thinking the pros have it dialed, hey, they’re all the same, right? The same as top to bottom. we, you know, we see these athletes getting nervous, struggling to have that morning breakfast, knowing it’s important, but doing your best to do it. So, I always feel like it’s important to point that out because we do sometimes put these pros on a pedestal and think, you know, that they’re a lot more, I don’t know, prepared or different or like a untouchable animal or mythical beast, but they really aren’t. They’re just they’re just the same. Uh, a little bit faster though. All the same pre-race fields as we take a look here at bib number 15 from the United States of America. This is Dr. Matthew Markwart uh or soon to be Dr. Matthew Markwart. Uh he is on his way to meet with our Craig Alexander as well. He has won two Iron Mans this year. He was first at Iron Man cans. Also took the win at Iron Man Lake Placid. He is with Craig Alexander. Craig to you. Thank you Dee. I’m here with Matthew Marquart. Mate, great season so far. Thank you so much. It’s been a fun one. Quick question. Did you get a chance to do some Lego this morning? No, no, no. Still pretty early wake up even for me. Um, we drove down from Vance and so I’ve been up since like 3:45, but um, it’s all good. And now you’ve you’ve been on the circuit racing and racing well for a few years now. You look from the outside you look pretty calm and composed. I’ve seen you around town. Uh, do you still get nervous for these races or I mean is it just business as usual for you this morning? Oh, no. I mean, the nerves always come. I think the difference is that as I’ve gotten further and further into the sport, the nerves come a little bit later, but um they’re always still there and you know, it’s just about balancing them and knowing that they’re a natural part of the sport and not letting them get too out of control. Well, mate, thank you for taking a moment to have a chat with us this morning. We wish you well today. Have a great day out there. Thank you so much. I would say he is having a fantastic season. one of the guys that’s really on a hot streak. Two Iron Man wins already, Lake Placid and Cannes. Um, so those are two big victories to take out DD. And this is a guy that races so aggressively and so assertively. It’s really fun to see because he gets after it. He’s great at all three sports. Um, he represents uh his his country well. He represents himself well. Always, I think, very humble but very aggressive. Well, and for all the man juggles to be that accomplished as a triathlete, as I mentioned, uh he is in the midst of his medical school studies. He is uh in pursuit to become a cancer doctor. Uh super super impressive if you follow him on the socials. Uh he is up super early in the morning doing his training, working a full day uh in the medical system and then training again in the evening and trying to get it all done. And to be that accomplished on that many levels, uh just one of those athletes that I think actually is better because of all he juggles. He’s got great balance in his life. Um he had struggled with some I don’t want to say health issues. He’s had some real severe cramping issues that he struggled with in T1. They think they have a handle on that. So we’ll find out uh today uh whether they have a good handle on that. Hopefully uh he can be amongst those lead swimmers, a former Princeton swimmer. Uh so he will definitely be in that lead uh swim pack, we would assume. It it’s cool to see because you you just described a lot of really successful age group athletes. Only he’s on the professional level because there is so much that I think the the athletes really do better when there’s more on their plate. It takes a special breed. Not everyone is that way. Many pros will need to have zero focus other than sport. But that’s a very cool observation, Dee, and I I I enjoy drawing that parallel to some of our topic, you know, amateurs and and wow, just you you kind of wonder is sleep involved in the program here at all or what’s how’s this working? But uh but great stuff and and he’ll be fun to watch. I think he’s certainly a highlight for Iron Man titles to his credit and again on a nice hot streak. Matthew Markquart will say uh see you later because certainly we will be seeing him down the road. And our pros continuing to make their way through the body marking compound here. I believe I caught bib number uh 47 there. I think I saw on that uh race tattoo uh from Norway. That would be Yan Breivald uh getting marked up. And we are taking our first look of the day uh at 2023 defending champ Sam Lello. Uh he went big time for the win in 2024. didn’t work out for him, but he is back uh to try to we’ll say write that wrong and stand at top the podium again. He uh all I can remember is 357. It’s the only thing I remember. He he he blew up finished 18th last year in Kona, but he did a 357 on the bike. Like come on, it’s so fast. And so he went big and I applaud that because it’s not easy as I would imagine if I put myself out there to defend an Iron Man World title. And he came into Nice in 23, crushed it. Everybody said, “Hey, you know what? Home soil kind of thing. Maybe this is more his flavor.” Uh, he had he had obviously been second in Kona, so he had done well there, but to go back, bam, the spotlight’s on, the pressure’s on. No one’s letting him go. Not we, not that they have anything to say about him going, but, you know, he got after it. He went for it as a defending champ and, uh, kind of flamed out, but hung on. Oh, it looks like we need to rush on down to uh, sorry, Jamie Riddle down there with Craig Ozander. My my uh, take it away, my friend. Thanks, Michael. I’m here with young superstar Jamie Riddle. I see you rocking a fresh cut for today. Yeah, exactly. I said uh if Christian Blroom shaves his head, I got to do the same. Can’t give him any advantages today. So, here I am looking like a naked mole rat, but here I am. I saw an interview with you yesterday. You said you were you were quite nervous. Did you get did you get much sleep last night? I actually did. I slept like a baby. I was super super nervous yesterday, but this morning I’m just ready to go. Like I am it’s it’s it’s fight day. Um, I’ve never felt like this on race day, so I’m pumped. So, what’s race morning look like for Jamie Riddle? How long ago did you wake up? Woke up at 3:30, woke up, took like 10 slices of bread, cut the crust off, Nutella through each of one each one of them, squished it, ate it down, coffee, got Johnny Cle playing in the background, and just Yeah. had the family around and just getting ready for war. Was dad Alex there giving you support, pumping you up? No, no. I kind of make sure that everyone kind of like is just leaving me to do my own thing. It’s um you know obviously the tension’s high um and just their presence uh keeps me comfortable but yeah I’m I’m yeah I’m ready. Thank you for taking a moment to chat with us mate. Good luck out there. Cheers Gary. Thank you. All right guys, Michael and Dee back to you. That Jamie Riddle I tell you if you went back to our coverage of Iron Man South Africa that entire country uh behind that young man there and the emotion uh when he got his qualifying spot to this race was was something to behold. You can go back and rewatch that broadcast uh as we take a look here at our defending Iron Man champion. Uh this is excuse me, Patrick Langa. Patrick Langa from Germany. This guy uh said that he raced for the win last year in honor of his mom because she said, “Hey, I really want you to win that one one more time.” And he just looked like on another level when he got on that run. You could see he was just drawing all that power from everything that he had been through and super emotional. really cool to see. He is tied uh with as the oldest one of the oldest winners of the Iron Man World Championships. It’s a three-way tie uh at the age of 38. Um a lot of people said he was too old to get it done last year. So, I imagine a lot of people saying the same again. And um he is absolutely one to watch on this course, but let’s throw it down to Craig Alexander who is with Sam Lelo a couple times. Yeah. Thank you, Dee. I’m here with one of our sports superstars, the 2023 Iron Man World Champion, Sam Ladello. Good morning. Did you get much sleep last night? Uh, not too bad. Yeah. And um, yeah, it’s an honor to be with you, Craig today, mate. I’ve been watching you this week. You look pretty calm and composed. I mean, is obviously there’s some good memories coming back from what happened, but you’re also the hometown favorite and there’s some expectation. How do you juggle all of that? Yeah, I mean I thought I would uh get away with not being the reigning champion after coming 18th in Kona, but somehow it still feels like uh I am and um but no, it’s uh it’s great. I have some great memories. I think the course suits me. Um we spend 30 minutes more on the bike than we do in Kona. So obviously that that plays into my cards. U but equally it’s a very very fast run and the conditions aren’t as aren’t as hard as Kona. So um I’m expecting some really fast guys coming coming from the back. Yeah, it’s going to be a hot one today. A hot race. I think the pace will be on. What’s race morning look like for you? What’s what’s your schedule? Do you have any crazy rituals of music pump up song yoga visualization scrolling Instagram? What’s race morning look like for Sam Lelo? No, I tend to stay off Instagram for at least kind of four or five days coming into the race. Um but definitely music before the race that really gets me uh gets me going and then yeah, when I’m in transition I just in my little bubble and um you know a bit like Rafael Nadal style just sprinting up and down the transition trying to get in other people’s heads. But um no, it’s uh no rituals really. Just trying to trying to enjoy it and because at the end of the day, this is what I love to do. Well, mate, thanks for taking a moment in a busy morning. We wish you well. Have fun out there. Thank you, Curry. Cheers. Dee Michael, I’m not going to throw back to you yet because we’ve also got another one of our former champions, Patrick Lunger. Good morning. It’s good to see you, Legend. I’m very good, but more importantly, how are you? uh you tell me uh you’ve been there a couple of times especially uh you’ve been also one of the few persons who race uh for the third time we start number one on the arm so definitely feels special um uh the race nervousness really really kicking in now um but yeah I uh I feel good um think uh this is a great race and uh it’s another chance right so I mean you’re a guy who’s raced it all, won it all. Um, you look pretty calm. Do you do you still get nervous? Is is the expectation for you more yourself or is it more external? And I mean, how do you how do you cope with all of that leading into a big day like today? Um, I am definitely nervous. Um I think uh what I learned over the years is to welcome this nervousness because it’s a it’s a good thing you you you learn to channel it in the right ways. So I definitely had years where I was so nervous that it was kind of totally stressing me out and kind of like blocking me from from showing my real performance. So, um I learned to channel it in the right uh way and um yeah, it’s it’s good that you say I I look calm uh calm on the outside, but um I think burning on the inside and um what in a in a positive way. I think uh it’s really important to take this I always say you take this nervousness um like at the and on your hand and you take it with you and you welcome it um because it’s a good thing and will allow you to push that 10% harder. Well, mate, you have mastered the art of delivering your best when it when it counts and matters the most. So, thanks for taking the time to chat to us. Good luck, Legend. Thanks, Legend. Guys, Michael and Dee, back to you in the studio. Well, there you go, Michael. You heard it. Uh, that pressure that he feels is a privilege. Uh, it’s an honor to be able to come and defend this title and potentially be a fourtime Iron Man World Champion. He has that opportunity before him today. And how special would that be? He seemed a little nervous to me, uh, just the body language, but who who wouldn’t be? So, let’s rush on down to Fraser Cartel down with Yonas Shamberg. Fraser, take it away. Morning, Michael. Yeah. So, I’m here in transition area with pros starting to trickle in. So, first athlete here is um Yonas. Yonas Shonberg. So, um yeah. Um we were just chatting about how sleep has been. So, how’s your uh how’s your night sleep been, Jonas? I didn’t count the hours, but it was not much. So, but I’m nervous kind of. But it’s a big one. It’s a big first time at words. Uh but I’m keen keen for to go hard and have hopefully an honest hard race. So one other question I had for you was um you know you’ve been to Olympic games. How does this how does this feel race morning to Olympics? Pretty similar actually all the buildup in the last weeks coming now to the big moment. Uh but I’ve done that so I know kind of what’s to expect and I’m looking forward to race now. Super. Good luck, buddy. And then that is great comparing this to the Olympics. Let’s rush back down to Craig with another fantastic superstar. Take it away, Craig. Oh, you’re in luck. Thank you, Michael. I’m here with my little Aussie mate, Nick Thompson. Nick, how you feeling this morning? Um, yeah, really excited. I had a couple of my mates fly in the other night, so I just woke up to them. So, it doesn’t really feel like a a World Champs race morning just yet, for sure. Did you get much sleep last night? Uh, yeah. I had a really good sleep. Um, got up an hour ago and yeah, feel more ready to go than usual, which is a great sign, I think. Mate, I’m interested to hear what race morning looks like for for Nick Thompson. Any little rituals, uh, yoga, pump up songs, YouTube videos? Um, yeah, normally music. um some some doom scrolling on Tik Tok. Uh and then once I’ve wasted 40 minutes then rush everything. So yeah, I was actually walking out the door and saw my bike shoes on the floor. So uh that was that was a lucky one. Yeah. Well, mate, you seem pretty relaxed. Thanks for taking the time to have a chat. Good luck out there. Cheers. I’ve also got Daniel Bakagard down here joining me. Daniel, welcome to Nice, mate. How’s uh how’s your morning been so far? Uh good. Uh all the pre-race nerves. Uh kind of kicked in yesterday and then uh trying to keep calm. Um while still like stressing a bit in the head of like uh organizing everything and uh but yeah, I think I I have a pretty decent plan laid out. So it’s just about committing to that and executing. I mean, your experience, you’ve been racing these big races for a while now. Do you do you get more or less nervous than you used to? Have you come up with any strategies to handle it? No. No. It’s uh I think if if it doesn’t hit you, then you should find something else to do. So, um it actually just get worse in some way. Um which is quite quite exciting. So, uh yeah. Yeah, it’s part of the game and it’s also what keeps you uh keep you keeps you working hard and in the normal life. So, yeah, I think it’s good. Well, thanks for taking the time to have a chat. Good luck. Have a great Iron Man World Championships today, Daniel. Yeah, thanks a lot, mate. Good luck, man. I’m also joined by our 2022 Iron Man World Champion, Gustaf Eden, one of the pre-race favorites. Did you get much sleep last night? Uh, okay. With sleep, I would say it’s always hard to sleep on occasions like this. You wake up and check the watch and then uh hope that you didn’t oversleep and then you always have this uh classic nightmare that all triathletes have that you come to transition and the bike is not there. It’s like a universal experience for all triathletes, I think. Well, I heard it on Good Authority they had guard dogs and a lot of security down here last night, so I’m sure the bike will be there. And um what’s race morning look like for you? Do you have any special rituals? What What’s your schedule look like this morning? Uh my ritual is to get super nervous. I can hardly eat anything and then the gun goes off and every emotion goes away and I’m just ready to race. So, uh I wouldn’t call it like a good ritual, but that’s what happens every time. So, let’s bring it. Well, you look pretty calm from the outside. Good luck. Have a fun day out there. Thank you. And let’s keep them rolling here. Michael and Dei, I’ve got Morning one of our greatest athletes, Christian Blumfelt, joining me on race morning. Did you get much sleep last night? Yeah, I just checked my watch and it’s at like seven and a half, which is pretty good for race morning. So, yeah, feeling good. Seven and a half. That’s good for any day. I mean, I love the data check, too. So, I’m tipping. You’re a calm guy on race morning. Is that right? What do you do? Listen to music. Do you visualize the race, meditate, yoga? Uh, I never tend to listen to music on race morning. That’s more like just soaking in the atmosphere and uh yeah, like uh being in the moment like uh we’re all sort of nervous for the big day ahead. But uh yeah, that was a part of the m looking from the outside, you you’ve had a good week, a busy week. I mean, I saw you strolling down Nice with your mom yesterday, stopping to chat to fans. You’ve also had a lot of shakeout rides and runs with with other age group athletes here racing. You seem I mean you’re a guy who’s raced all the races in our sport and won all the races in our sport. Do you get nervous or is this just another day in the office for KB? No, I think it will never be just another day in the office like especially when it’s a world championship. Uh we all get nervous and I think that’s good because it also means that uh it’s mean something like it’s an important race. It’s a one day that we’ve been training for since Kona last year. But in the same time like I feel like I’ve done the preparation I can do. Now I just have to go out and execute and without being afraid of failing but just like giving it my best and then we will see what it was enough for by the end of the day. Well, we appreciate you taking a few moments to have a chat with us. Good luck. Have fun out there, mate. Thank you so much. Michael and Dei, back to you. Thanks very much, Craig. It’s so cool to see how many people are just really saying, “Look, I’m nervous. Gustav Eden.” Yeah, my pre-race ritual is to just get super nervous. I mean, that tells you right there, Dee, they are exactly like the rest of us. We all hit the start line or before nervous. Well, and what I loved hearing from Christian Blumenfeld is how much like at least by Crowy’s report, uh, how much he’s engaged with a lot of the age group athletes this week. shakeout rides, shakeout runs. You know, from the first time he did an Iron Man back I I forget the year Iron Man Call, his very first Iron Man, uh he was engaging with all of the amateur athletes, taking selfies at the finish line. Um a lot of times, you know, again, the age group athletes look at these pros like they’re otherworldly, but they’re just people uh just like every other athlete out there. And um to have that experience I think for an age group athlete to approach one of these pros and to have a real human connection just to to spend time and realize okay these are these are people just like me I think is a real special opportunity. Yeah that you’re spot on and and and that was how it was from the outset 2021 first Iron Man and he crushed it. Hey big surprise. We’re going to zip back to Fraser Cartail who is together with Casperes from Norway another Norwegian superstar. Fraser, take it away. Yeah, thanks, Michael. So, um, yeah, we’re here with one of the, uh, famous Norwegian trios. We’ve got Casper here. So, um, um, it’s interesting because Casper was, I find it interesting, the very first Norwegian to win an World Triathon, World Series race, and yet this is his first time racing at World Championship. So, how does this feel, do you think, to racing on the World Triathon series? Uh, like how this is compared to what? Uh, longer for sure. Uh, but I really enjoy it. So, uh, I hope I can do something special today. So, that would be awesome. Now, you don’t know this, but I was actually watching your first Iron Man attempt in Frankfurt in 2021. I was on course and you went out in that run like suicide pace. So, have you dialed things back in a little bit or is it still going to be suicide pace today? Uh, it would not be any suicide pace today, but uh, for sure you need to, yeah, do something special to win this race. So, uh, yeah, I think the best trained athlete is the one who takes it today and the smartest one. Yeah. Have a great race. Good luck. Thank you. Well, there you go. Right from Fraser, suicide pace. It is, I think, a way of saying you have to really be assertive and and and Casper said that it’s hopefully he doesn’t die. Hopefully, he doesn’t pull up, but he’s gonna go hard. Yeah, he absolutely is. He’s uh he’s one of our 21 rookies toying the line today alongside other athletes stepping up from the Olympic distance. Uh Martin Van Real, Yonas Shawn Burke, who we spoke to earlier, making that pace adjustment from that Olympic distance to what feels so I mean these guys are running so fast, but it feels slow to them. And making that adjustment is is no joke in addition to yeah, that the sheer distance of it and uh the fueling is completely different. But we will have the privilege of watching a lot of these rookies and a lot of these stars coming up from the shorter distances up to the Iron Man distance make their debuts here today. And I think it feels really slow all the way until it doesn’t when Iron Man comes and reminds you how far you’re going. Absolutely. And that is something that we all get to experience. And I know we’ve got a lot of athletes still coming through transition. And we are going to zip right back down to Craig Alexander. Take it away, Greg. Thank you, Michael. I’m here with local favorite Leon Chevelier. How has your morning been so far? Yeah, it’s been pretty smooth. It’s always uh in here in Nice. It’s always the clash of worlds with people coming back from partying and uh we just getting out of bed. I slept all right considering uh the noise outside the window and everything. Uh yeah, pretty smooth. Body’s marked. I’ve managed to eat some breakfast, which isn’t always the case, and um yeah, ready to go. Matt, you have such an impressive Iron Man World Championship record from Utah all the way to Kona last year. Does that bring extra pressure or does that give you calm knowing you have the experience? I think it’s all about the perspective you you have on it. Um I think coming into the race from I’d say after Kona I was probably putting pressure on myself and um then you know things don’t necessarily go to plan in uh in training and it’s so hard to put good training together when you’re also you know chasing the pro series and all of that and year after year. So, um, so it’s not been perfect and I think that’s made me have to take that step back and actually look back at what I’ve already done and think, you know what, it’s already pretty cool to have achieved that and um to have the privilege to come back and, as you say, local favorite and stuff like that. You know, four or five years ago, it would have been wild to assume those things. So yeah, hopefully, you know, hopefully the race still goes well and uh maybe focus again from next year to like come to the World Champs thinking that I’ve done everything to to win the race. Mate, that’s an awesome perspective. You’re also in the fight for the Iron Man Pro Series, so we we wish you well today and really appreciate you taking a moment to stop and have a chat with us. Well, thank you very much. Yeah, see you out there. Michael and Deei, back to you guys. Thanks so much, Craig. And yes, he sits at top the standings right now in the Iron Man Pro Series. And of course, it’s unlikely he’ll remain a top after this race because he’s counted already three Iron Man. So, he’ll shuffle. He could shuffle a couple points in, swap out, I should say, not shuffle, but he is currently leading and a superstar of an athlete wearing big number four. I mean, gosh, three in a row, top 10 at Iron Man World Champs. So close to the podium uh a year ago in uh in Kona. Uh a little bit off the mark. has done a lot of racing this year. 12th at South Africa, ninth Iron Man Texas, 27th 70.3 Nice, uh fourth Iron Man Lake class. He’s so he’s he’s been racing all over the place. He’s had a little bit of fatigue, but he is here with the Iron Man Pro Series in mind. So, the race is within the race. Uh guys eyeing other people that are around them in the pro series knowing I need this amount of time over this guy to hold my place. Uh, so lots lots on the line here for all of these athletes today. Not just the World Championship title, but a piece of that $ 1.7 million year end Iron Man Pro Series bonus pool. Uh, definitely at the forefront of a lot of these athletes minds as well. The race within the race. And I tell you what, Shiovalier fifth here in Nice two years ago, fourth in Kona. Is he going to go third? Is he going to keep that that sort of march up the uh the ladder or uh will he let that slip? I think as as you know the country would go you know go wild uh if he could do it. Uh but again I don’t think he’s necessarily thinking that way. I think he’s thinking more pro series but it’s a long day out there and as the saying goes in Iron Man anything can happen. We’re going to throw it down to Craig Alexander. Craig who are you with? Thanks D. I’m with Finn Gross Freeze Iron Man World Championships race morning. How are you feeling? Yeah, pretty excited. But yeah, I yeah, I’m looking forward to race and yeah, I can’t wait to race here in nearly 1 hour. So, you you’ve had a great season. I mean, you’re coming off a couple of big wins in Austria and Copenhagen. And how does that compare to what you’ve experienced this week? Yeah, it’s a little bit difficult because I remember Copenhagen was only four weeks ago, but I’m surfing on the wave right now and yeah, we will see how it goes today. Well, hopefully that wave can carry you for another eight hours today, mate. Good luck. Thank you for taking the time to have a chat with us. Thank you very much. Michael Andidi, back to you in the studio. Lot of hype over uh Finn Grease. He just coming off a win not that long ago in Copenhagen. So, people wondering maybe he’s carrying a little bit of fatigue with him, but a lot of eyes on that young man for the future and the potential he’s got uh for this race today. Yes. But certainly in the future as well. Yes. And now we’ve got on camera here Sam Long from the United States. Crowd favorite across the world. He races a lot of races. He gets into many different distances, many different situations. Very, very strong athlete and a lot of fans out there as he gets wiped down for his body marking, did he? Yeah, absolutely. He’s uh he’s got a big big personality uh in Sam Long. Definitely will not be amongst the the lead swimmers. Uh he is very very strong on the bike and his run has come a very long way from when he first started in the sport. He’s still a young guy but he’s been racing uh it feels like forever. Just a huge talent. Uh he will have his work cut out for him though because there will be a lot of strong athletes at the front of the race as we take a look at Rudy Vonberg. Uh one of our podium finishers from a year ago. His family lives right on the bike course. A lot of eyes on this young man here today. That’s right. R Rudy Junior, Rudy Senior. So, this this uh athlete here has shown that he’s got the goods to compete. Um has also moved up the ranks in nice fashion um from fourth to third uh at Iron Man World Championships the last two years. Really performed well. And I think where everybody was just sort of, you know, mouths a gape was when we watched him in the air bars descending on some of the most technical roads we’ve ever seen at this very race here in Nice. And he was doing it almost by memory. And you know, actually it was cuz he’s trained here so much. But really fun to watch and he’s he’s good that way on a lot of courses, but certainly here. But for now, let’s rush on down to Craig Alexander who is with Sam Long. Take it away, Craig. Thank you, Michael. Yo yo yo. I’m here with the big unit, Sam Long. You, how much sleep did you get last night? To be honest, I actually got a great night’s sleep. Uh, really incredible. I slept pretty well sound like a baby till 4:15 in the morning. So mate, we we did something together yesterday morning. You seem pretty calm and relaxed on the outside. Is that is has that been the experience? Yes and no. I mean, I’ve been doing a lot of mental visualization, a lot of journaling starting two weeks out. So I’ve basically run myself through every aspect of the race already at least two dozen times. And so I’ve done it already. But I’d like to say I’m a nervous excited. And it feels good to be nervous. And it feels good to be excited. It really does. Well, mate, you look good. You look sharp. You look fresh. You look ready. We wish you the best today and appreciate you stopped having a chat. Yeah, thank you so much. I kind of I kind of consider it my debut almost. I’ve never done them body marking and uh I’m just here to soak it all up. I mean, I’m actually not here just to soak it all up. I’m here to give it my all and to hopefully crush some souls out there. So, thank you guys. Yo yo yo. I love to hear that. Good luck today, Sam. And we’ve also got Rudy Vonberg down here. Rudy, thanks for stopping by. What are the emotions like this morning? Obviously, you’re a local favorite racing for the US, but you’re you’re a local guy and you’ve raced here well before and you’re a guy who’s just been on podiums at major championships for five or six years now. So, what’s the feeling been like this week? Is it a is it a pressure? Is it an expectation or is it just happy to be here? Um, yes, definitely bit more Yeah, expectation on myself. Um, I’m not here just to soak it all up. I’m uh, well, it’s the last one, so definitely I think it’s good to have a component of that of just being happy to be here. Last one in knees, kind of just enjoying the whole thing. If not, sometimes it can just get just non-enjoyable, right? But, uh, obviously after performing decently last two years, I’m, you know, trying to to keep keep that streak going. A second podium in two years would be absolutely awesome for me. So, yeah, would just love to do that. You’ve actually been performing well for the last six years because you took a podium at the Iron Man 70.3 World’s in this very city and on this course and I mean it’s a busy week for you guys. You got a lot of obligations, a lot of media, plus you got to get your training in. Are you able to relax the last few days or is it just I guess like being at work and you just got to clock on and do your job. Yeah, a bit of both. Obviously, you have to try to relax as much as you can. So this year, this week I was trying to finish all training. I pretty much managed to do it. finish all training by uh lunchtime and then uh kind of try to relax in the afternoon even though there were yeah you had to come over the knees do do some things and then even at the house have some interviews and stuff but uh yeah so just got to balance it out I do have one race question for you what does a good day for Rudy vonberg look like today is it based around metrics or data numbers on the bike is it based around a finishing position yeah I mean numbers matter I mean if you had really good numbers you know and you’re ninth. Well, I guess you can’t can’t really be too too annoyed about that, but uh yeah, I mean, uh I’d like to have uh be towards the front of the swim. I think that’s a bit of a focus point for me. I think the the swim will be fast and I just want to set myself up for a good day. And then yeah, I mean obviously strong bike, strong run, but you know, finish be towards the front, you know, in T2 and and finish with a a sub 240 is my goal. I haven’t done it yet this year. So, I guess you know to win is going to have to be quicker than that. But, uh I think a realistic and achievable goal. Yeah. Sub 240 after a very strong bike would be uh I’d be happy with that. And your dad obviously a former professional athlete himself. Does he get nervous in the week leading up to the race and on race day? Uh yeah, he does. I think I I overheard him talking uh to my girlfriend saying he couldn’t sleep last night, so I slept better than him. He’s a proud popper, mate. Thank you. Good luck today. We’ll give you a shout out there. Thank you, Michael Andidi. Back to you guys. Thank you so much, Craig. That’s good stuff right there. You you know, it means a lot to him and he didn’t really want to put it out there, but I think he’s really got high hopes to get up there and and perform excellently again and and he absolutely should. He has every reason to be optimistic. I mean, he’s the he’s got the complete package to his point. Yeah, there is the potential that he could make the front swim pack. A lot of it’s going to depend on the dynamics in the swim. um if there’s a split in that lead pack, he he will have uh work to do, but an incredibly talented cyclist, not only in terms of his strength uh but his ability to descend as well. So, uh imagining how race dynamics will play out. We’re going to throw it down to Frasier who is with Magnus Ditliv. Frasier, down to you. Yeah, thanks Dei. So, um, we’ve got Magnus here with us and I’ve already spoken to Yonas and Casper. Their first time racing here, World Championship. It’s not your first rodeo. So, how are you feeling before this start? Yeah, it’s my fourth full distance Iron Man World Championships. It feels pretty new still, but uh, yeah, I must admit it. I’m getting one of the more experienced guys, and I’m hoping to be able to use that out on course. World Championships are special in many ways and hopefully I’ll have some experience I can pull on the build and feeling is is great. Thanks Magnus. Have a great race. Good luck. Thank you. Thanks guys. Back to you in studio. Thank you Fraser. Thank you Magnus. I think he’s an athlete that we can start to just use one name. Um not because just because he has that imposing figure and he’s so fun to watch. Fourth one. I’m excited to see him and it’s cool that we’re coming to him end of our body market show. we get to see that superstar Dee. Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of people pulling for uh I call him the gentle giant. He’s such a softspoken guy, but such a a fierce racer and a lot on the line for him today as as there is for all of our athletes as uh some of our latecomers coming now through uh the body marking compound making their way into the transition zone, get the nutrition on the bike, get those tires pumped up, uh get about their morning business. the morning business and it is never too early to start talking about the morning business especially when you’re in transition. So the the thing is you just said something that made me think um as we watch Kieran Linder’s here from Great Britain come in a little bit later towards the end like you said. Um the the fun the fun thing I think that’s who we’re looking at. Tell you looked at me like I might have read. You’re 100% right. Okay. And so uh as as you said that a lot on the line for Magnus and it’s really the cool thing is the same amount is on the line for everyone in the pro field but somehow I think I’m agreeing with you it’s a little it’s weighted a little differently right because certain people maybe their expectations the sponsors ours here in the commentary booth the folks across the world right there’s a little waiting there I I think when you’ve been on the podium uh there’s probably the expectation that you either stay on the podium or move up a spot on the podium. And then when you add to that the uh Iron Man Pro Series and all that’s on the line there uh both in terms of I don’t want to call it bragging rights but financially as well. Uh yeah, I think if it’s your first time and you’re not featuring in the Pro Series, yeah, it’s a little bit of a different situation. But certainly for a lot of our former champions, for our former podium finishers, um it’s a big day, but it’s a big day for everyone from the top finisher down to uh the last person across the line. We want to remind everyone that’s been with us that you’re going to want to log off and of course rush on over to outside for the race coverage that’s coming up. We are going to if you’re in the US and Canada, of course, thank you Dee. That’s correct. Here, US and Canada, that’s where you’re going to go. The rest of us will stay right here. We’ll be back. all the way through for spectators. I think you need to Very well. Good. We had one other very hairy and Is it? [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Welcome to the 2025 Iron Man World Championship N France. Today, professional and amateur men from around the world will descend upon the Kot Desour here in the south of France. We are tackling a historic course, an epic competition. I’m Michael Avado joined by DD Grieb here in studio. Craig Alexander and Fraser Cartail will be out in the field as well as Matt Leedo. the team today. Super excited to bring live Iron Man World Championship racing after a long 11-month wait. Dee, I can’t wait to get started. I can’t wait to get started. It’s been a great week here in Nice. Uh today’s Iron Man World Championship is bringing together almost 60 of the world’s top professional male triathletes. Of course, the women will be racing in October in Hawaii, but we’ve got rising stars, we’ve got veterans, uh we’ve got nearly 6,000 Iron Man Pro Series points on the line, and we have a $375,000 professional prize purse with the winner taking home $125,000. And take a look at that pro start list. This the first we’ve got Pat Patrick Longa from Germany who won in Kona last year, Magnus Dlay from Denmark and Rudy von Berg. Those are the first three of many exceptional athletes from France. We talked about him twice inside the top five. Leon Shioalier and then Sam Lelo. He won two years ago here in this race. Well, that’s right. We’ve got the last four men to win the world title are here competing today. We’ve got eight of last year’s top 10 in the pros. But in addition to that, Michael, we have 21 rookies, 21 guys that have never raced an Iron Man World Championship before. They’ll get their turn here today. That’s right. And you mentioned Kona for the women in October. But let’s just focus on this amazing venue since 1982. Nice has been the host of wildly good international competition. Back in its heyday, it was the International Triathlon. Then it became Iron Man France. And then of course Iron Man 70.3 World Championships uh where Gustav Eden won and now of course it is the men’s race uh for the second time men only tackling this course and we say historic we mean it. It has a lot of depth. Absolutely. And alongside the nearly 60 professionals today, we’ve got more than 2500 registered age group athletes from over 86 countries, regions, and territories all coming together today to contest this extremely challenging but very exciting course in Nice. You talked about some of those 21 rookies. What about uh Martin Van Real and Jonas Shamberg? Both of those Olympians and shortc course talented superstars. They’re here to give it a go for the first time. We’ve also got Antonio Bonito Lopez, Daniel Bakagard, and Matthew Marquart. They’re all coming back here. But let’s just not hear it from me. Let’s dive right in to exactly what we’re facing today on these beautiful shores of Nice, France. It’s been a huge year of racing with some epic battles and some incredible moments all leading here to Nice. So, let’s take a look back at how we got here. We kicked off back in March when the two times Iron Man world champion podium finisher, Denmark’s Magnus Ditliff, stated his clear intention winning Iron Man South Africa. The next shots were fired were from the 2021 Iron Man World Champion, Norway’s Christian Blumenfeld. Blumenfelt recorded impressive wins at Iron Man Texas and Iron Man Frankfurt. American Matthew Marquart had yet to win a race in his career, but suddenly won two back-to- back winning Iron Man cans and Iron Man Lake Placid. Records were broken, points secured, slots for Nice taken. But it was never easy and Iron Man never is. Flat tires in Oceanside, malfunctioning, equipment issues in Frankfurt, penalties and cramps, all added to the mix. So too, some new kids on the block. Yonas Shamberg an impressive debut in third at Iron Man South Africa. Casper Stoners adding to the Norwegian hype train now a trio with Gustaf Eden and Bloomingfelt. There were breakout performances too. Christian Hogenhog in Frankfurt. Athletes were racing hard and fast, flat out from the gun, pushing themselves and everyone else to be the very best. The last time the men raced in Nice was in 2023 when Sam Ladello stormed into the lead on the bike and held off the field on the run to take the Iron Man world title. Patrick Langanger, the current world champion from Kona last year, was one of those chasing laid low in 2023, ultimately finishing in second. Magnus Ditliff, third in Nice in 2023, but was second in Kona last year. So, what can he do in Nice 2025? Not only the podium from Nice, but the top five from the World Championships in 2023 are back this year. But who else is back for 2025? Well, the Norwegians Christian Blumenfelt and Gustaf Eden dominated the Iron Man 70.3 and Iron Man World Championships in 2022. In 2025, they are joined by countryman Casper Storz. All three have raced in Nice on the 70.3 course before. Eden winning the 2019 Iron Man 70.3 World Championships where Bloomingfelt was the fourth and Stor won the 2021 Iron Man 70.3 Niece. Yonas Shroberg and Martin Vanreal have both moved up to the full distance this year and will be racing their first Iron Man World Championships. Shamberg, an exciting athlete who pushes hard on the swim and the bike. Vanreal good across the board, but it’s a run where he could really light things up. Then there are athletes from Nice 2023 and Kona 2024 who will be looking for a world championship redemption. Christian Hogenhag DNFED in 23 but had a top 10 finish in Kona and that fantastic performance to finish second in Frankfurt this year. Others to watch the ever consistent Leon Shiovalier who always seems to deliver at the World Championships. Seventh, fifth, fourth, his last three years of results. And Sam Long coming back to the full Iron Man World Championships, the first time since St. George 2022. Ready to go. And that is a fighting chance presented by Hoka. For more, watch short a fighting chance episodes at in on Instagram at ironman try and full a fighting chance episodes at proseries.ironman.com and on the Iron Man triathlon YouTube channel. What a great race preview. That was a great race preview and talking a lot about the Iron Man Pro Series, how we got here, who’s doing what, and really just I think great, well produced and a nice look. I I really enjoyed that. I’m I’m I’m sort of biased because I love this sport so much, but it was fun to see everyone kind of mixing it up in there. And so we’re back here and we did mention this DD. You said it 2500 plus age group athletes. So we focus on the pros in this show. We really highlight the action that those guys at the front are doing. But back here in the ranks, we have all these folks that have also earned their way here to Nice from races all over the world since way last year when the qualifying uh period began. And so it is a big day for all those folks. Amateurs, they sacrifice just as much. They make the effort just, you know, equally to to everyone. And we talked about this with regard to Matthew Markwart. Big big training loads for these uh amateurs. And they also have other responsibilities as well. They don’t have the ability to sort of compete and train full-time. Uh they’re they’re hobby athletes that are really good. And doing a really good job here still in the body marking compound are our race volunteers. Again, over 1,500 race volunteers throughout the week and throughout this very, very important day. So, shout out to our wonderful volunteers who make this race possible. That’s right, Dee. And I think as I just backpedal as well and talk a little bit more about those age group athletes, really the still the most unique element that they get to compete on the same stage, the same day as the pros where you don’t see that in other sports. You don’t see uh amateurs riding the Tour of France. You don’t see amateurs in there playing baseball. And it really is a unique element where you could be there, especially on a course like this, DD, the Hoka run course, four laps. you’re going to be right in there hopefully not literally but figuratively rubbing elbows with the superstars of our sport. So, it’s quite good. As we take a look at some overhead shots here of the transition area as well as the corral start for the swim start for that Roka swim course. We will be getting down there uh in just under an hour’s time as athletes continue to make their way through the transition zone, finish their morning preparations, pumping up the tires, checking that the bike, uh making sure those uh batteries are charged up, shifting’s working, uh getting the nutrition on the bike, and going over everything just one last time before they get underway. Yes. And thankfully it’s well lit along the prominade desangle. But soon the sun will come up and you see it. Well, beautiful, beautiful venue here on the Mediterranean Sea and this Kot Desour. Really a fantastic spot. We talked about the history here. Uh but the fact that we have such a nice environment so well supported by the locals and just really this town understands worldclass events, worldclass athletes and it’s not just triathon but certainly coming here for the Iron Man World Championship D. a great spot. Uh we we look forward to Kona next month, but really we are embracing every bit of this and we encourage you guys to stick around because we have hours upon hours of exciting action ready to unfold. We’ll be with you all day long. We’re just going to sneak off and prepare these athletes. [Music] [Music] Yes, that’s perfect. [Music] There’s no limit to how far a dream can take you. Start in your own adventure now. Katar Airways. You know, and we know the thing about challenging yourself is you’re always looking for what’s next. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] And here we are in the south of France, DD Grease Power. And now I’m Michael Lovado sitting in studio anxiously awaiting the sun to come up and the action to begin here at the Iron Man World Championship. Hey, and there’s Joe Skipper, an eighttime Iron Man winner from the UK. And uh he’s he’s been seen before the race saying, “Hey, you know what? I’d be really happy if I got in the top 10.” A little bit different from what you saw with him. Very, I’d say, confident, little brash attitude. He’s a very likable guy. Uh very good to talk to the cameras, but he was a little bit more modest this year, I think. Uh he’s he’s a very gregarious uh individual. He’s helped us a little bit uh with some commentary uh throughout our Pro Series races this year. Michael, this is the 15th stop in the Iron Man Pro Series for 2025. And all of our top 10 athletes are racing in Nice. And 17 of the top 20 are here to contest the nearly 6,000 points that are up for grabs. And there you see the top 10. Uh looking at it now, it is going to absolutely shake up because some of those athletes have already counted. You can see them three Iron Mans. And so the ones that have two will race today and will necessarily bump up because you get to count three. Uh but you should watch this. Blumenfeld still on track for a perfect score in the series after winning in Texas, Frankfurt. And then I And then we’ve got Hogan How. He’s in second. He’s got his eyes on Casper Storzes and Rudy Vonberg because he’s got a time gap on them, but he wants to remain ahead of them in the Iron going into Marba in the Iron Man 70.3 World Championship. And then we’ve got an athlete might like Matthew Markwart who is currently sitting in second place in the Pro Series. Although of note, he is not currently qualified for 70.3 Worlds. So this will be his last race in the Iron Man Pro Series. And you can see there he’s already got three full Iron Mans scored. So he will get the benefit if he finishes close to the top. He will he could cancel out a lower score. As you know, uh, once the winner collects their 6,000 points crossing the finish line, the time clock starts rolling and athletes will lose one point per second that they are behind the winner. So, that is how the points tallies work with three points on the board already. If Matthew scores a better score than his lowest score, he will get the benefit of today’s score. And I just said score about 17 times in one sentence. That’s cuz it’s the every second counts for that score. Um, but others that we didn’t mention as well is Nick Thompson, who is a dark horse to get into the top five because if he performs well today, boom, he’s going to bump up. So, watch him. Also, Henrik Gesh. You could see him launch up there. Um, but kind of fun stuff. And then now we’re just here quietly on camera with Christian Blumfell. What is he doing today? Well, great question. He’s starting, as we all are, with this vicious swim. Let’s take a look at the ROA swim course which of course is going to be 3.8 kilometers DD and that is going to be right here. Zip on down into those beautiful blue waters. It’s one lap 3.8 km or 2.4 miles Dee and it is going to go through that blue green beautiful water. It’s outbound before you take an inbound make this big M shape hit the hit almost the beach and go back and do it again. lot of turns and this one very different to what we see at other races because of all those turns. That’s the Roka swim course. That’s right. Then athletes will run through a transition zone, grab their bikes, and mount to begin the Zoot bike course, which is 180.2 km or 112 mile loop that is one of the most spectacular and challenging in the world. The course makes its way down along the prominade and up through the outskirts of Nice via the beautiful hillside villages. Athletes will enjoy the picturesque views on the Alps maritime region on the ascent and then have the opportunity to take in the clues deoier. I worked on that one. Uh on the descent while there will be some stunning coastline and mountain sceneries. This course features challenging clims and super technical descents up to 2400 meters of elevation before descending back down into the seaside village of Nice. And Dee, this course is so hard that describing it takes less time than actually completing it with the graphic. I’m not kidding. This is the part you said as you come out of those maritime Alps still climbing, still struggling. Div said up on the plateau is the hard part, the good part for him, but the hard part for a lot of people. So much action. And then this is the part where you zip back down into town on the flats and back into transition. Such a tough onel course. And then clearly as you wrap in here and you come into transition, fans will be screaming as you head out on the fourlap hoka run course. Everybody’s favorite part of the day. It’s lined with spectators from start to finish. It spans the iconic prominade desangle and I said it four laps divided into 42.2 km or 26.2 miles. It’s a foot race like no other. It takes runners along that famous stretch of sand, the beach clubs, the blue chairs with the sh blue. I don’t speak French very well, but I try. Back to the Mediterranean Sea as you have it there. Always on the sidelines, Deei. And you U-turn a couple times. The far point is the airport. You get to go there and then you come home and you finish like a champion. A lot of talk this week about the nature of the fourlap course. absolutely packed with fans along the way, but mentally really tough because when you make that turn back by the finish line, you might say to yourself, I just can’t go out there and do it again. But you have to four laps before you can make your way to the finish line. As we take a look at all of our athletes, 2500 age group athletes alongside our nearly 60 professionals getting ready to get underway today. as we take a look at some of our notables uh including your Iron Man defending champion Patrick Langga, Magnus Ditlev, Rudy von Berg, that is your podium from last year. That’s right. And then Leon Shioalier was fourth last year. Sam Lelo 18th in Kona, but he won here two years ago. The Frenchman Sam Lelo Gustaf Eden, he won here his first big race here in 2019 at the 70.3. And then Christian Blumenfeld. This man is really just on an incredible tear this season. He is everybody’s favorite, although there’s a lot of folks that could possibly knock him off that spot. There are. And Cameron Morph, a name we haven’t mentioned yet this morning. Uh an incredibly talented athlete uh from a variety of sports. Uh has been a professional cyclist, has done a monster job in improving his swim and his run. he could feature today. Of course, Kieran Linders and Christian Hogenhog as well um amongst our top 10 bib numbers here today. And we uh we called this out because we did find this out Dee and it is something that does change the dam dynamic of the first element of this race with water temperatures at 25.3 degrees Celsius or 77.5. They won’t be wearing wet suits. The professionals will not be in wet suits. uh that changes not only the tactics, not only does it change the position of some of the people, but it also changes some of the apparel or the wardrobe you have to factor in. You may have a different thing in mind if you did have that swimsuit or that wet suit rather, and then you have to go to the speed skin. So, little changes. Well, just to elaborate on that a little further, uh a lot of athletes would wear calf guards, for instance, uh that are more aerodynamic than uh human skin, but without a wet suit, you would have to take the time to put those on in transition because they are not permitted in non-wets suit swims. Uh things like that, I think the athletes will um certainly, to your point, Michael, be in slightly different positions. The wets suit tends to favor the less strong swimmers. Everybody swims faster in a wet suit because of the added buoyancy, but I think generally speaking, uh, it’s well understood that a wet suit will benefit the relatively weaker swimmers more than your stronger swimmers. Could spread things out a little bit more in the swim here today. Fair assessment. Absolutely. And that obviously is to do with the buoyancy. So, if we really look at that to folks that are kind of still learning this sport, getting a wet suit on, having that neoprene all the way down your legs, it just minimizes that, gets you a better body position, minimizes that sink. Um, and also you don’t have to kick quite as much with the wet suit. So, that could help uh save your legs. But that’s what we’re facing, a non-wet suit swim as we still wait here for another about 40 minutes, 42 minutes before this race kicks off. It’s still dark. Headlamps being used and folks getting everything dialed in here as you’re looking down on age group athlete is just dialing the hydration system up front, racking the bike. Has water or uh, you know, fluid in the back there and then of course that straw. But Dee, it’s going to be a pretty day today. It is. Let’s take a look at our race weather presented by our friends at ROA. The current temperature race weather 65° Fahrenheit. That’s 18° C. We’ve got clear skies. Uh UV index while the sun’s not up yet. Humidity pretty high at 71%. Wind out of the northwest at 4 kilometers per hour. Uh we will continue to check in with our weather as it evolves throughout the day today, courtesy of our friends at AOA. And they’re thinking that’s going to climb from 18 to 26 uh which would be all the way up to 79 degrees Fahrenheit and with the humidity and with the high effort of competing across this course that is going to feel hot. Uh so pretty hot out there on the in particular on the run but really it boils down to great great racing weather. I mean it it is going to not be so extreme maybe like Kona and it’s not going to be cold. So I think it’s really great weather today for this amazing event. As we take a look there at our first look at Jason West, one of our uh 21 rookies in the field today, making his debut at the Iron Man World Championship. Uh he makes his home in Boulder, Colorado. Big day for him. Uh he he’s really strong across the board. I think really known for his run strength. Um but not probably going to be a part of that uh big swim pack at the front. He’s a strong swimmer, but will get the benefit of sort of racing his own race and could really run his way, I think, into the field. A great day for Jason would be if we could see him in the top 15 perhaps, which would be incredible on debut here at the Iron Man World Championship. And this man Jamie Riddle, a South African who stated at the outset that um he was is more nervous now for this race than he was when he competed in the Olympics. So that states it right there. He said it’s because it means more to me. And you saw also right on his shoulder that tattoo that said family. his dad Alec also a big uh triathlete that has been around for a long time racing and a big big fan of the sport. South Africa is all rallying behind uh this man Jamie Riddle who is really kind of just in the zone. He’s he’s got the headphones on and you know he’s doing his pre-race ritual. He did speak with um with Craig Alexander earlier about his uh about his pre-ro routine which is full effect right now. And I’m sort of uh dumbfounded and actually just super curious. cuz I want to know more about what’s going on. And in order to find out what’s going on, you’re going to have to come back and see what Jamie Riddle’s doing in just a minute. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Applause] [Music] Meet Kicker Run from Wahoo. A revolutionary indoor running experience where you just run and your feet set the pace. We call it run-free mode, a gamechanging technology that allows you to change speeds naturally, just like you do outdoors. You can even let popular training apps control the speed and grade for you. Kicker Run by Wahoo. It’s time to run free. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Not at all. [Applause] You are a man. Welcome back to the Iron Man World Championship. Find faster with Roa. And by Oman, beauty has an address, endurance has the destination. Experience Oman. Diddy. Here we are in the beautiful town of Nice, France on the Kotazur. And we’re watching these athletes. Okay, let’s just say it. They’re stretching. They’re getting ready, but really they’re just dying to get to the start line. Am I right? Is this the moment where you’re like, just get me there? Yeah, I think uh all the business of the morning is done. The bikes are ready. This is Matt Hansen from the United States. He uh featured really strongly in the Iron Man Pro Series uh a year ago. Stood at top the the series for so long. Uh had a great season last year. Looking to follow up that again this year with another top 10 finish in the Iron Man Pro Series. Uh again, Matt Hansen getting ready here doing some some last minute stretching as all of our athletes sort of settling those nerves. There’s nothing left for them to tinker with except their own thoughts. That’s right. What else can I do before we get to get underway here? And let’s keep in mind, we still have over 30 minutes to go. I mean, I really do feel like this is the time when it is just, hey, get me there. I’ve done everything. So, you really are just thinking at this point. You’re kind of warming up. You’re kind of just biting your time, though. So, it’s it it actually maybe speaks to the reason that some of those athletes that we saw came in right at the last minute because they wanted to just minimize that time where they’re sitting here anticipating. So, I feel like the height of nerves kind of hits, you start to build, build, and build. And as even Gustaf Eden said earlier, he has a pre-race routine, and it’s to just get as nervous as he possibly can. Um, you don’t really want to do that, but that’s what happens. It absolutely is what happens. And some of our fans here have gathered as our athletes continue to get some of their last minute touches. This is Harry Palmer from Great Britain. Another one of our 21 rookies. Uh sharing a little bit of time here with a family or loved one across the fence line there. A lot of uh athletes bringing great support teams with them. Uh as Jamie Riddle continues to meditate uh down on his knees here, uh gather himself for the day that is to come. Well, it’s pretty good. I mean, I think if you could just be quiet like that inside and uh shut everything else out, right? There’s going to be a lot of action coming from outside, a lot of feedback, and I think if you can really just focus and be in the moment, have that sort of mindful moment, you know, why not? I think it’s hard to do. Uh, he’s got his headphones on. Who knows what’s on the inside because there’s still quite a bit going on in the outside. This little pro zone. I mean, all you have is just that space. You’re inside. You’re kind of like a caged tiger in there. Uh, everyone watching and and sort of checking your every move. And of course, your competition is all around. So, it’s kind of an interesting little setup there as we see Matthew Markwart as well. Matthew Markwart with his traveling companion that it’s his mom. I just love that story. His mom travels with him to a lot of his races. She’s certainly been a good luck charm as he took the win at Iron Man cans earlier this year as well as Iron Man Lake Placid. So, mom helping out even now. That’s right. as we watch Christian Blumenfeld get the uh swim skin on, pull that over his kit and delicately doing that. These need to be placed very appropriately. Obviously, you don’t want to bunch anything up underneath and um I think it is Diddy, you know, it’s an art there to get to get tight tight clothing onto a a sweaty and right uh ready body, I will say. Yes. Let’s I I will say and if you take a look at our countdown race clock there you will see the logo experience Oman uh beauty has an address and endurance has a destination and on Friday Michael Iron Man announced a landmark global partnership highlighting a major new adventure destination to host Iron Man and Iron Man 70.3 events including the 2029 Iron Man 70.3 World Championship which is going to be epic. Michael, let’s take a look at what is to come with Iron Man and the country of Oman. Beauty has an address. Endurance has a destination. Experience Oman. The Iron Man Group and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism unite to realize a new bold vision and are proud to announce Experience Oman as a global premier partner and official destination of the Iron Man and Iron Man 70.3 series. Taking center stage in 2026, Experience Oman will become the naming partner of the Iron Man Pro Series. And in 2029, Muskat will proudly host the Experience Oman Iron Man 70.3 World Championship. Oman, a country rich in heritage, a country that strives to move forward and evolve. Where every mile of the course is steeped in history and offers spectacular scenery. A place where you can race in the pristine capital Muskat one day and climb a 3,000 meter high mountain the next. In 2026, Oman will become host of premier events, including the first full distance Iron Man event in the region with the Experience Oman Iron Man Oman, Experience Oman Iron Man 70.3 Middle East Championship, Muscat, and the continuation to host Experience Oman Iron Man 70.3 Salala. Oman offers you the opportunity to recover in one of many freshwater pools and rest beneath a sky filled with a million desert stars. Wander through lush green landscapes and follow your senses to the mystical Frankincense Mountains. We can’t wait to welcome you to this incredible country where you can race in a breathtaking destination. What an incredible destination for endurance athletes and adventurers. On the heels of the announcement of this landmark deal, Paul K sat down with Iron Man CEO Scott Daru and his excellency Asan bin Kasim Al-Busadi, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism to get their thoughts on what this partnership means for the athletes and more broadly sports tourism. Take a listen. It’s a special day in a very very special place. Here we are in Nice on the eve of the eve of the men’s Iron Man World Championship. With me I have the CEO of the Iron Man Group Scott Taru and from the Sultenate of Oman, the under secretary for the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage. It is Azan Kasim Albusi. Your Excellency, thank you so much for being with us. You’re most welcome. We’re going to chat first, Scott, about the significance of today, but the significance of what was born a year ago here in Nice. Can you just talk us through that? Yeah, Paul, it’s it’s an incredibly exciting day. Uh, and your excellency, thank you for uh for being here. Uh, you’re exactly right. One year ago today, our friends from Oman uh and our team sat in a room overlooking the proomenade, dreaming up a vision uh built on a shared uh foundation of shared values and a vision for what we could do together and really uh about inspiring a global community of uh environment athletes and fans and and friends and family to establish Oman as the center of endurance in the Gulf region to inspire uh sport adventure tourism. We are incredibly honored and I am really excited about not only today but what’s to come in the future. Thank you Scott. And talking about Aman, your excellency, lovely to have you with us. Good morning. Thank you. Good morning. just talk us through from your point of view how the Iron Man brand ties in with your vision and your ambitions for Oman. I believe that uh we are aligned uh simply because of the fact that currently is prioritizing adventure tourism as one of its key segments in tourism. Uh there is plenty that has to offer. Uh the country is very rich in its heritage, in its traditions. The people of Haman uh are welcoming has they have always been welcoming and uh what’s happening today is simply a reflection of uh the true essence of the hospitality Aman has to offer. So here we are. We’re in Nice and Nice in 2019 hosted the world at the Iron Man 70.3 World Championship and 10 years from that time Oman will be hosting the experience Oman Iron Man 70.3 World Championship. What about being here again inspires you for that day in 2029 that week in 2029? Well, I can’t tell you how much I am excited about it personally. Uh the team as well is very much looking forward to hosting Muskat. Uh once again it’s going to be the first time u in the first time in the region. Uh I think the Iron Man community is going to be benefiting from discovering this new uh destination that’s going to be part of the Iron Man network. And not only that, I think Iron Man will inspire the Omanis and the people in the region to swim, bike, run a little bit more as well. Definitely. Yes. Such an exciting announcement. Thank you to Scott, your excellency to you. Thank you so much. And to you, make sure you come and experience Oman. [Music] What a monumental moment and an opportunity to offer worldclass race experiences and showcase the incredible beauty, culture, and history of Aman. We can’t wait. But now, Dee, let’s get back to Nice. And just like that, we are with Sam Lelo. He won this race two years ago. And then actually the man who won the Iron World Championship last year right there in the background. But Sam Lelo on the ground truly stretching, getting ready. And then De, I have to say the the energy is building. Oh, absolutely. I mean, it’s been building all week really. I mean, it starts it starts with sort of a rumble and builds to a roar as we get into these final moments just uh just over 27 minutes uh from the start of the Iron Man World Championship here in Nice. And all of the athletes now, all of the spectators now, all of us here in the comment uh booth as well as down on the ground excited for things to get underway. This really does uh sort of culminate a year. There’s still more racing to go, but a year uh full of racing of course in the Iron Man Pro Series. This is our 15th stop. Uh we’ve got all of these uh points, 6,000 points up for grabs today. Monster prize purses. This course just does not end. Uh it is going to throw challenges at the athletes all day long. It sure is. And and right now this uh kind of enjoyable atmosphere down on Plage Ponchett about to change Dee, isn’t it? When we get right into the heart of the race [Music] as our athletes continuing their warm-ups here. We’ve got some athletes uh doing some mobility there. Sam Long, you see in the background in that white Aroka swimkin athlete in the foreground bent over there so I can’t see who that is, but working on that good early vertical forearm of that swim form. Working on that catch with the stretch cords. Uh that’s good stuff. Uh getting that form locked in, that muscle activation. Uh some would say, “Hey, you got to swim 2.4 miles, 3.8k, isn’t that enough?” But, uh, doing exercises like this will activate those lats, get that feel for the water before the athletes get in and actually start the swim. Yeah, that’s right, Dee. And this is just kind of cool cuz I saw someone doing stretch cords earlier and I couldn’t help but notice that that athlete was dropping the elbow. And uh, I didn’t say anything because I’m certain that that individual is probably going to swim incredibly well. But seeing that warm up compared to this one, yeah, definitely a little bit better form using that whole forearm and high elbow. talk about what might be going through the mind of Sam laid low right now. I mean, you’re on top of the world, winning this event in 2023. Absolutely. Went for broke uh for it in 2024. It didn’t work out. Now we’re back. Great question, Dee. And and I think that I I would speculate and actually he alluded to this in body marking. Sam Lelo got 18th last year. So, by all accounts, the last race he was not the guy to beat, right? He he he did not deliver. He tried. He did a great effort, but he was saying, “How did I end up here again in 2025?” Almost like the defending champion again. And I think the reason is because this course really suits him. He’s got, as he said, 30 minutes more on the bike to exploit his strength. Uh he’s got time to hurt and weaken the legs of the better runners, and he’s an exceptional runner, but as you start to rank, there are better runners that will be behind him. And so I think that there is everybody kind of pushing all of that right up into the foreground. And the thought is that this guy really is a true favorite on this course. He’s he’s um he’s going to come in here with a nice group of allies on the swim and he’s going to push to break away and distance and hurt the Magnus Ditlivs, the Sam Longs, the the Second Packers, the Third Packers. And so I think that what’s in his head a little bit of nervous anticipation like I’ve got to win this thing. And not only that, but I think he’s he’s got the opportunity. I mean obviously he’s he’s one of our four defending champions in the field. Obviously, he has the opportunity to win it, but I think when he looks not only at this course and how it suits his strengths, but as to how some of these race dynamics could play out, we’ve got some front pack aggressors in the swim that really could be huge allies for him on the bike. Of course, we’ll get to that um as the men exit the water. But first, Michael, let’s take a look. Uh we are just 23 and a half minutes away from the start of the swim. So let’s take a deeper dive into what athletes will be experiencing on the first leg of today’s race. [Music] By the is the 2025 Iron Man World Championship here in Nice on the beautiful K Desert. Let’s take a look at the Roka Swim course. The ROA swim follow the 3.8 km or 2.4 mile route in the stunning Mediterranean Sea. Athletes enter the water from the pebble beach at pl de ponchet and swim a double rectangular course perpendicular to the prominate. Athletes get to experience the clear water of many shades of blue with the almar team as the backdrop with its breathtaking scenery and pristine waters. The ruka swim de launch offers athletes an unforgettable experience that perfectly blends challenge and beauty. Let’s hear what one of the top pros had to say about this incredible swim venue. The swim course here at the Iron Man World Championships in Nice is really beautiful, very nice, clear water, lovely temperature. For the age groupers, I think you have to be prepared for both a swimkin and a wet suit swim. So, bring both. And yeah, get into the ocean a little bit to practice during race week. It’s very salty, so you if you have been in it and know how it feels like, it’s feels more familiar on race day. Uh but that means also that it’s very buoyant. So that’s probably good for most age groupers. So I think it’s going to be a swim course where yeah a fast swim course actually and can be some chop but uh it looks on the forecast it’s going to be pretty still. So I think it’s going to be a nice day. And that’s your swim course. [Music] As you take a look there at Magnus Ditlev giving a little bit of a I don’t know kind of inside scoop, a little bit of talk there, I I can’t help but think about this guy who has just been I think really a fun athlete to watch. 27 years old out of Denmark, just a really strong and as you said, gentle giant some ways. He seems kind of softspoken and likable, but you know, he’s just there to hurt some people on the uh on the triathlon race course. And let’s take a look at some of our ones to watch here in not only the ROA swims but throughout the entire day. Of course, wearing bib number one is going to be Patrick Langa, Magnus Ditlev, Rudy von Berg. Uh that is our returning podium from a year ago with Leon Shioalier uh wearing bib number four and Sam Lelo wearing bib number five. And then Sam Lelo in the green cap as well as that man Gustaf Eden green swim cap. You’ve got Christian Blumenfell. Look for him in the silver swim cap with bib 7. Cam Worf also wearing silver. And then Kieran Linders, I think he was doing those stretch cords earlier. That’s in cap blue. And some others just to watch. So you could see Christian Hoganhow. Got to watch out for the other Danish superstar that’s in this race with a yellow swim cap. Look at that mugging for the camera. They look pretty relaxed at that point. Norway there. There you go. And that’s right. But we’ve got to remember as you kind of just scroll down some of our potential um picks for that group. You started to go into it and we’ve got all kinds of different color caps, but Jonas Schoberg and Martin Van Real, the rookies that came from the Olympics and the Olympic distance should be lightened a little bit of a hot swim pace there at the beginning. Absolutely. As well as uh we haven’t mentioned him yet, but Wilham Hirs uh he will be wearing a violet cap. Also a extraordinary swimmer. and Finn Gre who we did have uh an opportunity to chat with pre-race. He will be wearing a hot pink swim cap. So, some of those color-coded caps help both us and you keep an eye on some of these ones to watch and some of the movers and shakers uh who could shape the early dynamics of this course as the athletes make their way. One of the notable things of this ROA swim course here is the rocky entrance uh to the water. So, a lot of little tiptoeing going on for swim warm-ups for our pro men as we are 19 minutes and 15 seconds away from the start of the men’s Iron Man World Championship. I’m I’m glad you pointed that out because folks are like, “Oh, what are they doing? Are they starting?” Well, this is that time I think that they actually get to shed a few of those nerves um where they do get into the water. I think that physical actual proper physical movement uh really is the best thing for the pre-race nerves. Um, and you mentioned it, this beach, famous around the world, but also famous for its rocks. Uh, Plage Ponchett, that is where you get in and get going for this Roka swim course. Who will be the athlete that comes out first? You mentioned all those fast folks. You didn’t mention Sam Lelo. He could be one of them, but which of those athletes is going to get in first and get out first? We’ll find out here in a minute. Questions to be answered. What do you want? Uh, you know, what’s that? a really good non-alcoholic beer I keep hearing about. Do you have that really great non-alcoholic beer that I keep seeing? Do you have a non-alcoholic beer that actually actually tastes good? It’s athletic. You’re holding it. You mean athletic? You’re looking at it. I think you mean athletic. [Music] It’s athletic. Ask for it. It’s just baby. [Music] [Music] Endurance isn’t just about medals. It’s about showing up, even when your brain says go and your body says no. Showing up means taking care of yourself, skin, and all. Because when you train hard, your skin works hard, too. That’s where Bulldog comes in with products packed with brilliant natural origin ingredients that help prepare, protect, and recover your skin. No fuss, no nonsense. Bulldog skincare is man’s best friend. Official men’s care products of Iron Man Europe. Beyond the finish lines, our commitment goes the extra mile. We are the Iron Man Foundation. We’ve given back more than $55 million to support our mission of leaving a positive impact throughout race communities. Without our amazing athletes, volunteers, and givers, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Together, let’s continue this journey of impact. Join the Iron Man Foundation and be a part of something extraordinary. And we are here back at the Iron Man World Championship. Athletes are getting fired up with the help of our on the ground announcer staff, Paul K from South Africa. Always uh willing to cut a rug while he’s getting folks fired up. And uh we are seeing now the sun come up. I’m Michael Lovado joined here in studio by Dee Griezbower. And it looks like we are approximately 11 minutes and 11 seconds away from the start of this race. That’s what the Wahoo clock is telling me. And Dee, I am pretty excited here to see these athletes just get out there and thrive in this tough tough environment. They’re well trained, well prepared. And uh I’ll say this, DD, in catching up with the pros this week, we asked them all to talk about the theme of this year’s race, which is resilience. We all know Iron Man, especially at the World Championship, is a game of resiliency, and this is what some of those pro athletes had to say. Yeah, I mean, resilience is what differentiates the the best, I guess, from from just being good. Um, I always I feel like a lot of people set out with a certain goal. I think if you would have asked like when they were 18, pretty much every pro that’s on the start line uh what they wanted to to achieve, they probably would have said that they want to be Iron Man world champion or to themselves anyway. And then it’s kind of like every year you tell yourself, oh well actually maybe a top like I came top five, that’s good enough, you know. And I think resilience is also um about it not being enough and never being enough, you know, and that’s maybe an unhealthy trait to have, but at the end of the day, that’s what that’s what makes you resilient, you you could go through the roughest patches. Um, and again, Jan is is the perfect example. You know, he could have stopped his career four years earlier, but he he kept believing. Um, and he’s extremely resilient, you know, after so many injuries and uh to come back and to prove to the world that that he can be on top again. Um, so yeah, you just I think it’s just comes down to how much how much you want it. And if you’re happy to to sometimes spend 6 months injured or 6 months out of the sport um being depressed, if you think that that’s worth it, then um then yeah, for me that’s what resilience is. I think resilience is almost my motto and that that is how I always race and Iron Man is about who you know who can get to the finish line and that’s finish line is very far away at the start of the race and um you can’t get through an Iron Man without resilience especially at a world championship level because you’re pushing yourself to your limit and maybe even potentially beyond your limit but uh with kind of resilience you can sometimes re recapture that um in many ways. And so resilience I think from a racing standpoint is all about um you know overcoming those dark moments, overcoming those challenging points that will always happen during an iron man and getting to that finish line no matter what it takes. Resilience for me is like just I guess looking adversity in the face and being comfortable with that. um for myself that that that’s a great metaphor for just my life and in terms of being able to look myself in the mirror and just being able to like really ask hard questions and and uh go deeper. So I think yeah for me come come 14th September is like really like looking looking adversity in the face and in multiple moments in the race and and showing up again and again. Um that’s one thing about Iron Man is you got to keep showing up and keep moving forward. It’s it’s Yeah. And that’s pretty cool, but it’s it’s daunting. Like there’s a there’s a rate on Sunday is is it’s going to war, right? And there you have it, Dee. Going to war. As we hear those words, we watch these men come out of the water. And quite humorously, they are a bit tender-footed as they cross those rocks. But you know what? These are race machines that are meant to go hard. They’re saving up. And a lot of the athletes you can see pointing out this ROA swim course here. It always looks a little different when the buoys are set and the sun finally rises on the Rokus swim course. Athletes, we are 12 minutes and 12 seconds away from the men’s Iron Man World Championship. Our pros will get underway at 5 minutes past 7 in the morning local time. Uh athletes finished their warm-ups there. Some did an inwater warm-up, some opting not to. Uh but adrenaline and nerves reaching an ultimate high, alltime high. And we did see Joe Skipper putting on the Snuggie there because he had just gotten out of the water. And once you’ve warmed up, you want to stay warm or get warm. Again, I think the warm-up is a the swim warmup, I should say, is a great move. Get the water because I think it helps shed the nerves, but also it does allow you to really do what you’re going to do. The swim core, stretch courts, they’re great. The jumping jacks, awesome. Push-ups, sure, but really no replacement for moving the arms, uh, strokes like you will as you start this ROA swim course. Dee, you said something about them kind of looking out there at the course and it looks a little different and certainly now the sun’s coming up. One of the unique elements of this race is just that you go straight out, you do two turns and then you come back. It is a an M, the letter M, and then you come in and you’ve got to do that again where you diagonal straight out, two turns and then back. So, four turns inside the 3.8 km or 2.4 miles. those turns, they tell me that’s an opportunity to drop someone or get dropped. Absolutely. Those uh those turn buoys uh tend to be uh bottlenecks, so to speak, if there are some larger swim packs. So, opportunities for swimmers to make a move at those areas as athletes now towling off, getting ready for the start here, staying warm. Uh there’s Sam Long with his wife Lara. They’ve spent the summer over in Europe uh with their young son and so he is well acclimatized to the time uh spent a lot of good time training out here. Again, family supporters now. We heard Rudy von Berg say his father was more nervous than he was this morning. So, all of our spectators, I think, uh sharing the same uh nervous energy as a lot of our athletes. That’s right. And what a beautiful shot right there of the beach and the beautiful sunrise and the palm trees. That right there is going to be a snapshot. that you’re going to see on Instagram, Facebook, down the road. Hopefully you guys are enjoying that. That’s the beauty of when that sun finally comes up and you get to look down all the spectators, all the athletes, 2500 plus, 86 different countries, regions, and provinces, everything from around the world here to compete in the Iron Man World Championship. And coming back to this, DD, we are minutes away and we do a really nice intro of these athletes. We’re going to get to see them one more time before they get in. get a nice look. And uh, of course, in that um, lineup, you’re going to see, what did you say? Four past Iron Man World Champions. I see someone in a leopard print robe. So, I already immediately have a favorite athlete here for style points. I mean, if you can’t get style points in the race, you certainly can, uh, right now, Di 100%. All right, let’s announce and bring to you our top 10 seated athletes, beginning with bib number one from Germany. And we’re going to get there, DD. From Germany. We’re going to get there in just one minute. Athletes queuing up here. I uh had a false start on top 10 bib introductions, but they are coming to you. Uh these are some of our unseated athletes in the generic white professional men’s swim caps. Uh but that’s not to say they won’t feature in. But here we are back with wearing bib number one from Germany uh as the defending three-time Iron Man world champion. This is Patrick Langga. What a superstar there representing Germany. And here from Denmark, number two, Magnus Ditlave. Two-time Iron Man World Championship podium finisher and second last year in Kona, third in Nice two years ago. This man is one to watch. Wearing bib number three from the United States of America, Rudy von Berg. Rudy has been climbing the ranks at the Iron Man World Championship with a fourth place finish here in Nice in 2023 and then a third place last year in Kona. This year he was second at 70.3 Oceanside and third at Iron Man Texas. And he was fifth here in Nice in 2023 and fourth in Kona. This man, French Leon Shioalier, will be looking to move up the podium again this year. Watch out for the Frenchmen. And another one of our Iron Man world champions in the field today wearing bib number five from France. Sam Ladello. Uh he had an injury plagued start to the year but is now finding the perfect form at the perfect time as he comes into the Iron Man World Championship off the back of a commanding victory at Iron Man leads. Certainly a lot of eyes on that young man representing the strong country of Norway, the 2022 Iron Man World Champ Gustav Eden. He’s had a quiet progression this season and he’s now in full form. Watch out for this man. He’s coming off a great fourth place at the Iron Man World Championship in Frankfurt. I mean European and his countryman wearing bib number seven also from Norway. This is Christian Blumenfeld. He’s the 2021 Iron Man World Champion and is arguably the best most consistent male athlete this year scoring wins at Memorial Herman Iron Man Texas North American Championship Iron Man Frankfurt European Championship and the Iron Man 70.3 Oxam Provence. Number eight here from Australia, Cameron Worf. He’s worked hard to develop into a very solid swimmer and we expect to see him in the second main chase pack. Great cyclist and he could find himself with some great company on the bike. And wearing bib number nine from Great Britain. This is Kieran Linders. He had to withdraw from Frankfurt early in the bike. So he will be fresh relative to some of his competitors. He had a great result at Iron Man 70.3 Swansea this year. He was third. And number 10 from Denmark, a brand new father as of a couple weeks. This is Christian Hogenhog. He’s had a crazy stretch of races from Frankfurt to Swansea to Lake Placid. He’s got to keep going in this Iron Man Pro Series. What a great finish in Frankfurt in second. Watch out cuz he seems to be in incredible shape. And of course, while those are our top 10 seated athletes with bib numbers, there are so many other superstars as our professional men’s field makes their way down to the start of the ROA swim course. Michael, it’s all happening. It is almost time here. We’ve got still 5 minutes. 7:05 local time is when we fire the cannon, shoot the gun, and launch those athletes into the ROA swim. So now they’ve been introduced, they’ve warmed up, they’ve been marked, they’ve nervously pranced about. These athletes have done absolutely everything they can do before they kick off the 2025 Iron Man World Championship. And today, DD, we don’t know who will be the first to cross the line, but we do know that fireworks will be in store for everyone that is participating and watching this race. Because Dee, some newcomers, some veterans, some people with lots to prove, and some people with everything to lose, all out here trying to make something special happen. And let’s remember some of our key players, uh, ones to watch, potential front pack swimmers. Uh Jonas Shamberg will be wearing an orange cap. Martin Van Real in powder blue. William Hirch uh in violet. Jamie Riddle in yellow. Sam Lelo, look for him to get out fast on this Roka swim course. He will be wearing a green swim cap. [Music] Nana. [Music] And big thanks to the music dear municipal dev for performing the national anthem or la marseier. There they go folks. We are now on the start line for this great race. And you can see Dee, those professional athletes flanked by all of the fans, the photographers, and the family members of these races. Uh they’ve come from car far and wide DD as you and I have just to watch this great race. And I’m super excited because man, do we have a lot of contenders that can come in here and surprise us. Absolutely. I mean, everybody has this idea of who the favorites are and how this race might play out. And one thing we know for sure is that it never happens the way we think it’s going to. As our professional men get lined up here, we will welcome our race starter, Jose Kobos. He is the city counselor uh responsible for sports and events in the host city um of international sporting competitions. He will be our official race starter here as our athletes doing their final shakeouts. There you see Magnus Ditliv uh the tall figure in the middle and that white ROA swim skin. Look for him. this swim is going to be critical for him. Uh he will want to be a part of that lead pack and that’ll be a challenge for him. He’s going to need to try and you were mentioning some of those front swimmers. We have to look again at some of these others. Patrick Longa maybe tagged to be in that group. He’s in pearly gold. We’re wondering if uh Christian Blumenfeld can hang on and he’s in pearly silver. Uh but realistically, DD, we’ve sort of had scenarios play out where it could be a nice break. If the break doesn’t happen, it’s going to be a massive pack of contenders. We’ve seen that before and uh we shouldn’t be surprised if it happens again. But folks, an inwater start for the ROA swim course here at the 2025 Iron Man World Championship. They’re getting into the water and swimming up to the start line. So, we do this, of course, because we did mention the rocks that are on the beach here to give everyone a fair shot. So, nobody has to run in. You swim right up to those two ROA buoys and we will hold steady there and wait for the gun to fire. And at this point, a lot of the athletes eyeing up the competitors, wanting to get on the shoulder of some of our superstar swimmers. Yonish Shamberg, Jamie Riddle. Uh where is Sam Lello? I want to be on his feet. So, a lot of the athletes uh choosing their spot strategically for what will be a really important part of this Iron Man World Championship. I mean, look at this as well, Dee. As you kind of come back here and see the men in the foreground, the background just peppered with spectators. This is live. These people are loving every minute already. They’re on the road. They’re here on the beach. Everybody is out to see this. And the perspective they have, not as good as we have here. So folks at home, don’t wish too much that you were there because you’re going to get a great view of these athletes as they rip into that Mediterranean Sea and take off for this Roka swim course. Dee, oh my word. We are only We are less than a minute away and you can see the gun about to be fired. the air horn and it will be on from the get-go. We’ve got just under 30 seconds to go here for the start. All of the men assuming the horizontal position, getting those feet ready to kick, getting ready to get underway for this 2025 Iron Man World Championship. 10 seconds. And like that, DD, the 2025 Iron Man World Championship is underway with an entire group of men strung out side to side from buoy to buoy. These men, it looked like white water, but that is what we came here to see. One pack off to the right already, DD and two points forming two arrowheads and one already in the middle. This is no one wanting to give up a single inch from the get-go. No, this swim going to be such an important part strategically. It’s often said you’re not going to win this race in the swim, but you certainly can lose it. And that will be the fact for a lot of our competitors today. I see the yellow cap. I’m assuming that is going to be Jamie Riddle. Uh no surprises there. Out to a very, very fast start. The light blue cap on his feet uh is likely the cap of Martin Van Real. Two likely suspects to be at the front of this ROA swim. That’s right. And if you saw that other yellow to the other side, Christian Hogenhog rocking that yellow cap. But DD just looking down, oh my word, two incredible packs with a straight line followed by a whole bunch. Nobody wants to get dropped here. And let’s remember that for Christian Hogan how it was that swim that was so key for him at Iron Man Frankfurt. He came out at the very tail end of that lead swim pack. That was a huge benefit for him. He was able to dart to the front of the bike and really take control of the race from there. So, looking to repeat that again. I think a lot of people surprised uh by the strength of his swim. There you go. And you saw Martin Van Real. You see him now in the light blue cap with the white shirt. Looks like he has no goggles on. Actually, the two of them there. You got both light blues. You’ve also got um well that that’s actually probably the blue of Andrea Salber there because or it could have been Kieran Linder’s two blue caps that we have in there. So let’s just wait on calling it out. It’s unlikely to be Magnus Ditlev. Uh but he would be somewhere in that big bunch. Wow. Dee uh we will see if this starts to fall apart as we come through that first round of turns. Yeah, the good thing about this is compared to some other courses there is a quite long straightaway. So, it’s given the athletes a bit more of an opportunity to find their position within the swim pack uh versus some other courses if that first turn buoy is right in front of you. Uh could lead to some congestion, but the athletes have at least a bit of time uh before they have to make that first turn pack. Uh as we take a look at some of these camera angles, the water looks a little bit of chop on the water, but for the most part, uh pretty pretty good conditions out there. And you saw that uh South African flag on the shoulder there of our leader uh obviously indicating it is Jamie Riddle. And it is exactly 875 meters that they go before they take that first right turn. And then they go a short distance 150 m over before you come back and it’s matching 875 m back. So you’re spot on Dee. There’s Jamie Riddle. He is absolutely ripping it. A very quick turnover. Breathing every stroke. A light bit of sighting just to make sure he’s on track and a great kick with incredible company on his heels there. The blue cap, the red cap. Dee, this is intense as expected. I actually think that’s the green cap perhaps of Sam Laidlo. Again, it’s hard to see the head is so well buried there. Uh would not be surprised. It actually does look blue. That is a blue cap. Yeah, better angle from here. Um surprising. I do not see the green cap of Sam Lelo then. That’s right. And we’ve got after that blue, we’ve got red and then white. So remembering that most of our athletes are going to be in that white cap. Um and so Diddy, that is an incredible display of everyone trying to get out hard and stay with the likes of Jamie Riddle. And as we lift back up, you’ll be able to see because as we had stated, there were two uh distinct packs already forming very early. uh once we get down and get some word from our spotters, our commentary crew down on the boat, Matt, Leo, Fraser, Cartell, hoping to get some uh closer looks at these men. But for now, Dee, the water look, you could see a little curve. Look at that. The the that that uh line is bending, indicating that they were kind of going a little bit too far to the right, and they’re curving back to the left. You could see that from our first angle where the buoys were so uh much to their left. Remember everybody, we only have to go around the uh one turn buoy. You do have to go. The other ones are sight buoys. But we’re going to zip on down. It’s actually Craig Alexander and Fraser Cartell on the boat. Craig Fraser, help us out and take it away, Michael. Yeah, we’ve got the best seat in the house down here in Leba. The conditions, I got to say, to start with are spot on. Um there’s not a lot of wind. Little bit of little bit of swell, but not a lot. And I think it’s it’s fast fast conditions. And Fraser, there’s been a lot of talk about the dynamics in this swim. What are you seeing so far? Yeah, you’re right. We’ve heard an awful lot about a WhatsApp group about guys having some chat about how how they can um change the dynamics of the swim really soon. And Jamie Riddle’s done what we knew he’d do. He’s got the fastest sweet speed of any of these guys. He’s got takeout speed like nobody else. And he’s used it. You know, we know he’s got a a 25 second 50 m freestyle under his wings and he’s just, you know, he’s he’s moving. Yeah. Jamie was he was first off the line. He got clear. He’s got Andreas Susberg on his feet. Yona Shamberg in third. We can see them the front of the pack is single file. So that indicates that the pace is really on here. We can also see Martin Van Real towards the front of the race. Initially Sam Lelo was up in contention in about fifth or sixth spot. He’s drifted back into about 11th or 12th spot right next to William Hirs. Interestingly, on the swim out, we saw one of the big pre-race favorites, Magnus Ditliff, actually swim into the side of a kayak and come to a a standing stop and um had to get going again. He’s a little bit further back, but he was in good company. He had Christian Hugan Hog and also Christian Blumenfelt with him. And I think what’s interesting about this one, Croy, is that we’re going straight out to a turnboy and then back out to another turnboy straight away. So, I think we’re well almost definitely we’re going to see those guys really put the you know put the um put the throttle on and see what damage they can do around those backto-back boys because that’s when separation can start. Yeah, we’re seeing a little bit of separation mid pack here. But for me, what’s interesting about the start of this swim is the this single file. Normally you see a bunched up sort of arrow head formation which we’re seeing further back in the field, but at the front it’s definitely single file with Jamie Riddle leading the charge right now. Yeah, but look, we’ve got all those athletes who just named, they all come for world triathon ITU background. They’ve all got swim speed. They all know how to swim fast on a pack. You know, this isn’t difficult for them and they’re they’re doing what they can do well. Well, Michael and Dei, so far so good down here. I think we we can expect to see some fireworks though when we round this first turning buoy about 900 meters into the race. But for now, it’s back to you guys in the studio. Thank you so much, Craig. Thank you, Fraser. Great stuff. And just to recap that leader still Jamie Riddle representing South Africa in the green cap and then he had right behind him um our guy from Germany Andrea Salosberg and then Jonas Shamberg in the orange. So those were our top three and then everyone else I think the key here is to notice DD that it is a long line of about 12 folks and then your arrowhead. So I expect Craig’s right once they hit that turn buoy at 875 meters fireworks more fireworks I should say will hit at that moment. I see the hot pink cap down there of Finn Gross F uh also of Germany. Uh also to recap, it sounds like Magnus Ditliff had a rough start. Uh swam into the side of a kayak which uh that line, you know, those kayakers there to hold the start. Uh so he got off to a bit of a rough start. And I thought I saw Rudy von Berg uh kind of in that single file line as well. So that would be a great start for him as we have a little bit of teamwork going on here with Jamie Riddle uh coming to a complete stop rolling onto his back uh letting Andrea Sisber uh take some polls. Well, how about that? He got into his back, looked way back to see where everyone was and then he actually did exactly say got into third place and then he’s edging out that fourth place swimmer pushing him a little bit to the side. Very interesting. And then he has just assumed control. Yeah, he’s definitely taking a look around to see who is where. He’s definitely looking for some of his allies, I think. So, there’s a recap there. He was in the front. We’re going back to show it again. He was backstroke, backstroke, and then he let um Shoberg and uh uh Sasber go through and now he’s on the feet of Shoberg. Interesting tactics there. Of course, looking for the folks that he was expecting to drop or the people he’s supposed to swim with. But look at that. And then as you see, you finally got a look there at uh at that at that at that stroke. I mean, it’s just to me what’s impressive is that he’s he’s just controlled at that kind of speed and he’s going in there onto his bag. Did he? Yeah. I I think he’s definitely looking for someone. It’s almost as if he had had words ahead of time with one of his fellow competitors to potentially be an ally for him. And it sort of almost seems like he’s waiting up, which is a curious strategy. And that’s Van Real right there in BIP 25 in the light blue and the uh red and white striped sleeve. So easy to spot these folks. It is really interesting when you see that DD because all bets are are sort of off as far as right when you get in here and I’m not going to question the tactics but I think what they really need to do we’re going to find out if they can pull this off is get going put some time between yourself no matter who’s with you it doesn’t matter ally these athletes will they push the lead will they break that second pack we’ll find out I’m super curious to see the Everybody united [Applause] [Music] don’t don’t stop the beat. I can’t control my feet. I people in the street. Come on everybody and move your feet. I don’t stop. Don’t stop the beat. I can’t stop. Can’t stop the beat. I won’t stop. Won’t stop the beat. Go. Yeah. [Music] [Music] You know, and we know the thing about challenging yourself is you’re always looking for what’s next. It’s the beauty of Oman. Our tradition, our hospitality, the sounds of limitless opportunities to explore. [Music] Listen, it’s Oman. And we have just watched the professional men’s pack round. The first buoy, 875 meters of swimming done. Two distinct lines now breaking apart. Dee, this swim is fireworks beyond what we expected. It’s been a really unusual start. We had Jamie Riddle drilling the front of the swim. He rolled over and started swimming backstroke as if he was looking for someone. Really almost put the brakes on. And now that they’ve rounded this first buoy, we had two sort of split columns that were part of the same pack take different lines uh towards that second swim buoy. Some interesting dynamics going on here today on the Rokus swim course. Indeed, we’ve we’ve seen in the leadup here that Sam Lelo has been training with Jamie Riddle. Perhaps he’s looking for that. He’s looking for that ally. He’s looking for the partnership, whatever it is. You said it before. And why not just say, you know what, they’re training partners. They know one another. Perhaps they’re one to be allies beyond in this race. So there’s Jamie Riddle in yellow, Martin Van Real with the red and white stripes, blue cap, and then of course Shamberg in orange. These men are cranking it. That part I can tell for sure. Absolutely. This looks to be the lead for again single file indicating that the pace is pretty on here. Hard to get. I I want to sort of back off this camera angle and see how many people uh were amongst that group. It looked like 8 to 10 and at one point I really did think I saw Rudy von Berg in there. That would be a great swim for him if he could have latched on to the back of this group of 8 to 10 guys. Um, of note laid low was not there. Whether he got back on again, Riddle swimming more backstroke than freestyle. Well, I guess when you’re that good, you can. So, let’s just give him another little bit of kudos there for being that fast. But a great overhead shot here, D. you are getting what you wish for as you can look down and really start counting the athletes. Of course, the further away we get, the harder it is to distinguish, but I’m seeing a lot of it’s a snake. It’s not a straight line. You’re seeing a lot of misnavigating swimmers there. Look at that curve. So, two or three times you’ve seen that happen. And here certainly a bend in that line, but man, it’s still staying together. And we’re still seeing people try to be tacked in and hold on to that draft. It is. I saw another yellow cap. That would be Christian Hogan Hog. approximately 12th body in the water there. So, a good swim for him. Uh there is the green cap. I assume that would be Lelo. Uh and the hot pink cap. Uh Finn Gross Freeze. So, it looks like Lelo is in touch with this lead group, but he’s in about fifth position right now by my sights. And look at that there. Still not at the front, but uh Van Real there in the front with Riddle on his feet. Um, and I just this this is again, we talked about the rookie, the one that comes here from the Olympics and the Olympic distance racing, Martin Vananiel right there with the light blue cap and he’s used to absolutely redlining it for 1500 meters. He’s used to everyone around him being able to redline it. And now you come into this race and of course it’s 2.4 miles or 3.8 km and he is going to be a tick under red line. But why not the swim fitness, the ability? He’s just exploiting that. And here’s what I love. It’s his first try. He absolutely has no idea what’s going to happen. Iron Man World Championship late in the day and it does not matter. He is just here to swim as fast as he can. Very impressive stuff. Yeah, I I just counted swimmers while you were chatting there and uh at I count Sam Lelo as seventh in this pack right now. We’re going to throw it down to the boat uh to Craig Alexander and Fraser Cartell who have a better eye on it than we do. Thanks, Dei. I’m down here with Fraser and we’ve seen some fireworks. We’ve currently got Martin Van Real leading the race. On his feet is Jamie Riddle. We’ve got Yonas Shamberg in third, Andreas Susberg fourth. Interestingly, Lelo, he’s he’s fought his way up into the top 10 now. He’s got Christian Blumenfeld on his feet. A bit further back, probably about 20 meters behind Christian Blumenfeld is his training mate Gustaf Eden with Patrick Lunger. A little bit further back from him. Fraser, talk us through some of the tactics that we’ve seen out here so far. Oh, I mean this has been fascinating. It’s like unlike anything I think we’ve ever really seen. I mean, we saw Jamie literally stop and like roll on his back and decide that he wanted to be three or four feet back in the group, which he was. And then they went around the second turn and he absolutely opened the taps and he just pulled away. And then you I mean it’s like he’s doing a I don’t know like a four or five by 400 inter in the pool like taking his 30 seconds off and then going again. Mate, when you say he stopped, that’s not an exaggeration. He literally stopped and I don’t know if that was a orchestrated plan on his part or if he was just sick of leading, but he literally went from the front of the race to about fifth in line and let someone else take up the pacemaking. And at at the moment though, they still are. I mean, it’s a quick pace because they’re they are it’s not a big bunch. It’s it’s strung out in single file, but I don’t see any racewinning separation so far. No. And what I’m interested in seeing is that Christian Bloomfeld is sticking like glue to Sam Lelo’s feet. Yeah, Bloom is having a great swim. He’s right on Sam Ledllo’s feet. And they’ve got Rudy Vonberg right in that group as well. So, a lot of the big race favorites and the contenders, a lot of the athletes we’ve been talking about all week, uh, setting themselves up nicely so far in the swim. Michael and Dee, back to you guys. Thanks so much, Craig. Thanks, Fraser. Great insight there. Dee, what are you seeing? To me, the the notable is the fact that the the group hasn’t really split. The fact that Blumenfeld is on Lelo’s feet so far, advantage Blumenfeld, not the way that Lelo would have wanted this swim to go. And a great swim so far from Rudy von Berg as well. I agree with you completely. I think it’s an interesting tactic to sort of have that dead stop for Riddle. Maybe he did just want to get to third position or fourth position, but it seems interesting. These guys are still swimming what appears to be flat out they still appear to be delivering a great swim. A little bit of chop there, a little bit of wind chop. Here’s the story. We still have a lot of swimming left. It’s 18 minutes and 19 seconds into this race. We’re heading back on the 875 meters back to shore. We don’t touch shore. We just do another U-turn, if you will, before we go out and do two more long 875 meter segments. So, just a reminder that a lot can happen then. Most everyone is sort of like the bike in the first twothirds of the race. Most people can keep up. It’s the latter quarter to third where you can really start to see folks distance themselves. Time will tell if that happens. It will. Well, and and the other thing of note is that as the athletes swim back towards shore, some of that swell and chop actually might calm down a little bit. I think where we’ll see the big se separation or at least the real opportunity for the swim powerhouses to create that gap that they thought might happen might be on the second loop at the outermost part where the conditions will be a little choppier, a little bit more swell on some of those turnois or the real opportunity um for the swimmers to really make a move. But right now, a very large single file group. Well said, DD. And I will come into this. Many of these swimmers that are benefiting from time-saving tactical apparel dreamed up by our friends at ROA. From goggles to swim skins, these guys are always innovating to meet the demands of Iron Man athletes. Let’s hear a little bit about that from Curt Spencer, the CEO of ROA Multisport. I’m Curt Spencer, co-founder of ROA, CEO at ROA Multisport. We’re really proud to be one of the longest running global performance partners of Iron Man. We work with a lot of incredible top athletes who are on the bleeding edge, but we also like to say that we sponsor every athlete out here on the ROA swim course. We’re here to support everyone that has the courage to step up and tow the line on race day. We know what it takes. A lot of our team have been athletes, triathletes, professional triathletes in the past, and we bring that mindset to everything we do. We started ROA over a decade ago with a singular mission to build the fastest wets suit on the planet. really really excited about where we are today. Mission number one since that day has always been to innovate. The reason we do that is because these athletes all lay it on the line. It’s an incredibly incredibly challenging sport. In 2024, we are really proud to announce that we launched ROA multisport which is a dedicated division and group focused on the multisport athlete. Continuing that history of innovation and carrying that forward. None of the innovation that we work on or theorize on back in the office, back in the lab matters. If it doesn’t work on race day or out in real world conditions, you’ll find the team at ROA in a pool, in open water, testing our product, getting wet, making sure that all these things translate into the real world. It’s one of the things that’s really special about our team. In warmer waters where wet suits are not legal, we have the option of a swim skin. And the purpose of a swimk skin is to increase your hydrodnamics. You don’t want to swim with a parachute on, right? You don’t want to swim in a lycra or a textile triuit with pockets that it’s going to slow you down in the water. People think a lot about aerodynamics in triathlon, but hydrodnamics are even more powerful and even more important on the swim. The Viper Swim Skin is the absolute fastest stretch woven that you can wear. It’s incredibly hydrodnamic, but it’s also built to support your body and keep you in the right body line so that you can swim faster and more efficiently. Going into the Kona World Championships last year, we were working with Magnus DeLev on building a white swimkin, something that would dissipate the heat even more if it were sunny that morning, if it were really hot conditions. And we challenged our team. We said, “Let’s not just make a new color of our existing X3 swims. Let’s build an even faster version of the swim skin. us the fastest, newest technology that we can use to bring not just thermodynamics, potential cooling and heat dissipation, but also more speed into the Viper line. And so you’ll see that in the Viper X3 Ghost, we call it. It’s the white swim skin that you’ll see out here in a lot of athletes this year here in Nice. We’re we’re proud to release that here with Iron Man. It’s available to all the athletes here at the Iron Man Expo. It’s actually a brand new stretch woven textile that’s tested to be faster than any swimkin we’ve ever made. We’re really excited to bring all that innovation to the Iron Man community and we’re looking forward to seeing the athletes race in ROA over the next several years. So DD, we are seeing these athletes come into the final kind of turn into shore. They do the two turns and they head right back out. There you go. Great perspective as they round that second buoy there on the left. They have another 875 meters outbound to what you said was going to be probably a little bit choppier, a little bit rougher conditions, closer in, a little flatter, further out, a little bumpy. So, it looks like they’re about a minute faster than we had predicted, DD. So, that really speaks to the effort. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the pace is is certainly uh aggressive and you can tell that again by the single file nature of the swimmers here. the these guys rounding the buoy here really struggling to keep in in touch uh with the feet in front of them and becomes really really critical to stay right up on those toes because with a more arrowhead formation there’s more feet available to you that if one you fall off one foot there’s another foot there but these guys strung out single file uh tells you that the pace that is being set currently by swim leader Jamie Riddle back at the front of this ROA swim course is definitely aggressive athletes now more than Halfway through this ROA swim course at the men’s Iron Man World Championship in Nice. [Music] Yes, that’s perfect. [Applause] [Music] There’s no limit to how far a dream can take you. Start in your own adventure now. Katar Airways. I’m not here to sell you on this life. You already chose it. No shortcuts, no hype, just work. Same as you. Built to outlast, endure. 40 years in and we’re just getting warmed up. Welcome to the Ohana. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] The Iron Man World Championship is brought to you by Hoka Fly Human Fly, and by Zoot, the original triathlon brand delivering comfort, speed, and performance since 1983. And Dee, we are really watching an incredible swim take place here at this event as we predicted, but we didn’t predict exactly how it was going to go. I didn’t anticipate backstroke. I didn’t anticipate people swapping the lead like we saw earlier. Uh but we are seeing just about what we expected. The likes of Van Real up front, Schoberg, Riddle, as well as very close company. We do have laid low. But Dee, these conditions can be super challenging as well as beautiful. The clear water, the calm seas are what we want, but sometimes it gets choppy and rough. Let’s hear what some of today’s contenders had to say about this dynamic and truly unique course here in the Mediterranean. Yeah, it’ll be really interesting. Um, one of the things from a swim standpoint, since this course is, you know, an upside down W, those turns provide more opportunities for the group to break up. You know, that’s one of the things with Kona with it being just out and back is that it’s a lot easier for a really large group to form. So, certainly possible that a smaller group will go and it’s really hard to say how hard people will push it. I mean, there’s some really great swimmers here and I’ll certainly do my best to stay with them. Um, but again, you know, at at the end of the day, you can never really win the win the race on the swim, but you can lose it. So, there’s, you know, there’s a balance of, you know, making sure that you’re putting in a good swim time, but also not overdoing it at as well. And we’ll just have to see what happens on race day. What’s going to be maybe potentially kind of deciding factor is if there’s going to be a break in the swim because there is a couple of like really uh strong swimmers that are also mostly new to Iron Man like Yonas Shamberg, Jamie Riddle and obviously you have a late low who potentially if we can break some of the uh bit less good swimmers like a Magnus, like a Christian that could really impact the race because if we can be with a couple guys on the bike then the differences might get really big. Um so ideal scenario that would happen you know like there would be a bit of like some some breaks uh forming in the swim already uh because I think that everyone is really really well prepared this year um for the the co course for like yeah this race. So, I think if we don’t break it up in the swim, it’s probably going to stay more closed than most people think. I’ll be the first to say like I’ve sent you on us a message. Um, I’ve I’ve commented on Martin Straa. I’ve obviously chatted to Sam. Like, I think it would be and Andreas Sersburg is also one of my good mates. And I think that’s kind of the the five of us are the strongest swimmers. You got some guys that are like in in Matthew Marcott, for example, like was just off in Cans. You know, if I have guys helping me out, it’ll be it’ll be hard. It’ll be hard for, you know, there’s guys that might be there, might not. Um, I think it would be I think it would be silly of us to not use that strength and get like two, three minutes on on the main pack of guys. And I think for sure with I know Yiannis and Martin, we can do it. I know we can, but um yeah, I think uh to do that, I think we’re all going to have to split each other on the start line and just meet each other at the first boy. I don’t know. We’ll have to see how it goes. There you go. those guys uh giving us the insight. Very curious and a lot of other curiosity here at the uh studio desk. We must know what’s going on and we’re going to throw it on down to Craig and Fraser. What have you guys got going on down there? Please do share. Michael, big big news down here in the last two minutes. We saw Sam Lelo, who was in about eighth or ninth spot on Antonio Bonito Lopez’s feet, literally pull to the inside of the course, stopped swimming, momentarily started moving back towards shore, and he’s back swimming now. He’s up and swimming. He’s actually on Christian Hugenhal’s feet, but he’s 100 meters behind where he was a couple of minutes ago and came to a dead stop for about I don’t know 30 to 60 seconds. Fraser, I mean, I have never seen anything like this before. Craig, I mean, we’re not even joking. It really looked like he was trying to swim back to shore. Incredible. Incredible. Yeah, I’m not sure if he was overheating. I’ve got to say, for about the three or four minutes leading up to that moment, he kept dropping the feet of Bonito Lopez. Obviously, when you’re very comfortable, that doesn’t happen. He he fought for the first half of the of the swim course to stay on those feet and stay in touch with that front group, but in an instant, he just pulled to the inside of the course and stopped. I mean, we’ve we’ve seen him swim a lot, right? I mean, I I I most recently watched him swim in Leads and he put on a clinic. He swam non-wetsuit when everybody else had a wet suit on. That’s how good he can be. So, this is very very uncharacteristic of a swimmer of of Sam’s capabilities. So, you know, he’s battling. It’s great to see he’s back on Christian’s feet. You never know. He’s maybe just I don’t know. Well, we don’t know. But he’s hopefully going to manage to reather and regroup and just settle in. Yeah. And at the front of the race, clearly very tactical. We’ve seen Shamberg, Riddle, and Van Real swap turns. We actually saw Martin roll off and go from his spot leading the Arrowhead to to tucking back in on Andrea Sersburg’s feet. Uh, also of note, Rudy Vonberg, Christian Blumenfeld, and Magnus Ditley have three of the big pre-race favorites all together and not too far behind that front group, but clearly some separation now. And the incredible thing that we chatted about was that it felt like we were watching a bike race, like they were swapping turns. Michael and Dei, some fireworks down on course. Back to you guys. Thank you so much, Craig. Thank you, Fraser. That was what we were wondering about. We heard something about Sam Leelo. Very interesting. And of course, we may not know the exact reason for the stop until after the race, but we do know that he’s back in and fighting. So, very interesting. It could be a number of things. Could it be a a cramp? Could it be just feeling terrible? A bit of a panic attack or some sort of asthma attack? I mean, we’ve seen it all, Dee, and we just don’t know. We have seen it all. Just certainly unusual and it just we had said it before and we’ll say it again. We thought we knew how this might play out. Uh, and it already we are 32 minutes and 33 seconds into this men’s Iron Man World Championship and it is nothing like we expected. Uh certainly some notable names that we expected to be at the front. Yona Shamberg, Jamie Riddle, Andrea Salisber, uh Martin Van Real, but absent that group, obviously Sam Ladello. Uh and that changes a lot of the dynamics of this race, I think, especially knowing that we’ve got Rudy Vonberg um and Christian Blumenfeld, uh certainly in contention with that lead pack as well. So, uh things already spicy, very spicy as you see this second group come around that turn buoy. Uh remember we have 150 meters across at the far end there and then one more right turn and you’ll see them rip it on back and that’s the final stretch 875 meters um pulling all the way back. So I believe we are threatening the record here. Um it it could be possible DD if we look at about 47 minutes if I remember correctly. Um that is within their capability but you just you just never know. It’s fun to throw that out there and just kind of wonder. Um and now we’re looking down again on Jamie Riddle in yellow in green right behind just absolutely surprising no one. DD I didn’t see this coming. And yeah, you mentioned that course best owned by Matthew Markwart at 4746. Athletes were ahead of what we thought they would be at, so it could be potentially a record setting day here as we are underway at the men’s Iron Man World Championship. A lot of things going on here if you’re just joining us. Uh, one of our race favorites, Sam Lelo, struggling in the swim, not amongst uh, the leaders as we expected. No. And we expected something to do with basically folks turning it on and dropping. We didn’t expect Sam Lelo to be dropped. Yeah, we didn’t. But here’s the other thing is that Sam Lelo and and this is probably isn’t his mindset right now, but he’s on the feet um of Christian Hogen Hog, which is not a that’s not a bad ally, right? The swim isn’t going according to plan, but Hogenhog uh and uh Sam Lelo working together on the bike. Not a terrible, not a tragedy, and they are far from out of this race. Well, Dee, this is the the unique nature here. When you have this much talent, this many people that have excelled at Iron Man internationally speaking, you’re going to have allies everywhere you look. You can lose two, three, four, five minutes, you’re going to find allies. You can be up at the front allies everywhere you go, you’re going to have allies. Whether or not you want those allies because you expected others, that’s the big question. But this is our this is our race and this is what is so exciting about Iron Man Racing. They’re in the yellow cap. Jamie Riddle following along there behind Jonas Shamberg who is right behind Martin Van Real in the light blue. Actually, just a little bit of a mixup right as I said that. So, it is it is just continuing to flip over and flip over and you’ve got another athlete there uh that has lost a swim cap and so less identifiable. But realistically, Dee, this is uh still, I think, uh why we tune into this race to watch these unpredictable moments, these efforts where people just come on strong. Look at those waves coming back. Uh solid solid bit of waves and swell rolling from behind, which I think is a challenging thing for a weaker swimmer or someone that’s not as as seaorthy. You get those uh bit of bit of movement that is a little bit unsettling. It kind of pulls you in an odd way. Sort of breaks up the group. Yeah, a little bit of swelter that may actually be from the boat, but now we definitely see uh that pack. It looked to be about maybe 10 12 athletes. Uh and then again maybe a 30-cond gap to that very very large second chase pack of athletes as uh the men making their way now back in towards shore passing one of those last remaining sight buoys. Uh we’re probably within uh about 10 12 minutes of athletes uh coming to the conclusion of this ROA swim course and already a dramatic start to the day. And there is what we talked about those three distinct groups at least three probably a little bit more. You’ll have some stragglers as well. But coming around that sight buoy that’s toppled over due to the wind and the chop that’s pushing in to shore. Uh Riddle once again looking over his shoulder as he takes a big stroke. Really probably winning the award for looking back more than any other athlete. Um, and I just he’s I sure love his uh his style and the uh the aggression that he’s got there as we watch again uh these athletes tackle it. But you know, not exactly knowing what’s going on today with at the moment with Sam Lelo, we do always like to look back and say, “Hey, what was going on?” And let’s have a peek into what Sam Lello thought and gave us prior to the race kicking off. [Music] and then hopefully hold that lead till the end and win the Iron Man Jack. Does that sound like a plan? Sounds like a really good plan to me. [Music] We are in with Scott Steenberg. My name is Scott Steamber. You can call me Scotty T if you want. Scotty T. Yeah. Uh, I don’t have a girlfriend. Uh, what? That’s fair enough. And Milan Agne. Say I’m just here for the vibes. I don’t really add much to that. And Matt Hower, who are my three training partners of the day and we are about to go for a swim. We are, I don’t know, nine days out from the World Championship. And yeah, sun is out, guns are out. We’re going to do a swim, a bike, and a run today. Everything’s going nicely. First four or five days, everyone was a little bit tired in moving, getting everything sorted and the stress of being in a new place and that, but uh now we’re back into a good routine. Uh training’s going relatively correctly, shall we say. Uh so no, quite happy. Uh we’ve got a I’ve got a bike run to do today and then we’ll probably get another longer bike in over the weekend. Focusing on the descent. What does it mean to race here in this um brings back good memories. To be fair, I hadn’t really um thought about it until I hadn’t been back here actually since moving 2 years ago. So when I was driving along the prominard uh 10 days ago, it brought back some good memories. Do you feel more pressure now than in 23? Um, no. Probably a lot less actually because um in 23 I had um I’ve come second just before in Kona or the year before and the winner of that year Gustav wasn’t racing. Um so suddenly I was kind of the favorite I felt like and also I’ had a really bad like really bad results leading up to it. So if I didn’t have a good race in Nice, it was kind of I felt like there was that would have been a bad season and bad for my partners and sponsors also. So I felt more pressured in. But now I feel like yeah, I feel like already this season I’ve proven that I’m half decent. And um yeah, I don’t think I’m the favorite either. So yeah, there’s a lot of guys that there’s a lot of guys that won a world title. There’s a lot of guys that want another world title. Um, and yeah, I mean the good thing of I actually think this is probably the strongest start this has ever been at World I Man World Championships. Four Iron Man World Champions, one T100 world champion, one Iron Man World record holder. Um, yeah, a lot of a lot of Olympia a lot of Olympians as well. So yeah, be very very hard race but also um a very prestigious race to win I think. Thank you to Sam Lello and A Fighting Chance presented by Hoka. For more, watch short A Fighting Chance episodes on Instagram at Ironman Try and full A Fighting Chance episodes on proseries.ironman.com and on our Iron Man triathlon YouTube channel. And of note, Michael, in his appearances at the Iron Man World Championship, the furthest Sam Lelo has been off the front is 4 seconds coming out of the water. as we take a look at what athletes will tackle as they exit the ROA swim course. It’s a pretty long run through transition here as they exit. Uh they’ll have an opportunity for those that are strung out single file if you’re a good runner to make up and and get uh yourself a little bit further up the field uh with these long transitions. And I feel like when you’re in there, DD, if you’re really far back, you’re you’re in transition. You hear your name, you hear the announcer calling out, you can you can sort of feel a little bit closer. You It’s not out of sight, out of mind completely with a long transition like this. Uh it also can be very agonizing because you are still in that moment of elevated heart rate. Probably the highest your heart rate will be all day coming out of the water running through that very difficult that sort of third sport or fourth sport if you want to count nutrition in there as well. But uh fourth or fifth? How many sports are there DD? Let’s just get right back to it. We got 41 minutes and 58 seconds here into the ROA swim course. We’re almost finished with it. We have some distinct packs and this the front pack on camera now. Yep. That front pack of course again just to repeat of course best 4746 from Matthew Markwart uh back in 2023. Uh we’ll see if the athletes can best that. But so far our swim leaders uh Shawnberg, Jamie Riddle, Andrea Salisburg in there, Martin Van Real in there as well. Notably absent is Sam Lello. That’s right. Another great shot there shows this beautiful town of Nice. Uh, as we look at these swimmers and Dee, it’s it’s a fool’s errand here to predict who’s coming out. But are you calling Riddle Shoberg? Yes. Sensburg. Yes. You’re calling those three. They’re going to come out together. I again I I I think you know the the the actual leader is almost irrelevant. It is the nature of that pack and who is amongst it and how that will shape the dynam dynamics on the bike. And we will obviously get we have some of those names uh from our spotters down on course obviously Fraser Cartell and Craig Alexander giving us some great insights uh from down on the water. Uh but to see what the time gaps are and who is amongst uh this lead group of 12 all of the names in there and then again the time gaps to someone like Christian Blumenfeld. Uh where is is Rudy von Berg in this group still? Uh where is Gustaf Eden and how far back then is Sam Ladello and what is the damage done? What is the damage done? Some of these swimmers are going to uh really be surprised when they look around I think and and do not see Sam Lelo. I think the expectation is that this race is going to play out a certain way. you’re going to have certain company on the bike. And so I think that is going to be interesting as you watch those athletes take around take a take a glance around and see that this guy that is really factoring into this race as sort of a hometown hero or at least a a national favorite. He’s just not there. So that’ll be cool for us to witness as they experience that hitting solid ground. There’s Van Real there in the blue cap and the red and white sleeves. great position, the athlete that’s lost his cap and Jamie Riddle there with the South African flag on his sleeves in the yellow cap. Orange being Yonas Shamberg and Andrea Salisburg at the front and sober appears he will be the leader out. Of course, they have to make their way up sort of that rocky uh beach. It has been carpeted to make it a little bit easier for the athletes, but right now appearing that Andrea Sasber will be our race leader out of the Rokus swim course. And also appearing that we are nearly 3 minutes in front of the course record um that Markwart also sort of shared with Braden Curry. Braden Curry came out of the water same time last year 47 46 or so that’s that’s impressive. these guys well uh well below that two and a half minutes below that by the time they come under that Iron Man arch indicating the end of the Roka swim course but here we go solid ground for Salvisburg first gingerly at first and now powering up the hill taking off the swim skin and stopping the clock there we’ll get official results but note that a probable obvious course record as they run into this long transition DD absolutely let’s take a look at our men’s Swim split presented by Wahoo Element Arrival. It is Andrea Salvisber at 4511. Michael, that is for a nonwets suit swim. Very, very fast swimming. And all of the talk about should he be on his back? Can he who is he looking for when we’re referencing Riddle? It did not matter. The pace was on and that is evident now with this finish time. Incredible result there as you now watch these athletes do what they do best. Really just get through it. Transition is not for taking your time or for resting. You are getting change of clothes and getting onto the bike. And if I had to bet that is Yonas Shamberg who is sprinting through transition. Andrea Salisber was second but some of the other ones in that lead pack. Finn Greeze then thalman. Yan Stman in that group. Antonio Bonito Lopez Wilheim Hirs Matias Ciserelli Casper Storis with a very good swim. Kieran Linders amongst uh that group as well. the lead group 12 large and then it is another 35 seconds to Casper Steppnak Rudy von Berg with Christian Blumenfeld Matthew Markwart at a minute back Magnus Ditlev also in that group oh my gosh that chase group is powerful well it’s it’s really kind of incredible because that break after the first uh first 12 uh realistically only about 40 seconds Stevie so as you start to string it out it does become that minute, but and how much of that can be made up in this really long transition area as well? M much of it. Yeah, great question. And I I do believe quite a bit of it can. So, I think most of our contenders here, I don’t think anyone has realized yet that they are missing Sam Laidlo as we watch Christian Hoganhow come out of the water there. That’s who you’re looking at on camera um in with pulled off that yellow cap. So, at one point we had said laid low had fallen back to him. Uh but let’s just see. We’re watching I think that was Gustaf Eden. I saw the green cap fly by. check your tracker, but that’s who I’m seeing if I still reference these colored swim caps. And again, we look to the start of the bike for our next split. But yes, uh you can see uh Marquard as well. We talked about him having the uh the course record 4611. He’s still under that time he did before. So really great effort and great swim conditions here as we watch first onto the bike. There is the rest of that second chase pack coming in. Rudy von Bird. You can see him there. I see Jason West in that group as well. And there’s Magnus Dit in the white jersey there right on camera. Actually, everybody’s wearing white in that shot. I was going to say these pro men in their white white uh white race kits with the black shorts uh making it tough for us to ID some of them. Uh but again, I’m looking at the swim exit. And again, the tracker is a little bit slow to update, but still don’t know what that gap is to Sam Laidlo as we have our third pack coming through. It looks like 1 minute and 59 seconds for Sam Laidlo. A pre-race favorite way off his pace. There’s Gustaf Eden on the left with the blue sleeve as you look at some of these other contenders. Patrick Long in the gold cap right there. A few men back and there is Sam Lelo way beyond where he would normally be. Look at Sam Lelo’s body language. I see absolutely no intent in him whatsoever. I see. Yeah, he’s dejected. You can see that he’s I mean, there it is. This is something happened to him where it wasn’t just a bad swim to stop and then regroup and get in it. I mean, he’s going through the motions now, but he does not look determined. DD, you know, and you hate to see that. You wonder if what plagued him in the swim is actually still plaguing him, if he is going to get beyond it. It’s it’s it’s so early on for him to be battling whatever it is he’s battling and have to get through the rest of this Iron Man World Championship uh with the weight of that. But I would say his body language running through transition tells me whatever it is, it’s not getting better. Uh he he seems sort of deflated. There goes Eden. There goes Langa. Uh two Iron Man world champions heading out together. Past champions uh leaving. So great to see those two. another good little uh alliance even though it’s unspoken and not anything that will probably stick but having that company as you said before is really useful. The folks still waiting trying to figure out exactly where Sam Lelo is. Athletes streaming out of T1 and onto this Zoot bike course. And I tell you what, here comes Sam Lelo. Uh cameras on him. Everybody saying, “Wow, that is a surprise.” We’re all equally surprised. Yeah, I was going to say we are getting word from our spotters down the course that his issue is some cramping in his back. Uh that is what sort of caused him to pull up so abruptly during the swim. Uh he did leave uh T1 as you can see he is on the bike. Whether or not that back issue is going to plague him on the bike, I mean that’s that’s that’s a tough one to get over uh when you’re facing a bike course that’s this challenging. Well, and and and interestingly enough, the referencing from our spotters that it was lower a lower back stretch that he did, so trying to loosen up. I mean, it can get us all. And I think that really one of the worst things again to speculate a little bit when you start to have the taper and the body slows way down out of this massive load of training and you sit around a lot more. Um, it can be when stuff does happen, you start to tighten up. And let’s take a look and see who took advantage of that transition area as we take a look at our fastest T1 splits provided by our friends at Ruby. Our fastest three men, Cameron Maine at 240, Sarzella at 241 and Jonas Hoffman at 243. Well, that’s incredible. That’s a long transition. Those are the fastest here at the Iron Man World Championship N France. It is very, very interesting. Now, we have one of our pre-race favorites already off the back. The question is, can he turn things around and get back where he belongs in this race? Is Sam Lelo done or will he rise to the front? We’ll find out. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Applause] [Music] Meet Kicker Run from Wahoo. A revolutionary indoor running experience where you just run and your feet set the pace. We call it run-f free mode, a gamechanging technology that allows you to change speeds naturally, just like you do outdoors. You can even let popular training apps control the speed and grade for you. Kicker Run by Wahoo. It’s time to run free. Heat. Heat. Back [Music] [Music] off. [Music] [Applause] You are a man. So, as we watch Sam Long leap onto his bike, exiting transition, you’ve also got Cam Worf right there behind him. Two incredible cyclists. We saw in transition the likes of American Chris Liferin. Worf just lost a bottle. Worf is going back for transition. So, he’s lost about six spots grabbing whatever it is fell off his bike there. And Worth stopping for. So a wise and sort of veteran athlete there to not just hurry off. It’s a shame to lose those seconds in those spots. But also of note coming out with Sam Long and Worf were Chris Liferman and Bradley Weiss. So for both of those athletes the day not going as expected. Not surprising to us at all to see Worf and Long a little bit off the back in the swim, but to be in company with Bradley Weiss and Chris Liferman is very surprising. So, a lot of things going a little haywire and then also with Shiovalier and Matt Hansen. I mean, you think, wait, these those two together not something you typically think. As we come back up the road here and we link up with Jonas Shoamberg from Germany in front that is on camera right now, our leader Jonas Shamberg bib 33 after that smoking fast swim. Look, Dee, 47 minutes and 15 seconds right there is what his first split was. That’s all the way out there onto the bike and that’s under the swim course record from last year. So 55 minutes into the race, the Iron Man World Championship knees pronounce. This is the men’s edition and as we promised, this is an unpredictably incredibly fast race uh already with Sam Lelo so far back. Dee, here’s the big question. Can someone like Sam Lelo come back from two minutes down? Has he ever done that? Can he do it today? He’s never done it. In fact, the as we mentioned during the swim, the worst he’s ever come out of the water is 4 seconds off the lead. So, this is unchartered territory for Sam Laidload. Now, he’s so talented on the bike that yeah, I don’t think 2 minutes is insurmountable necessarily, but the question becomes, is the back cramp or whatever plagued him during the swim going to continue? if it is something of the past and if it was, you know, just a swim issue and he can get sort of the the his legs under him and get the power going, yeah, 2 minutes, it’s it’s a long day. You can come back from that. However, if it’s not if it’s not over and done, if the back is still a problem, uh then yeah, it’s it’s in this caliber of field, no, you don’t come back from that. And no surprises to me to see uh Jonah Shamberg absolutely drilling the front of this race. We saw him execute this exact same strategy in Frankfurt. Of course, he had a mechanical malfunction with his arrow bars, forcing him to pull out of the race. Uh but he is an athlete that absolutely we knew he was going to this was going to be his strategy. Swim absolutely as hard as you can. Charge through transition and get to the front. as we take a look at Wow, Joe Skipper at 706 back in 50th position as those swim splits continue to scroll across the bottom of your screen there. And Shonberg, our first uh athlete here on course, third place Iron Man South Africa earlier this year, second place in wrote earlier in July and now third second. Does he go for that win? Well, he’s a he’s a rookie to the Iron Man World Championship. He’s no rookie to this distance or to the caliber of racing that he’s facing. No. Oh, and it was he sat in the lead of that challenge Ros race for quite a bit of time and I imagine we will see the same today. He is absolutely fearless in how he is going to attack this course. No doubt. And uh the dynamic part of the race here. You could see the athletes above going on the overpass and then zipping around to go under which shoots them ultimately in towards the hills of this course. Clearly, uh, hills are everywhere because even on the flatter part, you see people having to get up out of the saddle and really accelerate. But the danger here, DD, talk to me about this of just really hitting it and getting after it super highend here and just really lighting it up and going anorobic perhaps just hitting it. Is that is that something they’re perfectly trained for or is this going to come back to bite them this this early hard effort like that? Yes. And yes, I think they do train for it and they know that the opportunity uh is there at the front of this race. This first 8 km section is really kind of I’m going to say the only flat section of the course. And I think Shonberg obviously won’t know what’s going on behind him necessarily. He may have gotten shout in transition as to some of the dynamics behind him, but he wants to capitalize on this what is his strength uh which is the bike so super strong. So yes, he is trained for it. Could it come back to bite him on a course that’s this challenging? Yes. But these athletes are obviously trained for that. But they have the first 10 kilometers uh to really sort themselves out and to find position in in and amongst the men that they’re racing with, looking around to try to find the allies that they’re going to want to work with. Um whether they’re in a position that they want to be in or not. You know, if you are Sam Lello, you’re looking around to say, “Okay, can I get back to Hogan Hal and and work with him on the bike?” There you go. And you can see the graphic there of the zoo bike course at the bottom. And it shows all those profile changes, those ups and downs. Also, then you look at the real live overhead shot of them on beautiful tarmac ripping it along these early kilometers. They are about 8K in, have not hit the beginning of those climbs at 10K. And it does start to get very punchy. You can see right there at about just under 19 kilometers. So realistically right about 11 miles for those of you out of the metric system. But it’s it’s also something that in this stage in this early uh bit of the zoo bike course, you have to keep your head up and watch those technical aspects. Watch the cones, watch the roundabouts, just watch everything. Also stay away from trouble. Don’t get caught up too close to the athletes around you. You see these 10, 20, 30 people groups. Those are when you start to run into trouble, right? We’ve got Race Ranger and if you’re, you know, sitting with your head down looking at your, you know, computer looking to grab a bit of nutrition to get that on board, uh, you absolutely, this is an area where you can very easily get caught up in that draft zone. So, definitely have to have presence of mind. There you go. And again, we’re tight here with the German athlete Jonas Schoberg, number 33, just tucked in arrow. He’s not really getting that far away. You can see him up there at the top of the screen with the bike and there’s three athletes a little bit further back. Really still with him, but he’s not looking back to see that. He’s just trying to get away. And I think this DD probably nobody in this group realizes that Sam laid low is 2 minutes down. They’re all expecting when is he going to roll through? Why is he not here? Wow, it must be doing great. I’m holding him off. Those sorts of things start to go into your head and you start to assess these are the people I expected to see around me. It’s a surprise when you see someone that isn’t there. It’s a surprise when you see someone that is there often that was not on your radar. Well, this lead group of five right now, Shawnberg uh put in a little bit of a gap to the to the next four chasers which include Martin Van Real, Jamie Riddle, Andrea Salvisber, and Jan Strotman. So, uh that is the group. And then there’s about a 30-cond gap to Wilheim Hirs and Antonio Bonito Lopez. So, a little bit of separation. There will be some shuffling about uh in the positions here as some of the superstar swimmers who maybe aren’t as strong on the bike yield to some of the stronger cyclists coming from behind. All looking uh to establish their position as they get to the first of what will be very very many climbs. But these first two couple of climbs are really really punchy uh and put some sting into the legs for sure. There you go. And you can see that look at Jamie Riddle and we watch Martin Van Real come by with the Red Bull helmet and the red and white striped sleeves. Van Real passing Riddle and then moving on to capture some more. Um, but this is a punchy steep climb out of the saddle really grinding it. And of course uh as we take a look at today’s Zoot bike course, today’s course takes athletes along a technical loop into the mountains with over 2400 meters of elevation gain. They’re going to face extended climbs, sweeping descents, winding switchbacks, testing both their climbing power, which we’re seeing now as uh we see them sort of grinding up these uh these climbs here. It’s going to test both their cycling power as well as their bike handling skills. Um, and let’s take a look at this legendary zoot bike course. [Music] By the 2025 Iron Man World Championship here in Nice on the beautiful K Desert, let’s take a look at the Zoot bike course. The Zoot bike course is 180.2 km or 112 mile loop and is one of the most spectacular and challenging on the Iron Man circuit, making it worthy of the World Championship. The course makes its way out of town and up through the outskirts of Nice, touring beautiful hillside villages. Athletes will enjoy views of the Al Maritim region on the ascent and the clues the Golier on the descent. They will tackle challenging climbs and technical descent with an elevation gain of 7,900 ft or 2,400 m. Athletes will need to manage their energy carefully as they navigate both long steady climbs and sharp twisting turns on the descent. The breathtaking scenery provides a good distraction, but the constant demand of the course guarantees a truly unique challenge. Let’s hear what one of the top pros had to say about this incredible bike course. This bike course is the most challenging bike course on the Iron Man circuit, and so you need to respect it. This bike course is really it’s six miles flat and then you’ve got I believe it’s about 12 miles of kind of uphill. Then you’ve got your first downhill before you have the main climb which is what everyone’s most focused on. And once you get to the top you have about 35 mi where uh you’re still doing ups and downs and you have another 2,000 ft of elevation before you do kind of the famous descent where you’re going through those arches. And the main thing there is just be careful uh really kind of overall you need to make sure that you’re having your nutrition and not overdoing the first 30 miles of the bike course because if you overdo the first 30 mi of the bike course you will hurt a lot at the end of the bike and on the run. And that’s your zoot bike course and DD I tell you what that is an epic bike course right there. everything. It tests you on all levels because you truly have everything. You can’t get into any type of rhythm for any really extended period of time. You go up, you go down, you go narrow, you go wide, you go flat, hilly, plateau. You’ve got them everything. And it it’s it’s really quite awesome. And and here’s the thing though, for a lot of these athletes, minus our 21 rookies, they will have had experience on this course. Uh I think two years ago was a slightly different story in that it was new for everyone. Uh a lot of these athletes will have come and trained here but for a lot of them they have race experience. So when we talk about sort of these punchy clims and how hard it is and when they get to the the you know the main climb which comes a little bit later on um they’ve got experience. They sort of know what to expect now. And I think that knowledge is is power for a lot of them. That well said. Absolutely well said. As we come back here and we dial in and we just say, “Hey, right.” That that knowledge might not be good for poor Sam Lelo right now. Uh knowing what he’s got ahead of him, knowing he’s not feeling his best self and having a real hard conversation with himself, are you going to get yourself back into this race? And uh you don’t win championships with throwing in the towel. It can’t be part of your normal vernacular. And so, you know, if you’re going to say, “Does he finish? Does he drop out? I mean, it’s a tough tough call. Uh because he came here to win, but we’ll see. I think if he turns it around, starts to see a glimmer of hope that the body is performing how it should. Uh that that really dictates everything. As we come back up front here to Martin Vanreal from Belgium, uh he’s just dancing on the pedals. Every time we hit a little spike, these athletes look great. Yeah, I mean, Martin Van Real again, another one of our Iron Man rookies, uh coming from the Olympics straight into uh this Iron Man distance racing. He’s putting a lot of bang into the swim and bike. Uh he’s sustained a ankle injury, a really bad ankle sprain. So he is not backing his run right now. So I think he’s looking to uh make the proverbial hay while the sun is shining on the swim and bike and see if he can get himself far enough out in front so that a less than ideal run leg, which normally we would expect a strong run from him as well. Uh but his run training, he was I think sat on the sidelines for over four weeks unable to run uh but looking to do what he can on the the the bike course uh to hey can I still make my way into the top 10 with a strong swimming bike and and Van Real so not backing his run and this is coming from a guy that in his debut Iron Man at Kosmell he ran 239 and then and then in South Africa this year 238 so when he’s on when he’s not injured he’s not laid up whoa you know that’s a run you definitely want to back solid athlete even though he’s a newbie. Yes, super super talented. Uh just sort of coming in with a little bit of a handicap uh that might not, you know, yield the day he might be capable of otherwise, but we’ll give him a different race experience, right? Like, hey, I know I can’t run. Let me take some risks on the swim and bike and see where that puts me. Well, and just historically looking back at athletes that have performed extremely well with some sort of setback or some sort of issue heading into the Iron Man World Championship, can’t run, think you’re going to be doomed, changes everything. You attack it and suddenly you’re a little fresher, you’re not beat up, maybe there’s something else that just goes into it. Um, so that Junqua that gives you a little bit of a extra oomph and gets you to a breakthrough. You can think of these countless times, Di through the yearbooks here, but maybe that’s Martin Vanreal today. Great shot from above. This is cool. This shows that distance. If you ever get down behind the cyclist, you feel like they are very close. You get up above and it’s 25 30 m. Uh so a decent maybe that’s 18 to 25 meters, but it’s a decent chunk between each athlete. As we get into this interesting terrain here, the foothills of the maritime Alps. Yeah, this is the the road to uh St. Jane. Uh there are three really short and steep climbs here. maybe a sort of a minute each. You can see the athletes down on the bar. So, they are between some of those uh three really punchy climbs, but each one of those climbs around 10% with, you know, we’ve got here this mixed flat to rolling um segments between the punchy climbs. Uh but guaranteed these uh short really stingy climbs are going to help separate this field out a little bit. And there we go again, just popping right up out of the saddle. Uh again, just indicating exactly how how tight it is. And then right back down to the air bars, bigger gear, and shooting down into some twisty, turny, curvy uh sections of this race. Really just so good. And folks, if you have not seen this race before, if you have not raced this course before and you don’t even know what we’re talking about, please do stick around because you are going to want to see even more challenging and even more technical segments of this zoot bike course coming up in a bit. Do you think we’re going to see some breakaways? I believe we will. What do you want? Uh, you know what’s that uh really good non-alcoholic beer I keep hearing about? Do you have that really great non-alcoholic beer that I keep seeing? Do you have a non-alcoholic beer that actually actually tastes good? It’s athletic. You’re holding it. You mean athletic? You’re looking at it. I think you mean athletic. [Music] It’s fun. Ask for it. This is what I want to be. [Music] [Music] Endurance isn’t just about medals. It’s about showing up, even when your brain says go and your body says no. Showing up means taking care of yourself, skin, and all. 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Maybe you’re not aware that he’s had a little bit of an off swim or an issue, some sort of stop, almost a stop and regression before he got back on course. Folks, if you were not here during the swim, uh Sam laid low, the man who won this race two years ago on this very course, definitely struggling and we saw him stretching in transition, struggling with maybe a low back before he got back on the bike and is trying to get back where he belongs. The the good news is that he is making some headway. He has passed a few athletes. I saw him go by, Patrick Langa, who probably did a double take and thought, “Wait a minute.” Langa had a pretty solid swim. uh wasn’t lead pack but um yeah to have Sam Lelo go by you I think a lot of these athletes doing a double take uh we’re going to throw it down to our oncourse partners on the ground this is thrown to Craig Alexander and Fraser Cartell guys what have you got yeah thank you Dee very interesting start to this race of course we saw phrase the the separation in the swim and it looks like that has translated out onto the road because our five leaders on the road were all from that front swim Oh, they were. And there’s no surprises there. We knew that they were and we from everything we’d heard, we knew that they were going to go really hard through this really long transition. So, they’ve got a lot of time literally on the road to make up more time, if that makes sense. And they were absolutely hooking through transition. Yeah. And we see now as we flash back to the the coverage and we see Patrick Lunger who was about 2 minutes down out of the swim. Um, and he he was in some good company. I think he was around Christian Hugenhag, one of our other pre-race favorites. But that those front five guys, they’re not hanging around. I think I think they’re trying to I’m not going to say make a race winning break here, but a race changing break for sure. I mean, we know we’ve seen Yona Shamberg in multiple races this year. His MMO is just to take the race up the road and he’s got some company today in, you know, Andreas Susber. He’s also got Jamie Riddle there. And Jan Strapman, who was recently third at Challenge Rod, he’s also made that front group. And to say that they all know each other. I mean, they do to an extent. They’ve all raced each other fairly with the exception of Yan Strapman. He didn’t race in world triathlon races, but those guys all have a very, I would say, good understanding of what their capabilities are, and that definitely helps. Yeah. As we also see Martin Van Real in that front group, and interestingly, Martin won the 70.3 here earlier this year. So, you know, it’s one thing to to train on a course, but I think you get really good intel when you actually race on a race course. Yeah. And Martin’s been here for two two and a half weeks. He he and his whole team have been on site. They came down from altitude and you know he knows this course inside out. This first climb it’s about 13 km long Fraser and it’s mainly three shorter sharper climbs that top out at about 10%. But it’s about 13k. So 20 20 to 25 minutes of consistent climbing. We know this bike course the profile I mean we’ve been talking about it all week. A lot of the elevation gain comes in the first third of the course, but you know, some of the the big names um and and guys we would consider the Uber bikers like the Magnus Ditliffs, he’s found himself in a great position today. Yeah, it’s fascinating cuz he swam really well. I mean, we spotted that quite early on in the swim. He was sitting on Christian Blumenfeld’s feet if I’m not mistaken. And that, you know, it doesn’t seem that long ago that probably wrongly we would traditionally think of Magnus as a poor swimmer. He absolutely is not a poor swimmer anymore. You know, that’s the Olympic gold medalist from Tokyo. Yeah, he’s he was right around a lot of the other contenders and he’s settled into a group on the bike that includes Rudy von Berg, our young Aussie boy Nick Thompson, who um he’s definitely a dark horse for this race with his bike proess, not only on the uphills, but the downhills. He’s found himself in that group along with the two Norwegian training partners, Christian Blumenfeld and and Casper Stones. And and interestingly because you’re seeing two training partners, but the third one, the world champion in Gustav Eden, he’s only 20 seconds behind at the most current um timing split that we have. Yeah. And and we’re looking back to this front group again. They’re on one of the flat flatter sections of this first climb. And it looks like Shamberg’s relinquished the lead. Um and he’s got Jamie Riddle in front of him. And I mean it was just really tactical in that swim. Um there was a lot of explosive accelerations and you know it’s typically and traditionally not the way you do expend your energy but it just I think it speaks to um the aggressive nature that a lot of these younger athletes are bringing to Iron Man racing and I’m I’m here for it. I’m loving it. Oh I mean they were clearly swimming with intent, weren’t they? I mean they knew what they were doing. It was obvious once we started figuring out what we were watching that there was a clear plan that they understood and they were they were executing it. Yeah. some story lines for us to to keep an eye on here. It will be, as you mentioned, Gustaf Faton was only 20 to 30 seconds behind the first chase back on the road. So, we need to keep an eye on whether he can bridge that gap. Another I think great talking point was Matthew Mark, one of our another guy, you know, we’ve been talking about coming off two Iron Man Pro Series wins this year in Iron Man cans and Lake Placid. Um, you know, one of the big storylines has been his cramping issues. Now we saw him come out of the swim and he looked good. Normally the cramping has hit him once he hits dry land maybe the run into T1 or in T1 itself. He looked like he was moving freely and he was only a minute behind our leader Yona Shamberg but looking at the tracker now he’s lost another 5 minutes. So I’m just wondering if he has been hit with those cramping issues again early in this race. Yeah, I mean we saw him we literally got into transition as Matthew was running out or within that group and um tracker tells us that that was about 80 seconds down leaving transition, you know, so he only lost 20 seconds or so. Um but he’s obviously had to step off the bike or something’s happened to lose another five within the first 10 km. So a lot of great storylines playing out here already. Michael and Deei and we’ll throw back to you guys now. Thank you so much Craig and Fraser. Great insight as always. We’re back here following along as these athletes are tackling the early kilometers. We are about 15 or 18 km in about 16 km in approaching some good climbs. Dei and we are definitely interested and surprised so far. Yeah, definitely some things going as expected, things going definitely not as expected, but Michael, it’s still so so early. So, um, for a lot of the athletes, particularly for the athlete on screen, uh, the day is not done. Not a great start for Sam Lello, but lots of racing and lots of action still to come from the men’s Iron Man World Championship in Nice, France. Stop the be [Applause] [Music] don’t don’t stop the beat can control my feet people in the street. Come on everybody and move your feet. I don’t stop. Don’t stop the beat. I can’t stop. Can’t stop the beat. I won’t stop. Won’t stop the beat. Go. Yeah, [Music] [Music] but You know, and we know the thing about challenging yourself is you’re always looking for what’s next. [Music] It’s the beauty of Oman, our tradition, our hospitality, the sounds of limitless opportunities to explore. [Music] Listen, it’s Oman. And Dee, here we are following along behind the likes of Daniel Beckagard who is chasing hard and really trying to make a little move. And then just like that, we’re back to the front of the pack. I see a lot from here, but I know our guy Matt Leto out on course is seeing a lot more. We’re going to rush right over to him and see what he has got in store for us. Matt, take it away. Hey guys, we’re here. We are here in a chase group. Sorry, road just got a little bit tight here, but we’re here with a chase group way in the back with Leon Chevier. Uh, first up in screen. And then we can see in front of Leon is Matthew Markwart and Cam Worf. Behind these athletes, we had Brad Weiss in this group. We had Sam Long in this group as well. And uh, group’s working togetherish pretty well. And, uh, you know, move moving through this back portion of the the race field. just going through a steeper section of the course, that first climb, big kicker. Obviously, Cam Worf is going to be one of the drivers in this group. He looks very casual at this point. Um, obviously pushing up that steep section. Um, but they’re all just kind of settling in. They know they’re a fair bit back. Um, they’re not going to see the front of the race anytime soon. Uh, but they’re still working together quite well. Again, Matthew Markart um is just a little bit in front here of Camworth and uh he’s an athlete we know has had bad luck in the past few races uh having a little bit of cramping coming out of the water, having to ride a little bit softer maybe than he’d like to in general being an aggressive athlete that he is. He didn’t have those cramps out of the swim, which was great for Matthew, but you could tell he was still really building into this bike effort. Uh he was he had a he had a good swim, a solid swim. He’s probably capable of a little bit more, but he was holding back because of those cramping issues. Uh, but now we know he’s kind of softening in, letting uh let warm up so he doesn’t have that cramping issue. We know now that that cramp issue comes from his back and sighting a little bit too much in the swim. So, he has to take it easy in the first sections of the bike. He’s done that. He let this group uh catch him and now he’s back to the front. Uh, but yeah, big big bike powerhouse group. Sam Long, Bradley Weiss, Cam Worf, Leon Chevier, Matthew Markart. That is a lot of horsepower and uh they know they’re a bit back, but they know this is a very, very long race. 6 minutes sounds like a lot now, but it will not be at the end of this bike ride. And certainly, certainly not at the end of this run. So, a lot more action on this very difficult bike course, but right now, Matthew Markart leading this tough group, guys. Thank you so much, Matt. Always great to hear the insight there on the road as we zip right back here to the front of our group. Van Real, Salvisburg, Shonberg, Riddle, we have all of it up here, Dee and man, they are just trying to get away and make use of that hard work they did and they put in on the swim. Absolutely. And of course, the athletes now through uh S Jana, which of course refers back to St. John the Baptist, uh who is the patron saint of the village. Now that they are through those three punchy climbs leading up to Son, uh we’re seeing them enjoy a little bit of arrow bar time uh for the next 10 or so kilometers before they get to the likes of this scenic. That’s right. Climbing around. This is what’s to come. That’s what they’re heading for. That’s when it really gets interesting. And I tell you what, the uh the reality of this course, Dee, is that it’s ever changing. just when you settle in and feel like uh you’re doing what you need to do to stay in position, the course changes at different demands. And I know we keep bringing this up and I think it’s just such a defining part of this course. Uh the technical nature and we can all think to who is going to be the one that can break away and stay away on that downhill. But great great shots there we’re seeing from up above of this beautiful town. Absolutely. These are some of the scenics of what is to come. As we take a look there along the bottom part of your screen, you can see the topographical map. And I guarantee our little cartoon map at the bottom of the screen does not do it justice uh as to some of the challenges that the athletes will uh be facing along here. The good news is that unlike some other courses, there is a lot of variability. So we saw some punchy climbs, now some arrow bar time, the primary climb, the plateau, the descents. So that there’s an opportunity um as the athletes go through the first aid station here which is at 24 and a half kilometers. This is right in the village of St. Jana. Uh and the athletes again some of them taking on the aid now that they’re through those punchy climbs. Uh didn’t want to carry the weight but grabbing a bottle here getting it on board and moving on. There you go. Moving along. And it’s nice to see this uh on the left. beautiful, quiet, still images and then uh compare them to what is happening with the fury of these athletes on the right uh making quick work of this scenery. They’re not seeing much of that right now, do you? No, they’re not. But you you would be able to see on a more scenic day uh the the castle uh St. Jane Castle uh St. uh St. Jean Baptiste uh church uh lots of medieval ruins uh and castles along there. So you can see some of those gorgeous scenics uh that the athletes are not seeing, but uh as a tourist, you can go back the day after the race and check them out. That’s right. Not walking very fast that day, so take in these slow sights um on Monday. Uh so Dee, we’ll come back to just a quick question. when when you see that and you had sort of expressed surprise at seeing how fell back some of those powerhouse bikers were and is there anything that you’ve watched on the track or you’ve seen any anyone making up for uh a potentially devastating swim anyone you’re like hey there you go that’s I’ve seen Sam Long or Chris Liferman or or Worf any of those folks get back into the mix any moves late uh I’m sorry back the road that you’d like to mention well I mean I think definitely we’re going to see the likes of Cam Cam Warf move forward in this race. I mean, we we only need to look back as far as Frankfurt uh and a massive solo effort that he did in Frankfurt uh to reh reinsert himself. Uh and he’s got good company, right? So, he’s got some company to to to take along with him as well. Um I I definitely think Yeah. I mean, I don’t think the start of this race right now, it’s been exciting. It’s been eventful, but this race is far from over. Far from over. Yes. It’s just kind of an interesting thing when you look at who’s who’s able to pull off a quick turnaround. Uh we haven’t seen some of our major players on camera yet, but we’re focusing really well on who we do have. And Baker Guard again, one of those that is trying to get up to the front, trying to get after it, trying to make his way into that top 10. Um an athlete that does extreme extremely well across all disciplines. Uh very well-rounded and a great resume here. Looking at him on camera, he looks pretty smooth uh in one of those, as you said, arrow bar sections and uh plugging along. Nice fast cadence there. Nice high cadence. Uh as we pan back to some again, beautiful scenics looking down at this unique part of the world and waiting for the athletes uh splits to come in. What have you got? And we’re back here on a just a tantalizingly narrow stretch here where you come up out of the air bars, really have to navigate, bend the bike around these turns to stay upright and not lose momentum, uh, keep yourself going without hitting the brakes. Um, and you’re, you know, you’re still seeing this, uh, really great execution here out of the saddle when you need to, up on the bars, straight back to air bars when possible, but also keeping your head up. These are the sections that really will cost you again, navigating this hard right beyond a right turn to come around and then get right back into a climb, accelerating, trying to keep together. Uh, these athletes are as they climb up yet another steep pitch. Yeah, I mean we said it that this zoot bike course is going to challenge not only your climbing ability as we’re seeing here, but your bike handling as we see some of those sharp corners and turns here through the village of uh St. Jana. Uh some spectators coming out maybe sort of curious onlookers. Uh no doubt uh the Iron Man World Championship is drawing people out whether you’re a fan of the sport or whether it’s out of pure curiosity. Well, that’s right. And and these folks are used to it. I mean, they they may come out, maybe not diehard Iron Man fans, but they know the sport. They know it well. Cycling, Iron Man, everything. They’ve seen it. We talked about the history of the event, the Nice International Triathlon all the way back to 1982. Just so much time. So, some of these folks are like, “Hey, you know what? The color of the outfits have changed. The bikes look a little different, but same deal. We love watching these athletes push themselves up these big climbs, and uh that’s just what they’re what they are about to do.” uh referencing again something that we saw um or we’re going to see there uh Dee is that massive outcropping of rocks that just shoots up um 800 uh feet above meters in height and that is B de Sanjane a rocky outcrop there uh attracts hikers climbers overlooks that entire valley where the ruins of the ancient fortified sheepfold um stands and then that’s just something that you see as you pan back. I’m curious. I’m very curious if these athletes will continue to work together. Stay with us to find out if a break is made or they stay in close company. [Music] Yes, that’s perfect. [Applause] [Music] There’s no limit to how far a dream can take you. Start in your own adventure now. Katar Airways. We’re not here to sell you on this life. You already chose it. No shortcuts, no hype, just work. Same as you. Built to outlast, endure. 40 years in and we’re just getting warmed up. Welcome to the Ohana. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] Welcome back to the men’s Iron Man World Championship. We are with our men’s leaders which consists of Martin Van Real, Jamie Riddle, and Jonas Shamberg. Our leaders now well through the 26.7 kilometer marker in uh the town of Vince. And our chasers are also through that uh that timing mat as well. There has been some separation. Our lead three are followed by Andrea Salesber who has lost a little bit of time out of the swim with Jon Stman and then at two minutes back the group of Christian Blumenfeld, Nick Thompson, Kieran Linders, Antonio Bonito Lopez, Rudy von Berg in that group, they are making their way forward. They’re about two minutes back at this point. So a couple of the strong swimmers fading back into the big chase group which sits at two minutes back. Well, well, Dee, that group too also has Gustaf Eden. It has Magnus Ditlev, Casper Storz, it has all of those folks. Really a solid group. And guess what? They’ve dropped Sam Lelo. Well, but here’s the other thing that I’m noticing how large that chase group is. So, that second chase group has I’m going to just spitball here. I mean, it’s a it’s 12 guys, 10 guys. And on these narrow streets, as I’m as I’m looking at the coarse topography, really hard to make passes on some of those tight turns um in some of these tighter sort of village streets here uh through the the the town of Vince. Um so really hard for those guys to get organized number one with a group that that’s that’s that large. Who’s going to be the one uh sort of to do the work? And then do you have the ability to create separation to make a move if you’re fourth wheel in a group that has 12 guys in it? How do you pull round on streets like this and and and make that kind of aggressive move? It it’s tough. 100% very tough. You have to be mindful too narrower stretch. You can’t cross that center line. You have to be very attentive. De said it very well. Watch the way these guys are also doing it very well. Just staying in the air bars, ripping around those curves, anticipating and knowing what’s coming. But I’m very impressed the way these three, Van Real, Riddle, and Shawnberg have really pushed and gotten away, holding average speeds of really 34.8, 34.95, 35, just well above solidly above what we see for Solasburg, Stropman, and Thalman. And then as you come back, like you said, to that chase group. Wow. And Bloomfeld kind of at the front towards the front of that chase pack, which I think is where you want to be, right? like you don’t want to be caught behind. Uh the closer you are to the front, you can sort of navigate any move that’s going on ahead of you a little bit more easily and you’re not going to get caught up if you’re seventh wheel and there’s a break at third wheel that you’ve got to sort of navigate that as well. Yes, that’s correct. Uh there we go. And we have to always remember that in a race like this where it’s so technically demanding and so up down and dynamic in nature, you still have to be very attentive to your nutrition. You still have to know when to grab the bottle, when to hit the straw if it’s a built-in uh hydration system, but you have to take that fuel, get the Morton Gel, do what you need to do at the right time. And sometimes the right time is, oh man, my watch or someone tells me I should do it now, but I can’t because I’m in a very technical section or overtaking someone. So, I think there’s just so much at play there uh throughout the course of this zoot bike bike ride. Nice little shot down there. I think we’re going to zip on over and we’re going to head over to our guy on the roads, Matt Leto. Take it away. Oh, okay. Dave, is this audio any better? Okay, we are here with Daniel Bakagard. He is cruising through the middle section of uh that descent. Actually coming up on one of the false flat sections here. Uh Daniel Backard running smooth. He’s got Andre Lopes behind him. Um we saw Go not too far uh behind this athlete, but right now Backard, you know, he’s one that has been uh you know, in the mix in the world championship before. We saw him having a great race in St. George a few years back. Hasn’t really had the performances that he’s wanted recently, but uh he’s coming back. He’s finding uh that that role that you need as an athlete, that confidence from good training, some good uh positive races. Uh Daniel’s got that. He’s an athlete that has the ability on the day. Uh you know, things aren’t necessarily where he’d want them to be so far on the day here, but he’s riding smooth again, not losing any time to the athletes behind him, pulling back a little bit of time. But Daniel Bakagard, one of those strong, tough athletes. So, as this day continues and gets harder, we’re going to see Daniel Bakagard get closer to the front. Thanks so much, Matt. And, uh, we will count on that. Bakagard, a dynamic athlete, waiting to see and wondering exactly what position he’s in. I think the tracker might have missed him, Dee, because I feel like he is a little bit higher up than it appears on the tracker. So coming right back here and you can see on the graphic below the dissant duloop we are coming down slightly downhill before we hit the notable above 8% climb where we’re hitting it up at 18.9 km there you’re just going really a long section of uphill coming right up I think a defining part again that is 18.9 kilometers uphill right that is the climb the distance of that climb um so it’s coming up watching some more of these beautiful sections of Road Di where it’s cut into the mountain there, these roads and you’re ripping through uh these these I would say neighborhoods, but they’re not really neighborhoods, just people’s homes as you’re climbing up up and up. And again, these uh race leaders making this seem like easy work. This is not easy work. the speeds that they’re carrying and the elegance with which they’re navigating uh these sweeping roads in this uh faster section of the course uh makes it look just absolutely spectacular. It does. It really does. And as we kind of keep teasing, we haven’t really seen much of anything yet. It’s going to get more dynamic, more scenic, and more difficult. As you watch that, that was that s that section where we do go downhill. uh coming through here. You can tell these speeds are very high. Yeah. Again, we are going through this section of the course uh here. Again, forgive my French ter uh which is derived from the word tour uh meaning tower or fortress uh likely referring to the ancient uh watchtowwer located up on the hill above the roadway here. Again, um just some of the some of the key uh landmarks on this spectacularly gorgeous zoot bike course that we get to we get to enjoy that these athletes have to tackle today. But our lead group of three remains very well intact. Uh Martin Van Real, Jamie Riddle, and Jonas Shamberg. And and it is uh it is a a threesome that maybe we expected to see two or three others in there that were not. Still very curious to see how Sam Ladello is progressing and how that lower back is treating him or the issue that he experienced on the swim. Uh not to spend too much time on our former champion, but we did come in here talking a lot about the four athletes that have won the Iron Man World Championship in the past, he being one of them. And so to see him fall by the wayside sort of this early not in our scripted uh race kind of overview I’ll say but but D gosh you know what moving on this is the talent this is the people that came to us from the short course are they going to be able to stay away I’m just not sure I I would say of this group this is playing very very well for uh Jonah Shamberg Um, and Jamie Riddle to be honest. I mean, the only one I’m slightly concerned about is Martin Van Real, not because of his uh talent, but because of some of the injuries he sustained uh earlier in the year. Uh, so no surprises necessarily that this group has remained intact because the talent is there to do so. But uh, Yonas Shamberg again, we we were sort of robbed of the opportunity to see him and what he could have done at that Iron Man Frankfurt race. He was racing in a similarly aggressive manner to what we are seeing here today. He was alone at the front of the course really early on on the bike when he had his arrow bar basically just fell off of his bike. Um wasn’t very much he wanted to keep going. Technical officials said buddy or that’s not a little bit unsafe. Uh so he is well intact mechanically put together. As we come back to our defending champion here, this is Patrick Langga uh who threw that second time check there. Sam Lelo had gone past uh Patrick and scrolling back here to find where Patrick is. He’s currently losing more time. He’s in 33rd place. He’s lost four spots between uh six, sorry, 9.8K and 26.7K. Uh so things not going necessarily according to plan for Patrick. He had an okay swim. Uh but he is not making inroads on the bike. I mean he’s a good climber. I think he’s an underrated uh cyclist uh for a course like this. You can see he’s he’s he’s known obviously for his absolutely just poisonous run and how great a runner he is. But he’s he’s a little guy and you see him up out of the saddle. He is built for a course like this. um and his climbing, his cycling has come a long way over the sort of the arc of his career. Uh but right now not being able to put that sort of on display. That’s right. About five minutes down, 510 down from the lead at this point and having not been that far. Only about a minute out of the water, you know, behind out of the water. So lost four minutes over this early period and some some big climbs coming up. But I’m with you and I think that he’s uh he came in here super nervous. uh you would as a defending champion, as a three-time Iron Man world champion. Expectations for himself are high. Uh but across the board, he was second here two years ago. Uh he knows he can do well. If he’s if he’s within five to 15 minutes coming off his run, if they’re talking 232, two or under 230, um he’s going to move up some ranks. He definitely is going to move up some ranks, but the further he moves back, the further he’s got to climb on, the more people he needs to pass. Exactly. Exactly. And that there is no one better at picking off athletes other than you know Patrick Langa. His his again his run prowess is is well noted. Um and everybody is aware of what he can do on the run course which I think is why a lot of these guys are being so aggressive on this bike because they know how much time they need coming off this bike before they start running. If you’re going to beat someone like Patrick Langa, there you go. And what will be really cool is when we finally set eyes on Magnus Ditv who we see Casper Storz as well. Another one I’m kind of curious to see and and also of course Christian Blumenfeld. But Ditlev in a really good position at the last uh timing check just moving along very nicely. Um he was together with Eden and Storis. They were just uh plugging along. Two a little over two minutes down. Uh seems like almost nothing. They’ve also got Von Berg in there and uh we really just talk about that pack. Uh just some great heat as they come in and I think it’s going to be pretty soon realistically where we start to see them see the camera on them because uh those climbs start to go up up up and up and and of note as well in that group Gustaf Eden who was actually back a little bit out of the swim has moved up I mean he’s moved up 10 spots in the last timing segment. So he’s one of the bigger movers on the course in terms of positioning and directly in front of it vid at the last check. So that’s a that’s a good spot to be in and those guys the uh I should say those guys the three Norwegians that are there in that group stoes Blumenfeld and Eden they they all uh are so calculated in the way they race. I think Ditlev goes in that same category where you really think that they’re racing primarily with their heads u for so much of this race really with a plan with the numbers really in the race from a strategy standpoint where um I think they get very hard on themselves if they don’t execute the way they’re supposed to the way they’ve trained the way they’re capable of um just a very different uh race strategy I’ll say than some of the other athletes where you go a little bit more by race the folks around you go for it go when feel good. Um sort of hey take advantage of certain circumstances. I think this front group Dei is doing that. I think when you look at Van Real Shoberg and Riddle they’re more because they are less experienced at the distance and certainly not experienced at the Iron Man World Championship uh when they come in here they may not be trying to follow any numbers. They may be just three guys saying let’s get on with it. Let’s go. What do we have to lose? We are young. We are fast. We are fit. Let’s go for it. And again, if you look at the bottom portion of your screen there and where the athletes are, is that sort of highlighted in white section, uh they are in the dente doop, the descent into loop. Uh that is the municipality, the Pont Doop. Um again, it’s a small village destroyed during World War II, but more notably, it marks the start of really what is the primary climb on this course uh up the Culair. There you go. And uh as they hit that uh climb, you you know it. You hit the climb, you know it. You don’t sort of say, “Hey, are we on the climb yet?” Because is it? Are we here yet? Because for once and for final, you are on a sustained climb that is that is uh just going to really start sucking the legs out of you. Like if you look at the the time, we are just approaching two hours into this race. Everybody’s still feeling pretty good. You’re still pre feeling, I would say, is uh pretty spicy. Uh, but when you hit that long climb, that’s when you figure out, hey, are my legs, are they good? You know what? This is a little bit different, right? You’re sitting in a long, long six, seven, eight miles of going up, up, and up. It it it’s just unforgiving. And that’s where you’re going to find out if if the taper was right, if the efforts were too hot, if the fueling is on. It starts to get serious about that point. Well, it’s 19 kilometers in length total and and it’s made up of sort of three distinct clims. Uh this is the first of them um where it’s about a 6% grade to a 7% max grade. Um and then they get a bit of relief before going up the next two climbs. But it is it’s probably about 40 minutes of climbing for these guys. That’s that’s significant. And uh we’re still doing the fun uh sections here where you get those downhills and those bits. And these fellas all look very well in sync. um all well all four of them now as they come around and you see uh just bending the bike around each of those corners holding a great great line and not a wide road and you do have to be cognizant of that y of that center line and uh this is a topic in every race uh realistically around the world but certainly in the European uh venues like this where it’s a tighter narrower and sometimes non-existent center line you have to be very clearly staying safe and they don’t want you going to the far left side And you also have to not be taking a comp competitive advantage to cross that center line. So I think if you’re just in there abiding by that protocol, you should be fine. And DD, we’ve come right back here. Andre Lopez from uh Brazil in the bright color right there. And it says Lopez on the back. And this is a a nice little uh group there. You can look up and see the red kit. Um, which I believe is Matthew Marquart, but we’ll come up and have a closer look. But Dee, this is our chase pack that we looked at there. I think this is actually our second chase pack because that first chase pack um had swallowed sort of the the two athletes that were flying solo in uh Andrea Salvisber, but the Christian Blumenfelt group that includes Rudy Vonberg and Gustaf Eden, Magnus Ditlev, they have and Casper Storis as well, they have uh sucked up Andrea Salvisber and Jon Stman. So that group is actually now even larger and then this is the next chase group behind them that includes Andre Lopez. There you go. And that makes sense as we look at uh these splits and you continue to plug along here. And folks, if you don’t have the Iron Man tracker downloaded on your phone, you’re missing out. A lot of this great data is there at your uh fingertips as we come back to our lead uh trio here. Um up out of the saddle is is Jamie Riddle there bouncing along in third place with this same group, Van Real, Riddle, and Shamberg, but out of order there now. And and of note, uh those chasers, you can see those splits up on the screen. They’re a little different to what the trackers are giving us. That’s just based on uh moving time and those updates. But uh the chase group uh again, Blue, uh Rudy, Gustaf, that group uh has taken about 10 seconds out of the lead three. So, not significant, but given the size of that group and the lack of maneuverability amongst a group that large, uh, they are continuing to chip away at this lead group of three. That’s right. And Blumenfale just jumped at the last split. So, him and Nick Thompson there making it 147 and 148 down from the front. Just chiseling away um, Salvisburg of course from that front pack had been swallowed up. He was up at the front. Stman, Thalman, Vonberg. Uh, such a such a scary group coming. Antonio Bonito Lopez, again, watch out for him. This is the man uh that uh really tried to go toe-to-toe with Christian Blumenfeld, Iron Man Texas, back in April. Um, and had a lot of us guessing. We weren’t sure what kind of form Blumenfeld was carrying into that race, the Iron Man North American Championship. And tell you what, we were all sort of looking at the Spaniard saying, “This guy’s got the wheels until he didn’t.” But it is someone that has a well-rounded game. So there are 12 guys in that first chase group with Sam Lello who appears to be about 15 seconds off the back of that. Uh so Sam Lelo trying to chip away uh work his way back into at minimum the chase group. He’s sort of sitting by himself right now. He’s gone through uh the Kieran Linders, Paul Schuster, Finn Gross Freeze group and is still off the back of this large the large group of 12 chasers um who again are continuing to very slightly chip away at the lead group of three. I tell you what, that that speaks to the heart of the champion there, Sam Lelo. If he’s he is and tombs 217 down from the lead, just really fighting his way uh to feeling better. We obviously know he did not feel all that great. So, uh, very cool to see now as we as we hone in as, um, on our our man from Tahiti. Uh, it’s so cool to see, uh, the nation represented. I think that’s certainly a first for me to see, uh, Tahiti represented, um, at the Iron Man World Championship. And of course, we’ve talked about, uh, the significance of today’s race in the Iron Man Pro Series. Uh and earlier this week, of course, uh there was a big announcement. The 2026 Experience Oman Iron Man Pro Series schedule was announced. And the season 3, uh Michael, is going to be nothing short of epic. It’s going to include six Iron Man and eight Iron Man 70.3 races around the world in addition to the Iron Man World Championship and the Iron Man 70.3 World Championship. Check this out. Presenting the ultimate challenge for those that can endure, 16 races, nine countries. New paths will be etched across lands yet untouched and across race grounds already carved deep into history with triathlon’s best performances. Every moment presents an opportunity for greatness. You don’t have to be first, but you have to be fast. Young Bloodood will rival experience, brought from the iron will those that have forged ahead before. All leading to the Iron Man World Championship, where new champions will be cast and lives forever changed. Every second matters. [Music] We can’t wait for the kickoff to that series in March with the Ansco Foods Iron Man New Zealand. Such a stunning and historic location and sure to have a jam-packed Pro Field. Who is going to set themselves up to get a piece of that bonus prize pool of DD $1.7 million? I can’t wait. 2026. I’m already looking forward to it. It’s going to be it’s going to be a huge draw. It already has proven to be a really successful venture for uh not only Iron Man, but for the athletes. There’s a lot of money to be earned uh by racing uh the Pro Series and racing it well. Uh $1.7 million uh for year-end bonuses uh again to the top athletes in our sport. And I think it’s been uh a huge incentive for a lot of athletes. We’ve seen some of our most competitive fields, our largest fields all around these Iron Man Pro Series races. So, can’t wait to tune in uh to 2026. And for more on the 26 uh race series, you can go to proseries.ironman.com. A lot of that information is there as well as what’s left in the 2025 race season because uh there are races still to come. This is the 15th stop. Of course, uh we have the women’s world championship and then we’ve got the 70.3 World Championships in Marba. Yes, so much coming. And now we we’re watching on camera. Well, we were Dylan Mnin from France. And now look at this coming back here. There’s Jason West. Yep. Getting a nice look at Jason West there from the United States. Uh plugging along. This guy has uh obviously got one of the highest caliber runs in the field. Always uh an athlete that came from the short course over the last few years. Really does well at 70.3 and is also tackling the Iron Man quite well. Uh Jason West looking good on camera so far. And this Dee, it’s got a whole lot of climbing in front of it. Yeah. I mean, this is this is our second sort of chase pack um separated by about uh I’m going to say a little over a minute to the large 12man chase pack um in pursuit of our three leaders. So, these guys are about fourish minutes down. Um, not the cycling powerhouses that are amongst the first group of chasers, uh, but guys that if you are steady and and are able to execute your own race, uh, there’s Casper Stempnak, uh, could feature in and run their way in if you pace a smart race. There you go. If if if that’s always the big question, can you do it? Um, and and you know, time will tell here as we come through one of these beautiful tunnels as you’re climbing up several on the downhill as well. But back with Patrick Langa here, threetime Iron Man World Champion. He said to Craig early this morning, “Hey, you know what? It’s kind of special to be at the Iron Man World Championships and have bib number one.” Uh, that hasn’t happened that often. Our three-time plus winners few and far between. And and Patrick Longo, one of them certainly, I think in a lot of ways, surprised some people coming back and winning Kona last year in 2024 after winning the first time back in 17. That’s a big spread. Yeah, it is a big spread and right now he can see the he can see the chase pack um up the road. He is losing time. Um but uh we’re going to check in our a fighting chance uh presented by Hoka is our race week series that takes you uh into the inner everyday lives of our elite athletes for an under the hood look at the athletes journey. This week uh we certainly caught up with our defending champion Patrick Langa and here’s what he had to say in a fighting chance. [Music] For me, the 24 season race was the strongest ever and ever will be. [Music] It’s good. It’s been a It’s been a minute. as it’s the first day of of altitude. Of course, the uh travel is also a little bit in the legs. So, uh I had a swim in the morning uh with couple of sprints, pickup speed. First time back in in the boat pool and now we go for a run 1 hour 15 with uh 2 * 10 minutes at iron man pace uh which will be around yeah 330 uh perk. So how are we feeling about your run couple weeks out of these? I think pretty comfortable and uh confident and had some really solid sessions at altitude. Um in around great pace um so yeah I think everything’s the target. Is there anyone you’ve got your eye on if you’ve got a I mean you can’t discount laid low in the bloom and felt. Yeah I mean obviously there are a lot uh you cannot count Christian out. Uh he had an amazing season uh all year long, super consistent. Sam is definitely on good form. He showed it in the UK, but we also have a couple of really interesting young athletes on the start line who definitely will have a big impact on the race. So yeah, a lot of names, you know, you there are I think five six um athletes to to that are in the mix for winning the race. But I think there are at least 30 male athletes uh that are able to to go in the top 10. So it’s it’s it’s stacked and it’s it’s definitely going to be a very interesting race to watch. [Music] Patrick Langa, what a champ. And uh he’s got a good attitude. It always seems to be for the most part sharing his emotion, showing his emotion and highs and lows. We’ve seen him absolutely in tears in the lava fields on the bike and we’ve seen him in tears of joy at the finish line. Uh he, you know, he’s really just a fun athlete to get behind and cheer for uh today. He’s getting passed a couple times now on the bike. So maybe that’s part of the plan. Maybe that’s what he expected. But would be nice to see him kind of push through and stay in contact so he can unleash that devastating run a little bit later today. Yeah, it just seems right now that pack after pack is sort of biking through Patrick Langa. So, but lots of time to turn it around as we come back to our race leaders. This is Martin Van Real. He’s riding with Jamie Riddle and Jonas Shamberg. Uh, still large chase group behind them and we are waiting now for that chase group uh for the most updated split. At last check about six and a half kilometers ago, they were at about 147 down. And that is a dangerous group that is in pursuit of the leaders. We will get an updated split for you shortly. Yes. And you’ve got Finn Gross Freeze from Germany on camera now pushing through. Uh does he have what it takes to get back up towards that front? Keep moving. Time will tell for this young man, but he is putting his best foot forward. Let’s see if he can keep doing that and making up time. meet halfway [Music] once there. [Music] Yes, that’s perfect. [Applause] [Music] There’s no limit to how far a dream can take you. Start in your own adventure now. Qatar Airways. We’re not here to sell you on this life. You already chose it. No shortcuts, no hype, just work. Same as you. Built to outlast, endure. 40 years in and we’re just getting warmed up. Welcome to the Ohana. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] Well, holy stromboly Michael or whatever the French equivalent is. Uh we have had Sam Ladello with the resurrection of the race thus far. Splits came through for 29 miles or 46.6 kilometers. And at the front of the chase group, Sam Lelo is back. He’s back for sure. 20 mile 29 miles in 46.6 km. That split shows us that he’s now in fourth place. He moved up a shocking 13 positions um in that move. So he went from pretty much is he going to stay in the race? Can he be competitive to I’m in fourth place. So if he continues that then watch out. Just behind him Casper Storz also moved up 10 spaces and then Blumenfeld went down but he stayed with. So Blumenfeld was already up the road, but really the big statement is wow. Dv also moved up four spots in that massive move, but the players are playing now. Dee and this is exactly what we call it, championship racing as we get the camera on the Italian athlete Marco Chetchareli and he is with Christian Hogenhag who is in an unfamiliar position back in 21st place. Uh again, Christian Hogenhog has had an amazing season thus far. We’ve seen some great performances from him. Uh he became a dad just a few weeks ago, and I think his preparations, if you follow his socials, he’s actually got a fun little sort of tongue-in-cheek um attitude about his final preparations for this race, he is fully uh engaged as a dad and uh enjoying every moment of that. And it’s had a little bit of a dent on his impact, so he finds himself a little bit further back. But wow, the move from Sam Ladello and actually that move has sort of separated that group a little bit um by about 10 seconds uh between Lelo, Storis, Blumenfelt, Sven Thalman, and then there’s a 10-second gap to Magnus Ditlev, Gustaf, Eden, etc. Uh after that. So, uh quite a move by Sam Lelo. And he’s back. He’s he is back. And it it kind of makes you wonder a big what if had he had he done the swim we know he’s capable of would that move have put him now in front of these guys two three minutes or with them but nonetheless you’re watching a cool image there of Jamie Riddle from South Africa Iron Man World Championship rookie today um as we come back to another great shot of the high-tech bikes these athletes are pushing down the road disc brakes uh there was a time when you had to really be sort of mindful of the rim the braking service you had at a race like this due to the nature of the descents and the braking requirements. But now these bikes with the disc brakes and incredible aerodynamics. Obviously, this has been a nice evolution in our sport driven by some of the brands like Ventum and others that have really been the cutting edge and pushing folks forward as you come in here and we’ve talked about this athlete Karen Linders uh from Great Britain. Just through often throughout the the the day he keeps surfacing this young man. Yeah, he is uh currently sitting in 19th place. He is in that second chase group. Um not amongst the lead chase group but uh hanging steady there uh within the top 20. Yes sir. And then we’ve got I didn’t call you sir. Just Yes sir. Generally speaking. Sorry about that. As we come Yes, sir. As we come back to watching a rubber band there close up. It’s always fun to see Patrick Lang obviously use that. for those of you that aren’t dialed on this equipment uh maneuver. He had the the shoes strapped to the bike and the the rubber bands which snap off the frame. They keep the pedals uh or sorry the the shoes upright on the pedals there so you can get in and do a nice transition. Nice hard turn there. Uh getting yourselves going up that switchback. Dee, this is proper mountain riding here at its finest in the hills of the Maritime Alps. Absolutely. And here is that chase group. There is Andre Lopez uh now with Patrick Langa. This group is about nearly eight minutes back from our leaders. Uh but just scrolling through Patrick Langa, Andre Lopez. Uh we’ve got Toltoy also from Brazil in this group. Um, Zorgati uh you had mentioned and acknowledged uh prior to the break there uh along with Felipe Acavdo and Daniel Bakagard up at the front of this group with Harry Palmer as well. That’s right. The acknowledgement of the Haitian athlete there. Not saying we’ve never seen him in the entire field, but certainly the professional ranks. It’s a first for me and so very cool to see. But another great great shot here looking down on this beautiful setting here where these mountains just majestically meet with the sea. And it is such a perfect spot for an Iron Man race. And I still think probably most of the athletes believe that they’re still pretty much in that. Wouldn’t you say, D only two and a half hour or 20 in, everybody still believes this is a great race? I you know I think for some of them they’re probably thinking this isn’t quite going the way that I thought. As I look a little bit further back we’ve got Matthew Markort down in 37th place at 817 back. Yeah. That’s not a familiar spot for him. I I think he off the strength of the his ability as a swimmer even if he was sort of pacing this conservatively due to the cramping issues. I think he finds himself in a position he’s not super thrilled with. Leon Shioalier hasn’t really made the moves we would expect from him. So, he’s having a bit of bother right now. We’re sort of still waiting for Cameron Worf to make his move. He’s down in 36th place. Not really the aggressor in the way that we thought he would be slash could be on the bike. Um, yeah. So, a lot of athletes I think not having their best day. Bradley Weiss, another athlete who for whom this course is sort of suited for as a smaller stature athlete, a great climber, uh, very good technical rider as well, finds himself not in a great place. So, and Sam Long not making any moves either. So, yeah, I think you know it’s it’s a great course, but I think a lot of athletes not having a great day on this great course. How about that? Feeling that’s it. That’s the answer. And, you know, I mean, what Bradley Vice, we thought he was seventh here two years ago. I mean, he was he was the race of his career. Yeah. And we just really felt like I mean, he’s done great in Kona as well. He’s a tenacious athlete and he races very uh very assertively, but but this year he’s not feeling it right away or isn’t displaying it right away. But we’ll come back to that and we’ll come back to some of these athletes because I’m going to make a prediction right now as I look at this group of of Stoneberg, um, Van Real, and Riddle. I honestly will tell you that I think by the time we get to the top of this climb, this whole long set of climbs, we are going to see that ch that group, we’re going to see um from Lelo to Storzes to Blumenfeld to um that entire pack. We’re going to see them Ditv as well catch these three. I don’t think they’re going to stay away at top of the climb. They’re up there. No, and I agree with you. And along that plateau, which is a flatter section of the course, we’re going to see who has um who has sort of spent their load on the climb. And I think that’s going to be an opportunity for some of these athletes who have paced the climb really well either or patiently uh to be able to make a move. The road sort of more favors aggressive moves because it is a flatter, wider section of course as well. So, uh I don’t I don’t disagree with you, Michael. You you don’t I appreciate that. And you you know often it’s more fun for us to disagree but in this case we are lock step agreement. And I think that when you said that about that top section we looked at Ditv and some of his comments ahead of time was that he would find his way to a plateau to that plateau rather and he would power and make a move there. So to me that’s what works for him. Here we are seeing Rudy Vonberg. He knows this land like it’s his own backyard because he spent plenty of summers here learning how and perfecting his bike riding. But the man, the Colorado uh uh Buffalo, the Boulder resident, the aggressive young man that rides so well is on camera. And I think that what we see is he’s a very well-rounded swim, bike, and runner. Um and extremely uh capable on the downhills, very technical in nature. I mean, that is where I remember sort of watching his descent at the 70.3 World Championship a couple years ago with one eye shut uh thinking, “Oh my goodness gracious.” And and this guy, for reasons I don’t understand, is perhaps one of the most underrated athletes, I think, in our field. He’s a guy, I mean, he’s been on the podium. He’s been a step off the podium. He has all of the goods. And yet, a lot of people don’t ever really talk about him until he lands on the podium. They’re like, “Oh, yeah, Rudy Vonberg. Of course, he he it’s the curse of the consistency, right? I mean, he’s he’s I think and and Crowley Craig Alexander mentioned this earlier as he he he’s got a lot of years because he won Iron Man 70.3 European Championship back in like 2018, you know, or 2019 and he’s been on uh podiums for 70.3 worlds. He just has always been con not always, but he’s been able to perform consistently in that top five. And yes, fourth place last two years ago in Nice and third in Kona and you’re just going to be kind of like oh overlook. I I think it’s a mistake. He’s going to perform well and I think that we will have to check in with our guy Dee. What do you think? Matt, are you there? Can you bring us some good news? What have you got? Okay guys, we are here with Sam Lelo and I don’t know if this camera picks up if it’s close enough to pick up the expression on his face, but he is eating the pain right now. This athlete has obviously we know did not have the swim that he wanted. From the very beginning, you could see him pushing through that swim and every 10 seconds or so, he just closes his eyes in full grimace state. This dude is absolutely crushing himself out here and he’s with this group. He’s breaking this group apart. Casper Stor is the only athlete that was able to uh stay with Sam straight away. Um he’s struggling a little bit to stay with him now. Actually looks pretty comfortable. Uh but there was a gap earlier. Christian Blumenfeld has brought back that gap and right behind Christian Blumenfeld is Gustaf Eden. So all of the big hitters are here or in the road up ahead of these guys. But again the face of Sam laid low and the effort that he is putting in on this climb is insane. again. Every you could see it every 5 seconds he just closes his eyes and convinces himself it’s worth the pain to try to get up to these three guys at the front. I have never seen Sam laid low push this hard through so much pain. No doubt he’s not feeling that freshness today. He’s not riding chainless so to speak. Uh when athletes feel nothing they feel no pain. Sam is feeling absolutely everything out on this course today and uh yeah, he’s doing his best to bridge up to these guys. Again, Casper Storzes, the best athlete uh able to respond to him uh most easily. But again, Christian Blumenfeld, Gustaf Eden right behind Magnus Ditliff seems to be on their wheel as well from my vantage point. But Sam laid low looking to defend the title from two years ago. Absolutely crushing it. Back to you guys in the studio. So kudos to Sam Lelo for reinserting himself into this race when we thought things might be kind of day is done for Sam Lello. But one does have to wonder is he burying himself in a similar capacity to what he did a year ago and what is the cost going to be when he gets off the bike and tries to run. Full credit to Sam Lelo for not letting the the early setback um hamper him at all as we get our first check-in with Christian Buluinfeld. And boy does he look smooth like butter. He looks great. It’s so fun. We saw Didv really for the first time. Now we’re seeing Blumenfeld really for the first time and and looks smooth. Looks looks like he’s just got a really nice cadence, tending to all the details. Uh, but kind of wrapping up what you said about laid low, he really did what he had to do. He sort of said, “Okay, I swam. I had this go on. I was way back. Do I just play it safe or do I murder myself?” Cuz worst case scenario, he ends up at 18. He got to ride the the pants off the bike. So, it’s a good move. It’s a laid low move. It’s a It’s definitely a laid low move. I guess my question strategically is once you reinsert yourself back into this chase group, why you got to go to the front of it to give yourself a pause to the top of the climb? Give yourself an opportunity to regain. I mean, absolutely, he’s a man on the mission, but you know, my I don’t know what’s going on inside of his head and and nor what the swim issue was, but now he’s leading the charge. My only question would be, do you take a pause, soak it in, and then go again? That that’s my question. But right now, uh, Sam Lelo leading the charge to the lead group of three up the Cold Sair. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Meet Kicker Run from Wahoo. A revolutionary indoor running experience where you just run and your feet set the pace. We call it run free mode. A game-changing technology that allows you to change speeds naturally, just like you do outdoors. You can even let popular training apps control the speed and grade for you. Kicker Run by Wahoo. It’s time to run free. [Music] [Music] Is it [Music] [Applause] You are a man. The Iron Man World Championship is brought to you by Qatar Airways, going places together, and by Bulldog, man’s best friend. Dee, we’ve got Patrick Longa out of the saddle chasing, trying not to really get distance from his group. He wears bib number one. There’s a lot of weight that goes with that number. But I think beyond that as well, there is a I think there’s that same fight we just talked about with Lelo. How did he get 13 spots and continue to push? Why did he get 13 spots and continue to push? Well, because he’s won the Iron Man World Championship. When you’ve done that before, you have a whole depth, I think, of not just ability, but confidence. I mean, we’ll have to ask Craig Alexander when he comes back on. Is there an extra pressure but equal power that comes from that belief that truly you have done this before, you can do it again. Most everyone else in the field is like, hey, I know I can do it. These guys have done it and there’s something that goes with that, I think. And you’re seeing that with uh certainly with Lelo and hopefully here a little bit with Patrick. Yeah, I mean I think for Patrick, you know, we’ve seen him in and amongst groups, but those groups seem to be coming and then going away from Patrick Langa. So right now not all is well in the life of Patrick Langa. Um as he remains alone uh kind of getting past right, left and center uh not things not going according to plan. I mean if I could run like him that I’m not calling him out of this race by any means. We’ve seen some heroic moves today, namely by Sam Lelo who is in pursuit. And now again that gap to the lead three. I think you’re exactly right Michael keeps chipping away. They’re at 140 down now. That’s another 10 to 15 seconds over the last timing check. Uh and there is some separation there. They have uh Rudy von Berg did not make that group. He’s now 230 back. So he’s lost about 30 seconds to Casper Stor Lelo Magnus Ditlev Gustaf Eden Rudy falling back out of that group a little bit. So there’s been some separation of that large group of sort of 12 13 athletes uh largely due to the efforts of Sam Lelo. These are three leaders who are continuing up the road ahead. I tell you what, Dee, that comes right back in the face of what I said earlier. And I still hold to it, but I’m going to give a little bit of credit here. Shberg, Riddle, and Van Real. They’re all still at the same average speed as Sam Lelo. 26.8 26.6 26.6 just barely. Lev barely has an edge on them as does Storess and Blumenfeld and Ditv. But really, actually, now that I just said that, DitLv is the one that has the 27.38. So, bigger uh speed average there for DLEV. Let’s just watch because I honestly believe if you talk about D, if you really talk about who is sort of Lelo is doing kind of a makeup plan, right? He he didn’t expect to be two minutes down. He’s doing the makeup plan. But if you look at Storzes and Eden and Blumenfeld and then you jump back and you look at DitLv, those guys are so calculated. It is numbers, numbers, numbers, strategy, strategy, strategy. And I think we’re going to see him at the top. Go for it. And for them, the day so far has pretty much gone according to plan, right? Leo’s had to go to plan B because plan A didn’t work out so good halfway through the swim. So, I think that, you know, each athlete is in a very different position. those for whom the script has gone according to plan, those for whom the script hasn’t gone according to plan. And then there was that quick shot again of um Patrick Langa who’s gotten passed by another two athletes. So according to plan, not according to plan, according to plan, not according to plan, but for these three at the front, uh things going very very well. And I think they probably planned this as well. I just think that their their idea. I think they probably thought this is our our group. We would have probably had laid low and we may be matching him a little bit instead of us setting the tempo. Uh but they’re doing an exceptional job of of really just commanding the race and holding those speeds. Well, and rewinding back to the swim where we saw Riddle doing so much backstroke. I think he was I think he was looking for Sam laid low. I think that was the plan all along. Like, hey, let’s let’s do this and this is our plan together. And now they’re like, well, we don’t have laid low, but let’s go according to plan. Keep it going. Yeah. And that’s and there’s power to that as well. Over the years, we see various training partners like that where you have the apprentice, if you will, and the accomplished. So, we had Riddle training with Laidlo. They know one another. And when you’re Riddle, you think, well, I need that. I want that. I I know I can train with him, so I want to race with him. There’s just not just a comfort there, but there’s a a power. There’s a a a a will I say it again? I shouldn’t say qua that goes with it. I’m really sorry I said that. It’s just appropriate. But there is something that goes along with it when you train with these people that have done exactly the best. They’ve won the world championship. So back to the matter at hand. Great, great shot there, Dee of these three men out of the saddle rolling up the hill. That is beautiful. And you know, Michael, it’s a beautiful site for them because if you look at the map across the bottom, they are just about at the summit of the coldest air. And and that that probably feels pretty good. Probably little anything other than up for a while. But uh yeah, and it’s and it’s uh we have to look at it as well when you’re on these sustained climbs, these efforts that they’re obviously maintaining a solid power output, fueling is still extremely essential. The timing when you’re coming up these hills, you have to figure out and of course with the elevated heart rate or at least elevated off the the flats, you have a little bit more difficulty. the body is processing the fuel and the h, you know, the hydration, the fuel, everything a little bit more different, you know, differently when you have that effort up. So on a climb, it’s not the easiest time to consume fluids and fuel is what I’m trying to say. But without speculating, let’s rush over to Matt and see what he has. Matt Leedo, tell us what you’ve got. Okay, we are here with Gustaf Eden. And I don’t know who has a bigger smile on my face on his face is me or Gustav. Uh, I’m seeing Gustaf smile and that’s making me happy. He just said, uh, we’re doing good so far. Pretty good so far. He knows he can see now that group of three in front of him up the left side of this road on this switch back. So, he knows he’s in a group of four, group of three ahead about a minute and a half back and he looks comfortable. Again, the biggest thing that I noticed this week in talking to these athletes was Gustaf Eden. you know, last two years in pre-race interviews, I wanted to give him a warm hug because he looked sad because he wasn’t ready for the race. And uh two days ago, he said, “I’m ready to win, and I think I’m gonna.” And he looks as comfortable as I have seen him certainly since Kona uh when he was chasing down Sam Lelo at the end of the bike ride. Uh this athlete looks like he is ready to go again. Positive. You could just see that positive nature in his eyes and his comfort. Does not look again looking behind him to see how many we saw sparks of uh the Gustaf Eden of old at the start of the year at Oceanside where he had such an outstanding performance. didn’t have a great Iron Man Texas, uh, but then came back in Frankfurt and and really was showing some sparkle. And I think for for a guy, you know, in I I think it was fourth, uh, in Frankfurt, uh, that didn’t win the race, he looked as if he had, and you could see just the trajectory, uh, and certainly his body language during this race week. He brought out the lucky hat of old and and he just had a bit of, I’m going to say, swagger back. you know, he had a little bit of confidence, a little bit of pep in his step, uh, to have that self-belief again. And not that he had lost that self-belief, but when you know, physically you haven’t been able to do the work. Um, he had that terrible Achilles injury. He lost his mom. Um, it was a really tough couple of years, but for him to come back and be like, “Hey, I’m back.” And that is exciting. And I think a lot of people have really cheered for Gustaf Eaton. He’s a super likable guy. And of course the story of um the Norwegian, you know, training team together. It’s just a group you kind of want to cheer for and you’ll always like to see an athlete come back from difficulty and hardship. Yes, 100%. Yes. And here’s the thing with Eden, you’re correct. He was fourth in Frankfurt. Um there’s a difference still at some point between believing and then having that proof. You can only you believing you’re believing it sort of fumes fumes fumes. It starts to evaporate. So, you really need that solid tangible effort to or or accomplishment to say boom. Yep. Just like I thought, I can still do this. So, I think you’re spot on. And then just to close it out with something light regarding Eden, this is still the group Eden Bloomfeld. They were the guys that were ripping their shirts off and running up and down the streets in St. George a couple years ago watching the women race and they have that. So, you you do get behind them. You do enjoy that. Uh they’re they’re dominating. Sure, that’s cool to get behind, but they’re also doing it in a fun way. So, very cool. And as our leaders get to the top of the coldest air, we’re going to throw it down to our encourse team, Fraser Cartel and Craig Alexander. Guys, what are your thoughts? Thank you, Dee. Yeah, this race is is certainly hoting up, Fraser. We’ve uh we’ve been talking storylines all week. We’re getting to a crucial part in the race. They’re almost through the first third of the bike ride. So they’re almost to the top of the culdeac. And um I guess the big story so far, well there’s two big stories in my mind. Firstly, we’ve got our world championship rookies off the front. But as much as this is their first ever Iron Man World Championships, we’re talking about three very experienced athletes. I mean, if we look at Yona Shamorg, he had a podium earlier this year in Iron Man South Africa. He did have that malfunction, that mechanical in Iron Man Frankfurt, but then backed it up with a nice second place finish at Challenge Rod. And Martin Van Real is a guy who um you know has been to three Olympic games, has finished as high as fourth place at the Olympic Games, backed it up with a sixth place, well actually had the sixth place first um coming off a T100 World Series last year and he also rested Iron Man South Africa race. So these guys are not rookies in the sport. I I couldn’t agree more and this is we’re talking about swim bike run. Yeah, I know this is Iron Man and this is a long way and they’ve done little well some of them have done little certainly at this level but my word they know how to race a triathlon and that is very evident from what we’re seeing now as far as I’m aware and look between the three of them I mean you you said it there I mean how many Olympic games have they got they’ve all been to the Olympic games at least once you know we’ve got Martin three times and that’s just one aspect of the racing that they can call upon so they are not surprised by how to deal with changing um dynamics within a race and for example. So, it doesn’t surprise me that they’re coping so well with this. Yeah. And we just got a a little look at the other man in that group, Jamie Riddle, who’s looks to be using his experience from, you know, Iron Man South Africa and I man Kh cans earlier this year and he’s still up the front of the race and we’ve seen Jamie shape the races that he’s in. He’s such an aggressive racer, but he seems to be tempering it with a little bit more experience. And he’s been the guy, I think, who’s just sat at the back of that group. I mean, he’s gone to the front when it’s been his turn, but he looks really calm and composed and he’s certainly on a flyer. But I just want to give you your flowers because in the swim when a lot of people were reading Sam Lelo’s death rights, you said it’s it’s not over. And I guess the big story right now is the way he’s riding his way back to the front of this race. Yeah. I mean, to be fair, I think I said, “What if he still wins this race?” And I was kind of throwing it out there, but I’m glad I did cuz I can keep that in my back pocket. But um it’s incredible to see him and look part of that’s because I was lucky enough to watch him in our man Leads quite recently last um in um July. He just put on an absolute clinic that day against athletes that were very good athletes in their own right. He made them look like he made them look like mugs if I’m entirely honest. And if you can do that and we know what he’s done at, you know, Kona in here before. So his pedigree is not up for question. And it’s really fantastic to see. And I know we’re only 50 60k in, but everything we’re seeing so far points to him absolutely tearing this race apart. I’m absolutely intrigued with this chase group one on the road. We just talked about Sam Lelo, but we’ve also got Christian Blumenfelt, Gustaf Eden is in that group and we just saw Matt’s throw and Gustaf looks super comfortable. And we’ve also got a man that we haven’t spoken much about, but I think we’re getting to a part of the course that might suit him the best, Magnus Ditlev. Yeah. And you you mentioned to me a little bit before probably not been loving the course up until now because you know physics doesn’t lie and he is a good 20 kilos heavier than than some of these athletes. So you know obviously his power to weight numbers are off the charts. We all know that with the rides that he’s done in the past. So you know he’s just been sucking it up I guess. And you know I don’t I don’t doubt that he’s going to be quite happy to see the road flatten off a little bit. One man I want to ask you about is a man who was in that group uh Rudy von Berg. We we know his pedigree. We heard Michael talk about some of his best race victories and you know that race in Elenor at the 70.3 European Championships when he beat none other than the great Javier Gomez. So, but at the moment he seems to be 40 to 50 seconds off the back of that group. I I just want to get your insights and opinion on is this a plan move or do you think Rudy’s in a little bit of trouble at the moment? Yeah, it’s interesting Craig because um you’re spot on. is a very very talented rider and we’ve talked we’ve almost talked to death about the fact that Rudy knows this course better than anybody else. Yes, all the other athletes has come and spent time and invested time in training camps in the course and learning the course, but Rudy grew up here. I don’t care what anybody says, he knows this course better than anybody. So, I I am wondering if this is almost a tactical, you know what, he’s a bigger guy, too. Maybe he’s been, you know, of course he’ll be finding that pace difficult. Sam’s come through and really put the throttle on the guys. So I wonder if I hope and certainly my conversations with Rudy in race week sounds like everything’s been going great. He’s training well. So I think he’s left he’s let the group go to try and push on at the top. Well, we just got vision of our three leaders who are now on the plateau at the top of the maritime Alps and and this is Chase pack one getting to the top of the climb. And we also see Nick Thompson still tucked nicely into that group and he’s being very aggressive at the start of this race. I we’re so excited to see Nick in and amongst the um you know getting really in amongst it because you know I listened to a really interesting podcast that Matt did with him earlier in the week and he talked about you know if he could have his day of day top five would be an incredible life-changing event as he put it for him and the reason he’s talking about that is because he’s such a talented bike rider we saw he did at Kieran he came off the bike with remind me how many minutes lead you know a substantial lead so he knows this course suits him way better than say Kona will suit him he can do damage and we know that he can ride downhill like an absolute demon. Yeah, he’s absolutely in in great company and setting his day up nicely here. One more man I want to ask you about is our three-time champ and our defending champ Patrick Lunger. We got vision of him before. He seems to be sliding back through the field. He’s now with Camworth, Leon Chevelier, um Matthew Marquad, and they’re about 8 minutes down. What are you What are your thoughts on Patrick’s Day? Well, actually, unfortunately, he’s no longer with them at all. The last checker, he’s even lost more time to them. So, he he’s hemorrhaging time, unfortunately. Um, I’d love to say that it was salvageable, but we’re only at 50 60k and he’s already 9 and a half minutes down. I mean, let’s hope he can pull a really good run out of this, but in terms of competing, I think I think it’s safe to say he’s he’s not he’s not he’s not in the mix anymore. Okay, Michael and Dei, well, we’re getting up to what I think is the most crucial part of this race. They’re up on top of the Maritime Alps. And, you know, I’m going to throw back to you guys. Thank you so much, Craig. Thank you, Frasier. Great insight as expected and uh we love it. It’s great. I wish we were all sitting shoulder shoulderto-shoulder have a four-way conversation, but it’s fun to bounce back and forth. Um just so much uh knowledge packed into those two brains. So great stuff. As we come back to the man Martin Van Real, he gives a little wave through. He said, “How about you take a pull?” Um gets get some action up here up front. And I I think here’s the thing, Diddy. Craig’s totally right. This is where it gets serious. This is where that pack may or may not come up. This is where you’ve really got to get a little interesting here. 2 and 1/2 hours 237 into the race and it’s going to get a little bit toasty. Yeah, it is. And again, this is just an opportunity for uh some of the other athletes that have sort of been maybe a little patient through the climb. It’s a little wider section of road opportunity to perhaps uh make some make some moves along what the athletes refer to as the plateau section of this course. That’s right. And we we were talking about Eden and how much fun uh we’ve seen him have and how it’s just really easy to root for him and all of those accolades that he’s kind of stacking back up. But let’s not just talk about it. Let’s go to the video here that we got to share and catch up with Gustav himself. Have a look right now. Gustaf, good to see you. You’ve been with AG1 for a while now. What’s your personal experience been with it so far? One of the worst things of being an athlete is doing too many choices. You know, I do swim, bike, and run every day. And on the outside, it kind of looks like it’s the same thing day in day out, but for me, like I see the evolution every single training session and also throughout the season and stuff. So, to be able to have uh something that’s like there every single day with AG1 that I just know is um is good for me. It’s uh Yeah, I think that’s the the best part of it. Yeah. Yeah. And how do you normally fit it into your daily routine? When do you tend to take it? It’s basically the same at home. It’s definitely the same because then I have 6:40 wake up and then coffee, some bread and a one and then so um yeah, routine life, but I really really like it that way. Nice. And have you noticed any impacts on your performance or recovery? I’m really really getting back into it and I’m sitting here now really thinking that uh I can win this race. It’s no guarantees in triathlon and definitely not in Iron Man, but uh yeah, I have a really good feeling. And we’ve seen you and Christian and every athlete now sort of pushing the limits of nutrition and fueling during the race. Have you had to do anything specifically to prepare your gut and your body to be able to absorb that much carbohydrate? I think uh I’m quite lucky in that way that I very seldom have stomach issues. We are part of a a research group in Bergen now because the gut health we know is super important. I just know that my gut health was super good which is uh always a huge plus and um yeah I guess uh that could be partly because of uh AG1 and also just having a normal good diet. Well, back in Nice, six years on from your your first 70.3 world title. What are your goals for this weekend in the race? Um, I said for I think since a long time that this is going to be my comeback race and I had um like fourth place in Frankfurt was a good performance and a third in Oceanside was a good start of the year but then Christian had a flat and I was kind of like kind of fourth but then third. So yeah, I had some decent races this year, but after winning Kona and winning two semi.3 championships, then a fourth place isn’t that cool anymore. You know, you have to really win to make it uh uh 100% comeback. So that’s my ambition for this one. Yeah. Well, thanks so much, Gustaf. Great to chat and find out a bit more about your routine and what your goals for race are. I hope you have a great weekend. I’ll see you out there. Thank you. That came right from Gustaf Eden from Norway. What a champ. And it’s fun to see him sit down and chat about comeback races and the like. I mean, he’s just uh such a guy that is, as we said, um you know, hard not to root for. And so, uh good good to see. as we come back and watch Sam Lelo on camera just still drilling it and uh looking pretty good. That gap now to the lead group just a minute 12 uh driven largely by the efforts of Sam Lelo and of course now we are up top of what the athletes refer to as the plateau of the course. Of course, after the coldair, uh this section of the course, Coell, I may be pronouncing that incorrectly. Uh this plateau is 1400 meters above, uh sea level. Uh it’s a great uh location for astronomical observation. It’s known for uh the the bright bright skies uh above the mountains tops there. Uh and um yeah, so the athletes getting an opportunity uh maybe not Patrick Langa because he’s not quite there yet, but getting the opportunity to use the big gear and a lot of the athletes I expect are going to see make some pretty significant moves across this section of the course. And we had a good look earlier before we jumped on on the spot here with Patrick Longo. We did see Casper Storz uh who’s currently in fifth place. Got a nice look at him on the bike. He looked very strong and I think it’s just a nice tight group here. De if you look at fourth place on the road Sam Lello 112 back at the last time check 114 for Storess Blumenfeld 118 Gustaf Eden 120 and then the Aussie Nick Thompson there 121 back did DL just kind of hanging 128 back but fourth through ninth I think they’re just gradually moving up and we’re at this spot where we’re not even gosh we’re 37 38 miles into this race. Uh there’s there’s I still think going to be some lead changes and some uh Oh, definitely. Yeah. Coming together here pretty soon as you look. And this better be a pass pretty quick cuz uh as you can see right there uh that you’re not allowed to stay that close to one another for uh for too terribly long there. Yeah, there is a moto right there too. We’ve obviously got Race Ranger. Um that looked to be a little bit close there. Uh but again with Race Ranger on board, we know everyone uh is in a fair fight up here for sure. And we will want to see exactly what happens with this three if they can keep themselves away from that chase group or if they’ll get swallowed up. We’ll find out very soon. What do you want? Uh you know what’s that uh really good non-alcoholic beer I keep hearing about? Do you have that really great non-alcoholic beer that I keep seeing? Do you have a non-alcoholic beer that actually actually tastes good? It’s athletic. You’re holding it. You mean athletic? You’re looking at it. I think you mean athletic. [Music] It’s not funny. Ask for it. This is where baby [Music] [Music] enjoy. Endurance isn’t just about medals. It’s about showing up, even when your brain says go and your body says no. Showing up means taking care of yourself, skin, and all. Because when you train hard, your skin works hard, too. That’s where Bulldog comes in with products packed with brilliant natural origin ingredients that help prepare, protect, and recover your skin. No fuss, no nonsense. Bulldog skincare is man’s best friend. Official men’s care products of Iron Man Europe. [Music] And DD here at the Iron Man World Championship, these seconds that you have to fight for are really difficult. And right now, these three men are still up front holding on to that lead. And I will say, yes, they’re losing it to some talent down the mountain from them, but they are doing a great job working, I’d say, also in tandem or in in what would be the word for three, a tandem three. I I don’t I can’t I don’t have the vocabulary for that, but working in in trio. Either way, when you look at this group, they’ve not been stuck in the same order. You’ve seen them waving one another through. You’ve seen them across those pulls, if you will, at the front, but really a nice little balanced approach there as we bounce back to the chase pack. Yeah, there’s the chase back there. And it’s Casper Storis at the front with Nick Thompson, Sam Ladel, uh Christian Blumenfeld, and Gustaf Eden. So, uh and Magnus Ditlev still hanging just that couple of seconds off the back of that group. Uh but they are now just over a minute back and you know that here’s three 3 kilometers. They took five or 8 seconds. They’re not taking massive time. Uh but that’s the way it’s been all along. It’s just just nip and tuck. Nip and tuck. Just gradually uh pulling back time and and I think that again on the downhills, your guess is as good as mine. I feel like they’re going to really take back the time on those power sections, those longer sections of the uh the plateau, if you will, or that top part. And you can see it coming. Let’s just say when they’re at 81 kilometers or approaching that 81k and beyond before the first big descent, that’s where some I think some damage can be done. Well, and it’s hard to look at this group and and it’s hours from now and it’s a it’s a ridiculous statement that I probably shouldn’t be making, but it’s hard to imagine that our podium isn’t amongst this group in the top 10 right here. just given the talent and the power and the ability of that group. But in my head is the question, how much damage did Sam Lelo do to himself to bridge back up to this group and do a lot of the um I was going to say the chasing up a majority of the climb. I mean, this is the first time we’ve seen him sort of in the mix of that group as opposed to at the front of that group. Uh and what’s that going to do to him? But when you look at a lot of our pre-race favorites, Laidlo, Blumenfeld, Gustaf Eden, Magnus Ditlev, all in that group, notably Rudy von Berg, uh absent from that group. Uh he was a little bit further back, but now that time gap to Rudy von Bberg has opened up pretty considerably as well. It it has and I think he’s the one name that I’d pull outside of the top 10 that could make that top five or top three. It’s still based on the descent or based on the run b based on I think based on the second half of the bike, the descent and and his sort of savvy race approach and then also you you put a he we know he can run well off a hard bike and so I think that that but he’s the only one and all of that I still believe that the top nine right now has our podium to what you said 100% because which is this crazy thing to say because it’s still so early and so much can happen. But I just look at those names and I’m like, “Yeah, our podium’s got to be there, right?” Because who but because who of that group, if five of them blow up, which one blows that badly that they go beyond? So, I think it’s really a safe bet. Um, this is Iron Man. And if the bets that were safe were always, you know, something you took to the bank, well, that’d be a different story. Wouldn’t be interested in this event. But stuff happens. It always happens late here. Late half of the bike, late of the run. So, a lot of that is upcoming. And just as you said that, there is Rudy Vonberg. He is with Antonio Bonito Lopez, who by the way, another guy who, you know, can run. Uh, Antonio Bonito Lopez sitting in 10th place at 355 back with Rudy Vonber. It’s the two of them together. Uh, they appear to be solo in 10th and 11th place. Yeah, there you go. And and and they’re good. And they’re, you know, they’re they’re probably not coming into this with a lot of familiarity about them. You know, uh they don’t race together. They don’t know each other’s strengths as well on course on paper certainly they’ve seen it. Um but but nonetheless when you’re in a race like this and you’re just kind of looking around trying to get all those elements of motivation wherever you can. I mean you take what you can get as we zip right on back up here uh to to Jamie Riddle at the front and he’s just cornering like a beast. Really I think back to Fraser’s point these guys have triathlon experience in spades. uh they’ve raced at the highest of levels for a long time and so they’re at they’re completely at home right now in this event as we watch this the chase pack uh rolling through and what a bunch of firepower that we have in here will get to roll through as Ditlev at the back of this on camera now number two Magnus Ditlev representing Denmark I mean so smooth and you have to you have to bet he’s just still got a whole lot in the tank he’s just holding back well and that’s the thing is did Magnus Ditlev learn the lessons of a year ago where he was the one that was working so hard to chase down Sam Lello and went through a real rough patch at the end of the bike and the beginning of the run. We saw the resurrection and he he landed on the podium. Is he executing a more patient race? And cheers. Cheers. Cheers to Gustaf Eden who is back in the mix and looking good and in a position uh to be on the podium once again. For sure. Cheers. Absolutely. You’re spot on and uh it’s really just a it’s a it’s a great group. I I’d love to see and I know this is sort of the rules of the road, but to see our camera roll through that group and see everyone. We’ve seen we’ve seen bits and pieces of them all. I’d like to see a little more Casper Storz. I’d like to see a more Blumenfeld and uh just see how they look. And it’d be great to get a couple of shots of that Grimace that that Leetta was talking about with Sam Laidlo. I tell you what, that would be uh that’ll be fun to see when we finally get them on camera. And again, a fighting chance presented by Hoka is our race week series that pulls back the curtain and gives you a behind thescenes look at the everyday lives of elite triathletes around the world. In this episode, we take a look at the Norwegian trio in a fighting chance by Hoka like a bang. No, it it’s not the no fart. We had a runway driver who said like it’s not the fart that kills, it’s the smell. Fart is speed. Oh, really? Bang. [ __ ] speed. No, arriving in style. Hey. Hello, guys. All right, we’re now in Nice at the Venice uh Atlantics track. I don’t know what it’s called here, but uh yeah, at the track 10 days out from the race and we’re going to do uh threshold set 10 and 14 times 1k. So yeah, pretty simple set. Not pushing the pace today. So, Casper Goose, have you done this the 70.3 course? 2019, right? No, 2019. The world champ, but he just didn’t finish on the podium, so no one remembers. So, that’s why no one remembers. You think that’s going to give you an advantage on race day? I think it’s more an advantage that we’ve been here five weeks in the winter and now almost two weeks here. So, uh it gives you a little bit confidence when you know you have been performing before. Yeah. Okay. two and the question, will we see three videos on the podium on Sunday? I wouldn’t be surprised. So, uh, yeah, it’s a it’s a long day. A lot can happen, but I think we’re all well prepared. The, um, we’re looking at the stats. The Norwegians are all with a podium. Third third in the uh, countries represented. Oh, yeah. Five Norwegians. Yeah. Yeah, and even we got the Mar Brexit qualified for next year’s corner. So, we might even be six guys there. So, that’s pretty cool. Casper, what do you think it’s going to take to be up there on Sunday? I feel comfortable or confident that I can run 230 or faster. So, uh yeah, in the start I will probably just be smart and then try to run fast in the end. But it’s it’s always uh something you say that you got to be smart in the start and run fast in the end, but everyone runs slow in the end. So it’s more about who who wants it the most over time takes in the end I think okay then the job is done boys 10 days to go now we can’t get any quicker slower we can only do too much all right boys it was nice meeting up with you thank you See you in the post race interview hopefully. Bye bye. [Music] Well, thank you team Norway and thank you Hoka for a fighting chance. For more watch AFC episodes on Instagram at Ironman Try and full AFC episodes at proseries.ironman.com. Great to see the camaraderie there amongst team Norway. A lot has been said and we haven’t commented on it yet. Uh but I know pre-race there was a lot of banter about Christian Blumenfeld and how much he has trimmed down um in preparation for this race. Certainly the climbing uh certainly in appeal. He is a guy who he’s not the smallest athlete out there uh but it’s always been his strength. Uh, and a lot of people commenting, gosh, why did he lose so much weight going into this race? But right now playing into his hands pretty nicely. Well, you know, there’s there’s the power toe ratio, right? So, you you know, you keep the power up. If the weight comes down, it’s going to be faster. And if if both drop a little bit, I mean, his ratio is still above most of them. Yeah. Uh, he he’s got a massive engine and so hopefully that works out. But I’m not sure exactly how that came about, if it’s muscle mass or what was uh trimmed up. But ultimately, he does look great. I do feel like he said something really smart there at the end. 10 days out, hey, can’t get any faster. Uh we can only slow down if we keep going. And and that’s that’s so true and so difficult for these thoroughbreds to uh to really live and breathe is that recognition that you’re there and uh don’t not, you know, not crossing that line, not going too far. So, heavy, light, perfect. Whatever the weight is, it’s really, I think, the amount of rest that you get in, the appropriate amount of rest that really counts. So, here we are though, that that lead trio. Now, this is our chase pack. This amazing chase pack really trying to gun it up the road uh to catch up to the likes of that leading trio that has been away for so long. And then we’re back here. There’s Storz right there. Um, just looking great. We haven’t had a whole ton of shots of him. Uh, but this is nice. The aerodynamic position is is really good. You can see him tucked in there just so perfectly with the helmet and the the the you know the shoulder crouch. Just looks really nice as he powers down the road. A part of this chase group that’s I’m not going to say desperate, but anxious to get to the front. There’s Sam Lelo right in front of him. Also very dynam aerodynamic and just probably not in that hurt pain cave he was earlier and more settled. I I’m glad to see Lelo letting somebody else take a turn at the front just to now just give himself a breather, right? You’re back in the race. Let’s restrategize like wipe the slate clean from where you were and it’s Blumenfeld at the front driving the pace here. So, how about that? I mean, there you go. Yeah, he so smooth and and again now you’ve got you’ve Blumenfeld laid low. Neither one probably predicted that at this point. I think the language we were seeing from Blumenfeld before was how much are they going to hurt themselves on the on the bike so that when I clean up on the run, but now they’re together. Very interesting. Yeah. Uh changes the psychological component of the of the race and then you look back and behind you’ve still got Eden and you’ve still got um uh Casper Storz who I think is really again when you talked about Rudy Vanberg being so underrated. I think Storis is one of these that we’re just ripe to see this guy explode and pull out like he said a 230 u even if it’s a 230 just a bit over that guy has done it. He was the first Norwegian I saw in the long course scene to come in and just crush it in uh in one of our Iron Man 70.3s. And then there’s Ditv just like you said the silent assassin. Yeah, I he’s just been really patient uh which I like to see again. And I think he learned a lesson uh a year ago when things got really dark for him for a period of time. He was able to claw his way back um to the best performance he’s had at a world championship event and and rightly so. I mean, he’s an incredibly talented athlete uh who one day, I’m going to say I’m just going to say it, we will see stand at top the podium. Um will today be the day. He’s scripting it just a little bit different and that’s great. I think another uh attribute that all great champions and certainly Iron Man champions have to possess is that adaptability and and doing it differently. Um being able to win from different positions. I think certainly there’s a nature that you have that you take to a race, be it a lead from the front or a chase from behind or or whatever your strength and your comfort zone is. Uh, but I really do believe that most of these truly elite and highlevel champions, they can they can do it any way. You you throw something at them, you change something up, they can deliver. And I I think that’s something that is not possessed by everyone in this field. And what I love to see, we’ve had such a dynamic race, but this group at the front, you mentioned how well they’re working, the three of them are working together. What I’ve noticed in particular is race ranger, right? All of these athletes have the race ranger attached to the bikes with the color indications. Uh, blue you’re good, orange you’re good, red you’re bad. Um, telling these guys, allowing them to police themselves out on the course. Also helping race officials when there’s a large pack like when we had that chase pack that was 12 big. Uh, helping them to see the color coordination as well. And we are seeing a lot of really really fair racing out there and athletes uh really taking advantage of this new technology and I think it’s fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. What a bit of technology. And I think this is something that I’ve observed for years when you watch the professional men’s you’re not going to call it a pelon because it’s it’s a it’s a you know draft illegal race. But what’s super cool is that these athletes have always, I think, done a pretty good job policing themselves and one another, that doesn’t mean that limits don’t get pushed and and penalties aren’t handed out. But what’s super cool is with that race ranger and with people really not being afraid to yell at one another if they’re doing something wrong, I think it’s a brilliant combination of technology and accountability. This is Christian Blumenfeld charging to the front. Will he catch that lead trio? We will find out. Please stay with us. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. N. [Music] You know, and we know the thing about challenging yourself is you’re always looking for what’s next. [Music] It’s the beauty of Oman. Our tradition, our hospitality, the sounds of limitless opportunities to explore. Listen, it’s Oman. And we are back here DD at the Iron Man World Championship. And we are watching a little bit more of the same action. This the Aussie Nick Thompson. Uh really an assertive and aggressive racer. Not just the guy with probably the sweetest stash you’ll ever see. this guy really impressive because he’s in the mix with all these European athletes that we’ve talked about that have come in with sort of high hopes and high sort of success predictability. Nick Thompson just really mixing it up well and just not getting dropped. No, not at all. And and whether or not it pans out for him and it may well by the end of the day gaining valuable experience uh for what’s to come for Nick Thompson. And a quick update just from the commentary booth we’re hearing down on the course uh for fans of Kieran Linders. We don’t know the circumstances for which he has pulled, but Kieran Linders has withdrawn from the race, no longer competing here at the Iron Man World Championship. So, um, best of luck to him. Sorry to see him not have the day uh for whatever reason. And uh if we get any other updates as to the reason, uh we certainly will let you know. But to let you know, Kieran Linder’s uh no longer competing in the Iron Man World Championship. shame to see he was uh he was an athlete that yeah we had a lot of uh high hopes for and was perform seemed to be doing well but uh we’ll find out more on that later as we come back here that’s Nick Thompson at get the back and then you’ve got this next athlete Magnus Ditle of course this that chase group next in line as we roll through I’m sorry that’s Sam Lello so my mistake um seated there pushing a nice solid little bit lower cadence on this climb staying seated but up out of the arrow cars. Um, and then you know naturally we are um interested I am anyway in in which athlete has which style seated standing cadence high cadence low u but DD this is this is Sam Lulo uh and of course Michael this bike course here in Nice offers pure Riviera drama perched villages cliffs that drop down to the sea and panoramic views that remind us why this region is a cycling mecca. Let’s hear what some of the top pros competing here today had to say about this epic course. It has everything you need in the perfect bike course, let’s say. You know, it’s not overly on one side of anything. It’s not, you know, an a super mountainous mountain pass only climbing and downhill. It just has the perfect mix of everything. uh flats, downhills, technical, steeper ups, steady, longer uphills, um and still quite a bit of time traveling as normal Iron Man triathlon. So, it’s uh yeah, just a perfect mix. And then also just being kind of on the Mediterranean and then going up in the foothills, it’s just really pretty. You have these areas where there’s just amazing views and yeah, so it’s just the perfect course. people tend to focus on this course. H it’s just uh the first part and in the long climb but I remember from 23 that after doing that long climb and having to TT for 60 kilometers after that was actually the and also a small hill actually at 120ks that was the the toughest part and also that’s where Sam made up the most time in 23 was on like the plateau part. So that’s something I think is going to be valuable about pacing on Sunday. I I actually quickly forget and need to remind myself that my So when I came second in Kona and when I won in Nice, I was still with someone at half at the halfway point on on on the bike. So at the turnaround uh when I came second, there was still I was still with the Norwegians and with Magnus um and Clear was with me and Nice last time. So um I really think my strength is the second half of the bike. You know what I really love about that is that he sort of says, “Yeah, I was thinking back. I was actually really surprised someone was actually with me for at the halfway point.” Uh, so that just speaks to his dominance on the bike and his way of winning and now totally different. So, not only is there someone with him, he has seven, eight other riders with him and he has three riders up the road. And so this is kind of not kind of this is straight unique territory for this uh Sam Lelo to be racing. And I think it’s kind of cool because he’s also a great runner. So let’s not forget that if he’s uh you know pushing an adequate you know power output now in his middle miles he could have a best run. Well and let’s not let’s not forget I mean Sam Lelo when he won this race two years ago was the youngest Iron Man world champion ever. He’s got a long future ahead of him. And I think when a race like this doesn’t go according to plan, it’s offscript. It’s a new race opportunity for him. That experience is only going to help him if it always goes the way he’s expecting it to. If he’s always the guy that swims really hard and then bikes his brains out and tries to hold on for the run, okay, great. But you’re not that you’re a one you’re still world champion, but you’re kind of a one-trick pony. And I think this is stretching his abilities and capabilities as an athlete. And this experience offscript, we’ll call it, is is going to help him again in future races. And we don’t even it still may turn out exactly the way he planned, just a different a different route to the same destination. Yes. Well said, Dee. Well said. Uh and let’s not forget that he did run 237 in Roth. He has run he did run 241 when he won this race two years ago. Uh I I love it. Great points as we watch our lead trio roll through an aid station and really do their best to grab the fluids that they need, the fuel that they need. Very important. We saw some misses there uh as as you watch these these characters run through Van Real um there at the back of that group. Looked like he did the best at grabbing. But it’s an important part. you you you have you can’t slow down dramatically, but you have to make sure that you’re at an appropriate speed uh to be able to grab those bottles or you run the risk of not getting it. And if that is a big part of your plan, could be trouble. Uh oh. Wow. Wow. With our lead group and now Chase Group through 81.2 kilometers, that lead was down to just over a minute. It has ballooned back to 156. Yeah. Uh so tough to tell here if this lead group has sort of reignited itself or if the chase group has stalled a little bit. Great point. They’ve lost 50 seconds. Uh we’ll say in 8 miles. So it’s it’s enough. It’s a notable. They’re no longer about to swallow them up. They’re they’re really kind of turning what I said around backwards saying in this spot they will catch them. They still have notable parts of this entire sort of plateau area. Uh but I also Yeah, I do find that fascinating. There goes Van Real. A great shot of him rolling through uh to take the lead. And and Diddy, I think you’re right. I think they’ve reignited. I don’t think that that chase pack has slowed by any stretch, but I think this group of three men has really reignited their fury. They’re they’re going for it. I think this is the cool part is these are the three Iron Man world champ rookies. So watch them go. And again this lead group approaching uh at 90 kilometers Vald Duro. Uh this is a small village in a really usually peaceful setting. Going to be a little bit of a different experience uh there today. They host lots of uh local festivals, farmers market, sort of your quintessential uh French mountain village here at Valdo. Yeah. And still visible there is the chapel from the 13th century. Classified historical monument. Um it’s overlooked by the Cheron Bars and overlooking the Valet Doop. So rich and impressive waterfalls too. DD and tunnels and narrow gorgees, hiking canyons, all kinds of paragliding, camping. It’s just an adventure paradise winter and summer sports. So, good mention there. Great spot that they uh they’re rolling through. About 400 to 500 inhabitants. Uh I imagine all of them might be out manning that aid station today to make sure things get done. That’s right. I might have been given a few stats too down the road, but nonetheless, wow. Here, look at this move. Nick Thompson rolling past Christian Blumenfeld. We talked about how he was not one to just sit in. He’s really taking the bull by the horns here. And the uh the Aussie just looks great. He talked about how excited he was this morning when he woke up and his friends from Australia were here to to watch him race and he gave him a little a little kick in the pants in a good way. So there he goes. Good friends, by the way. Let’s just let’s just mention that cuz not only did they travel all the way over, but they surprised. And it’s hard to keep a surprise cuz you’re so excited. All you want to do is tell you know tell your buddies that you’re coming. But yes, super cool to have that. And then this is your chase pack. You just saw it. Maybe that answers a bit of our question as well. If Nick Thompson is now at the front pushing, maybe he felt like, “Guys, we’re getting splits back. We lost time. What are we doing? Let’s go.” Yeah. Like assuming they’re getting slits back. I mean, that’s the one tough thing about this course is that you’re not getting that much information, right? Some of these villages pretty remote, tough to get to for support crews, etc., etc. Not a lot of roads, not a lot of interstates to bring you uh out to this section of the course. So, uh, they may not through this section be getting a ton of feedback. Um, but yeah, I mean, something certainly has lit a fire under Nick Thompson, um, and trying to re-engage that group perhaps. That’s right. That’s right. And then also back here as we’re sitting behind Alex Riddle and the, uh, leading duo right in front of him. Nice little section showing you that we keep calling it a plateau, but every time we say that it seems like they’re going uphill. Uh, so so much. And I think even when you listen to Magnus speak about this race and how he indicated two years ago where Lelo got away, this section has, as you could see, a couple of tough little climbs still coming. Uh, but on this plateau, plenty of up and down. So really some great racing still in store for us for us here on the Zoot Bike Course. I think these guys stay away. What do you think, Dee? Let’s find out in a minute. Welcome to the world’s best airline, where your journey is five-star, and so is your Wi-Fi. Experience the fastest connection in the sky with Starlink. And best of all, it’s free for all passengers. So why settle for less when you deserve the best? [Music] We’re not here to sell you on this life. You already chose it. No shortcuts, no hype, just work. Same as you. Built to outlast, endure. 40 years in and we’re just getting warmed up. Welcome to the Ohana. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] The Iron Man World Championship is brought to you by AG1. Better finishes start with AG1. And by Oman. Beauty has an address. Endurance has a destination. Experience Oman. And that, my friends, is Alex or sorry, Jamie Riddle off the course but back on immediately around that bin. You saw him fly off course and immediately get back on. So you see someone that um needs to sort of overcorrect, goes flying off course, loses, and then is that fast to get back. He had to put a huge effort in, but already now seeing that twice. I still can’t quite believe how quickly he was able to get off course and come back on. But folks, I can’t even tell he goes he’s uh giving you a little display of relief. Um but right now what I want to do is I want to run right over to Fraser and Craig. Craig Alexander Fraser Cartail, you guys have a great perspective and I can’t wait to hear it. Please tell me what you thought about that near miss and everything else that’s going on. Hey Michael. Yes, the eb and flow of this race continues. What crazy acrobatics by Jamie Riddle there. exiting stage right but getting back on course and making up the deficit to the leaders and that is the nature of this course. We we heard in Rudy Vonberg’s sound bite that this bike course actually tests all skills of a cyclist not only your heart and lung cardiovascular fitness but your your climbing your technical skills. So all of these athletes are being tested on all fronts on this bike course. Fraser. Absolutely. Um but um you know he’s just he’s overcooked a corner, right? I mean it’s as simple as that. But he’s obviously known it’s happening because if he hadn’t known it was happening, there’s no way he’d have been getting back on the guys so quickly. So that’s a bit of foresight, I suppose, and some bike handling skills, too. No doubt. Um but you know, the most incredible thing is I think now we were getting really excited last time check and the guys closing. It’s like, oh, how much how much time is it going to take for them all to come together? Next time check, bang, we’re a minute back out again. So they’re now two minutes, a further minute rather, should I say. So these three at the front are really riding fast. Yeah, the race dynamic is it’s so interesting because I guess there was a lot of talk that once we got up into the middle middle third of this bike course that the dynamics might change. It might favor the chase group, but that hasn’t been the case. And um it was just so funny watching Jamie get back on course and give a little sigh of relief to the cameraman. I know his dad Alex in town and watching at a bar somewhere. So, no doubt he’s uh he sweated a few bullets there, but yeah, it’s all good for this this front three as we now get pitches back to Nick Thompson, who I think phrase has been kind of the or one of the stories of the first half of this bike course. It’s it’s absolutely brilliant to see and we’re absolutely here for it. He um you know he did a really really interesting um podcast interview with with Matt earlier in the week and he talked about and I know alluded to this earlier in the in the broadcast but he alluded to this being a gamechanging life-changing rather um opportunity for him because of the technical aspect of the course and obviously Kona doesn’t provide that same opportunity to really utilize his strength and this is what we’re seeing and here he is putting himself on the front foot getting to the front of that group and just you know using using all those um strengths that he has as an Aussie Tri fan. I’m super excited by Nick Thompson’s progression the last couple of years in this sport. I think he’s a superstar in waiting. He’s already getting on podiums at big races. He’s getting himself to the pointy end of world championship events. And we heard Michael talk about his friends who had made the tre out. We know Aussies don’t mind to travel. And he’s got a huge support network back home in Perth, Western Australia. um you know the augging squad his training group and they’re a very vocal and very supportive group and every athlete needs that level of support and and Nick’s experiencing that now and yeah I’m just completely impressed by this front three I think they’ve and I it’s probably obvious to say but they’ve given this more than just a little thought about how not only the swim like everyone’s been talking and and we were talking about it in the press conference about you know what’s this power group in the swim going to do are they going to try and shake things up are they going to turn the race on its early, but you know, once you get out of the swim and hit dry land, you’ve still got 180 km and and a full marathon to do. And the composure and the pacing so far and and you alluded to it before. This this gap’s gone out another 50 seconds and these guys look pretty comfortable. Yeah, absolutely. And it’s not just the damage that they’re inflicting is not just to the chase group. It’s rippling right back through this entire race. So Rudy Vonberg, for example, who we kept talking about because he knows these roads so well and he’s an incredible bike rider in his own right. third in Kona last year, fourth here in Nice before that. He’s now lost another minute. So he with Antonio Bonito Lopez, they’re now nearly five minutes behind, but still the same time gap to Christian Gustav and the guys in front of him. So they’re still 10th and 11th on the road. They’re they’re they’re just losing time. Yeah, intriguing storylines unfolding here. I mean, we did see Antonio Bonito Lopez get a second at the Iron Man North American Champs in Texas, a race that Rudy was was also at and finished third. So those two know each other’s strengths and I think they’ll take some comfort in in being together on the road and not losing time to that first chase group. But yeah, the damage being inflicted down through the rest of the field is just incredible. We’ve got Cam Worth just over 9 minutes back and I mean he’s recognized as one of the best, if not the best cyclist in our sport. Um Leon Chevelier, a man who was one of the pre-race favorites and rightly so. was coming off a fourth place finish in Kona last year at the Iron Man World Championships and a fifth place here two years ago. He’s even further back with Sam Long at just over 10 minutes. So, you’re right. This this pace at the front is relentless. It’s unrelenting and it’s having a ripple effect right throughout our men’s professional field. But I think what’s really interesting is we are only just over 80 km into this bike ride, which these time gaps are really starting to blow my mind because these riders are all these athletes rather are all exceptional riders and athletes. This is the World Championships. Um, and that’s why I’m not actually, yes, of course, those are huge numbers, but Cam, Sam, Leon, they’ll all keep pushing. They’ll all keep working hard. They’ll all back, they can all backend a bike ride. They know how to work hard. So, I don’t doubt that they might still start losing time, but they’ll keep creeping. Other riders will fall apart. So, and they can all run, too. So, you know, okay, they’re not having the day they might want, but they’re still going to be within this race, I reckon. Yeah, absolutely. No doubt. And a defending champion, Patrick Lunger from Germany. He’s he’s with Daniel Bakagar on the road 12 minutes down. So still some work to do for Patrick. Um and we’re seeing visions now of Christian Blumenfeld taking some time on the front of you know this first chase pack on the road. And I’ve loved the race ranger technology. You know coming coming up the climb we saw you know a lot of orange light which means the athletes are at 14 to 7 17 m and also no light at all. So the athletes keeping it clean out there. Um, also, yeah, it’s just really good to see and great technology coming into our sport, but I think it’s great for us and for the viewers at home to have that visual reference as well. Oh, 100%. And these amazing helicopter shots that we’re getting and the way the light was working, there was a, you know, just sort of 10 15 minutes ago on the And there we go. Now, we’re seeing an incredible helicopter shot. That’s a bit too far away to see the lights on the tracker, but earlier on we could really clearly see, well, actually the lack of lights because none of them were within 17 meters of each other. So that to me speaks volumes that these guys are out there, they’re racing hard, but they’re racing really fair. Yeah, absolutely. Racing fair as we get another visual of Gustaf Eden who Yeah, he’s just really in a great position in this race. We, you and I had the, you know, the good fortune to be out on a boat in the swim and he looked like he was drifting back um from the other contenders, but great T1, great early part of this bike ride. He’s got himself into this selection on the road and he looks comfortable. He does and I agree. We were a little bit concerned because obviously in in the in the in the structure of that swim this morning, he was definitely towards the back and nobody really wants to be at the back. You don’t want to look behind and see that there’s nobody else behind you. But, you know, he stuck in there. He had, as you say, really smooth, efficient T1. And, um, look, everything he said before this race, he brought out his lucky cap. He’s, you know, I know we can joke about it, but he obviously knows he’s in shape. So, you know, all three of them are in shape, the Norwegian, so they can still um impact this race tremendously. Oh, all three of them are in shape. And all three of them are in A1 position. A lot of the pre-race favorites, including the Norwegians, as you mentioned, taking their place in this chase pack number one on the road. And you know, we’re getting some great pictures here, but I want to I want to ask you to look into the future. I mean, what how do you see the last 80 kilometers? I mean, we know we have that big descent coming back down into Nice and, you know, we’re still a little bit away from the marathon, but how do you see this the rest of this bike course playing out? Well, I think what’s interesting is, and lots of the athletes have talked about the training camps that they’ve had here, and the Norwegians, they’ve spent the winter here, let’s not forget. So, they’ve ridden this course in all conditions. Now obviously you know it’s never particularly bad down here in the south of France but you know they’ve they’ve trained on this this course enough that you know it won’t be a Rudy vonberg you know it’s my home type level but they very much know this course so I’m sure that play and the fact that they’re seeing all three of them together that’s just going to of course it’s going to make them feel good cuz like yeah cool it’s working we thought this could happen we we thought we were in shape and here we go. Yeah as we see them get a visual the leaders our three leaders seeing the chase pack coming into the little out and back section. So that’s probably the first or the closest visual they’ve had on each other. But yeah, no, I agree. I think the three Norwegians being together, Christian, Gustaf, and Casper will give them great comfort. But I’m just I mean really enjoying the we keep saying our Iron Man World Championship rookies. They’re far from rookies. These three young guys, Yona Shamberg, Jamie Jamie Riddle, and Martin Van Real, but they are taking this race up the road and making our more fancied probably early pre-race favorites chase. I mean, if we’re going to start having the crystal ball stuff and looking towards the future, I mean, a lot of talk about the fact that Martin had got injured. He was very honest about it. He talked about in his own social medias. Um, but he’s also um referenced the fact that he’s been perfectly fine for the last month. He’s had a good block of running. He’s probably run reasonable amounts each week and look, he’s got huge volume behind him. His base is enormous. Let’s not forget what he did at the start of the year with a double when he went to Arman South Africa. The week later he was in Singapore racing again, you know. So, he is an incredibly talented athlete. So I don’t doubt that he’s got look the longer they’re out there in the front the longer their conf the more their confidence grows right. Yeah great great points and great insights Michael and Deei I think the the long and the short of it from us at the moment is that all the main players are still in contention and this race is shaping up beautifully. So back to you guys. Thank you so much Craig. Thank you Fraser. Great insight and we are uh taking that all to the bank while we sit here and for me anyway anxiously await to see this next split because we saw it go 50 seconds wider. We want to see if it closes or grows. I mean asking ye shall receive. Sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh sh share it with me. Dee uh it’s still hovering around two minutes. So, uh, it shrunk down to just over a minute, uh, then blew up back over to just over 2 minutes and still sits at just over 2 minutes. So, that is at uh 94.6 kilometers or 58.8 miles. This section of the course again uh the town of Valdder uh that is located in the upper the loop valley uh surrounded by wooded hills and large fields. You can see it’s a spectacularly gorgeous section of the course. Uh nestled against a beautiful rocky cliff and sheltered uh at the end by lush valley along the Lain River. Um peaceful. It’s a great living environment. Dynamic the community life. Uh there’s 4 to 500 inhabitants uh here famous for its gorgeous uh hiking trails through the forest and of course the Shandandy Plateau, the plains along the banks of the lane as well as a great area for some mountain biking. That’s right. And in the winter crossount skiing, you’ve got it all really right up in there. Beautiful. You’ve also got uh Valentine Lake. You’ve got festivals, farmers markets. It’s just an awesome little spot. So much in that small rural village. Real peaceful, real natural, but a great spot. And you can see, look at that history right there. 1790. And of course, uh, actually that is the uh the communal wash house. I love that. I was going to say that is so cool. And look, you know, it’s Hey everybody, bath time. Yeah. A little different these days perhaps, but uh but pretty cool. And it’s low. You know, this is a fun stat. We don’t have this stat thrown around much, but the low density about 17 inhabitants per square kilometer. So, just kind of put that in and understand it, but it is an just a beautiful peaceful and authentic place. Um, and you can see kind of all of these great shots there on the left as these athletes on the right roll through. Um, but you can look at also St. Leon Chapel. We’ve also got, as you said, that that wash house and h just great stuff. as we come back to these race leaders. Dee, wow, I’m still kind of like breathing a sigh of relief myself along with uh everyone that uh it didn’t end worse there for Jamie Riddle way back in the in uh that technical spot. We have more technical spots coming up ahead, DeeI. Uh we sure do. Uh this is one of the less technical spots here. Uh this long straightaway there where our athletes got a look uh leaders versus chasers there. And again, uh, also of note, uh, Antonio Bonito Lopez and Rudy von Berg, uh, still paired up, uh, as allies for now in 10th and 11th place, but the deficit now they’re 511 back from the lead and about three minutes behind the first chase group. So, uh, the two of them losing time, uh, unfortunately to the first chase group, not able to make much inway there, but still, uh, locked in battle together. At least they at least they have each other. They do. As we come back here to Magnus Dv here, pushing along nicely in a section that he said he was going to try and really push it and really make up time. But just a reminder, it feels like we’ve been going for a long time. 3 hours 30 minutes will indicate uh a little bit of that. But I have to remind everyone the last time Jack 94 km just barely passed halfway and still really a lot of riding despite how much we’ve seen. Uh also another reminder that Sam Lelo did a 431 here last year. Uh that’s 34 minute two years ago sorry 34 minutes more than he rode in Kona. So there is a lot more time on the bike. Uh, so to be halfway, we just still have a lot to go as these athletes get to see one another on the outback section. Very cool for them to look over each side can peek over and see. Plus, you can also do those real time splits if you want. Look down at your watch and see how long it takes you to get to that 180. But this the chase pack on this side and the uh the front pack there on the right side of the road going the opposite direction. So, uh, pretty cool to see. And again, these athletes will start to see uh on the sort of the on the way out to that turnaround uh athletes ones and twos, people really sort of strung out now. Uh that primary climb up the culace sort of separated the field uh to a certain extent and so athletes getting eyes on although a lot of our favorites there in that primary chase group. Uh, so they may be feeling somewhat that whatever’s behind them isn’t the the battle is with them right now. They are in the battle. That’s right. And here we go as we’re starting to get more splits. Van Real, Riddle, and Shoberg all coming across the line there uh together. And you can see at the bottom there below our graphic of the Zoot by course. Take a peek at those splits. We’ll see more as you come. Shoamberg here um on the back at the moment. But again, just another reference to how these three athletes have very fairly changed the lead quite a bit throughout. They are not going to get back at the end of the day and blame one another for sitting in. It is definitely a a full effort there to everyone have their their face up front, the nose in the wind. Yeah, it it’s been a very very shared load, a very very fair race. Although Shawnberg uh looks like a little bit of a gap opening up there. Again, camera angles can be deceiving, but you see that race ranger light off. So, he is uh well outside of 17 m uh behind Jamie Riddle. Uh but these three riding impressively legally uh and impressively um as a team uh working really really well together um and accomplishing a great deal. Yes. And and also wow, the gap looked quite large there as you watch though. He pops up out of the saddle. Again, to us on camera, it looks flat or downhill, but clearly there’s some elevation change uh in the positive there as you watch Riddle pop up out of the bike. And then here again with Martin Van Real just really pushing it. You can see that side to said side to side nature of his head through the shoulders there. It’s really good and rhythmic. And I think it’s actually it’s it’s it’s very good overall to not be locked in and too absolutely rigid. I think that’ll help out later as well, but certainly I think he is in his flow there on the bike. Bey and uh a little bit of inroads from the chase group through 100k. Uh sort of re-engaged now that lead down to just under two minutes. So it’ been sitting just over two minutes for a couple couple of splits there. Uh but now just under two minutes for Lelo Blumenfeld. a small gap of 10 seconds to Gustaf Eden who is with Cas Casper Storis and Nick Thompson and then about 20 seconds back to Magnus Ditliff. So Magnus just falling off the back of that group just a bit as well. Falling a little bit off the back. And if you’re wondering about these great stats including these last two splits which really show Christian and Sam kind of keying off one another fifth and sixth and then at this split Christian and Sam fourth and fifth. These splits coming to you straight from the Iron Man Tracker app. So folks, please download that app if you haven’t done so already. That will keep you informed. As I look at Christian Blumenfeld on camera, I see smooth as it has always been up out of the saddle giving us a little taste of the power of the Norwegian athlete. If you want to see him try and catch the front, please stay with us. I believe there’s a lot of fight left in this young man. [Music] Hey, hey, hey, hey, [Applause] hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, [Music] Meet Kicker Run from Wahoo. A revolutionary indoor running experience where you just run and your feet set the pace. We call it run-free mode. A gamechanging technology that allows you to change speeds naturally, just like you do outdoors. You can even let popular training apps control the speed and grade for you. Kicker run by Wahoo. It’s time to run free. [Music] Head [Music] [Music] off. [Music] [Applause] You are a man. The Iron Man World Championship is full and underway, DD. 3 hours and 38 minutes of competition under our belt. Yes, that means we have done a lot of racing. And when I say we, I mean the superstars of our sport right now. That one is Jonas Shamberg. He has loft time. Lost time as you stated, slipped a bit back, but not, you know, desperate problem here. Well, let’s check out his AG1 supplemental stats, shall we? I think you should. Uh H1 suppliminal stats for Jonas Shamberg at 62.3 miles or 100 kilometers. The average speed through that last split 45.71 uh kilometers per hour. His estimated time at the next time split 34804. And just as a reference point, you had said lost a little bit of time. That supplemental stat of 45.71 kilometers per hour is just off the mark uh of the guys riding in front of them which is why just a couple of meters gap has opened up there. Couple of meters extra extra and then that means that what you see uh is Martin Van Real on the front there driving it and pushing forward and then you saw Jamie Riddle and of course Shamberg in that third position. We are very intently watching this chase group where there’s just so much talent and the question starts to be asked, can one of these three men that are in front right now win this race? It’s it’s hard to say no. It’s impossible. These guys are all great runners. They’re all um newer and I think when you’re newer to Iron Man World Championship racing, yes, they’ve raced at the top of the sport, but when you’re newer to what it feels like in the world championship, DD to close out that final 12K, that is something that it’s good and bad. It’s a double-edged sword. So, you say ignorance is bliss. In this one, ignorance is a little bit more of a well, throw caution to the wind. You don’t know. You’re not holding back at 30K or at 25K anticipating what it feels like on the final 5K when you’ve raced this for good and bad. When you’re in that marathon, you know, you know what’s coming. You know what’s coming. And sometimes you’re kind of like, when is it coming? I don’t know that. But either way, those three men that that sort of and of course they’ve done the distance. Uh but it’s a little different when you’re in the pressure cooker of the World Championship. Oh, it’s it’s entirely different. And and again, that’s where the not knowing is sometimes a blessing. But I think when you’re looking at a race of this magnitude, just given the distance that you have to cover the caliber of athlete, this is the one day where no one has any excuses. Everyone shows up at this rate race fit, ready to go. It’s not like, oh, I’m just I’m just training through this one. Yeah. No one trains through I’m just training through the Iron Man World Championship. So you know a little bit about how like the level of competition is just such that I think knowing is actually kind of helpful. I think you’re right. I think you’re absolutely right. I think you also know there’s and this is why you see Patrick Langa come in and win for the third time in Kona. There’s just an extra uh bit of it goes beyond confidence. It goes beyond belief. It goes to a true deeply rooted um knowledge that uh of what’s coming and what you can do and you’ve got tricks in your bag for when you show up and and something starts to hurt. I think Dee, we talk about this as well. Sometimes that hard part of the marathon comes a lot before 30K. Sometimes you’re dealing with the hurt locker for 21 of your 20 of your 42K. And and if you’re someone that’s experienced this before, you just you just roll with it. You just say, “Well, here it came a little bit early. I’ve got to handle the sore feet, the sore quads, the sore calves, the cramping, the the the upset stomach, you name it. Everything, vomiting, whatever happens because all of that happens even on good days or it can happen even on good days.” And looking at our Ari man tracker back at 100K, uh we have our chasers that we have covered well behind that still Antonio Bonito Lopez and Rudy Bonver at uh 5 and a half minutes back. And then it’s a very large I’ll call it one two three fourth chase group uh at 820 back with Yan Stman, Nathan Gruber, Sventh Thalman, Paul Schuster, Feder Rico Scarabino, Christian Hogenhog in that group, Mark Quart in that group and Cameron Worf another minute back in 19th place uh solo at Cam Warf at 19th. Some big names missing. Some good names. Some folks I really want to see missing from that group still. Can’t wait to see them all show up a little bit later. We talked about him earlier, but Jason West, Shiovalier, Sam Long, um Skipper, uh Gross Freeze is going backwards, but coming back a little bit. Patrick Longa way back in 37th. Worth mentioning that Patrick Longa now 14 well at the last time check 14 and 1/2 minutes down. Uh but we’ve also got Bradley Vice from South Africa really slipping off the curve. Others that we’ve mentioned Daniel Bakagard well back with that penalty have still not seen the American Chris Lifman a five-time Iron Man winner. We’re kind of anticipating that he has at least some sort of turnaround or hopeful of that. But anyway, that’s a good recap DD of everyone back in uh rears of us now. And here we are with this chase or this lead group again looking pretty fiery. Yeah, they are. The the leaders and the chasers continue to be very very engaged and uh relatively unchanged. Again, we saw that we saw that gap come down to a minute balloon back out. Laidlo back at the front. Maybe not a coincidence there that with Sam laid low back at the front uh continuing to hammer into uh that just around two-minute lead. Uh but uh yeah, through 100k, lots of action still to come. And again, we had a test of the athletes ability to climb on the back side of this course. We’re going to have a big test of the athletes ability for bike handling, descending, cornering, etc. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you very much, Dei. Thank you very much. I appreciate the third and fourth syllable of that word. second third. Here we are with the leaders and it looks like Riddle is now up front with Van Real and Showman. We haven’t seen him um pushing up to the front for a little while. Yeah, sort of surprising with Shawnberg because just knowing what a cycling powerhouse he is, whether he’s going through a bit of a rough patch in that would not surprise me in the slightest. Anyone who has raced an Iron Man will know there’s there’s highs and lows, there’s es and flows. Uh he could be just going through a bit of a rough patch right now. Uh he’s hanging on. At one point we thought that gap might be growing just a little bit, but he’s playing it very safe, very fair. Yonis Shamberg at the back of this lead group of three, but Riddle and Van Real continuing to turn polls at the front. And the the the kind of crazy thing like the painful thing about uh this this race is what you just said, bad patches, right? They they they’re not going to happen. Even as in sync as that trio up front has been and in sync as this group of of chasers has been, you never know when you’re going to have your bad patch. It’s less control. So, there’s always going to be some sort of bad patch. I don’t think I’ve still yet to hear of any of the professional or really any Iron Man athlete getting through start to finish without some sort of bad patch. Bad patches come to you. You want to eliminate them. Determine what caused it. if you can and get through it, get rid of it as quickly as possible. But, uh, that that mattening element, right, Dee, is that you could be just plugging along great and with the two guys up front and then next thing you know, the legs just don’t work like they should. You just have that slight downgrade in percentage output. You’re just wishing for, right, to feel better. And that’s where experience comes into play. And we used to think that, well, Iron Man is just this it’s this experienced athletes game, right? And we’ve seen so many young kids come in with absolutely no knowledge, no experience, and just crush it. But to a certain extent, having that knowledge and that experience to know these rough patches, they do pass, right? And and having that confidence to let the mental skills kick in when the physical ones start to waver just a little bit and stay strong mentally and know this is going to pass. When’s the last time I ate? When’s the last time I drank? Maybe I just need to back off. Maybe maybe you put a timer on it. I’m going to I’m going to take 10 watts off for five minutes and see if I can get it back. That’s right. And speaking of youngsters that just sort of had seemed to have it dialed, Sam laid low on well he was on camera and I just kind of looked down for a second. We’re back with Showman U. But ultimately, as you were watching Sam Lidlo a minute ago, he does bring up that exact thing where he came in super young and uh and had to really already understood that where sometimes you have ups and downs. And oh my goodness gracious, speaking of the young Sam Lelo at 110 kilometers, Lelo has really made the move with Blumenfeld in tow that lead group. Now some separation. And it’s laid low with Blumenfeld at 115 back. So Lello being very very aggressive. The other three chasers, Nick Thompson, Gustaf Eden, and Casper Storis still sit at just under two minutes. But Sam Lelo making the move and Christian Blumenfeld answering the call. That is pretty cool. And we get to see more of that here in just a second. Dee right now. A super amazing treat here. We get to zip off to our friends Craig Alexander and Fraser Cartail together with our three-time Iron Man winner Yon Fredeno. Fellas, I can’t wait to hear what you’ve got in store for us. Thank you, Michael. What an absolute treat to be joined by one of the greatest male triathletes in the history of our sport. a man who has won every race worth winning and a man who also finished his professional career right here in Nice two years ago. Yan Fredino, thank you for joining us. Hey Craig, thanks for having me. It’s uh it’s it’s really exciting to be back here. I mean, obviously, you know, we spoke about the race and and the history of it and uh finishing here in an Iron Man style rather than a champion style. It’s kind of uh it’s part of the spirit, right, of the sport. Makes it unique. You did finish in a champion style. So, um, for what it’s worth, but let’s let’s turn our, I guess, attention to today. Um, what have you made of the race so far? There was a lot of storylines and narrative coming in about groups forming and, um, orchestrated tactics, and ultimately you still have to get around a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km challenging bike course, and and then a full marathon. And I mean, just been super impressed by Martin Vanreal, Jamie Riddle, and and Yona Shamorg, who look calm and composed still three and a half hours into this race. To be honest, I had those three on my bingo card for today. I mean, they were an obvious one. The one I didn’t expect was Sam Lelo to be a little bit off. I was fortunate enough to see the swim from the boat and we were right next to him as he as he as he stopped and I wasn’t sure if he actually got a knock to the head or if something went on. He just looked disorientated and I I sort of suspected he had a cramp, but it was really awkward. And for him to come right back into the position where he is right now, just over a minute off, is very very impressive. um yet to wait for Gustaf. I think Gustaf being such a good technical descender could make up a lot of this gap on the way down even though he’s been gapped slightly, you know, from his training partner. That is interesting. It’s easy to forget that he essentially won that world title here in 2019 because of how good he was. Like I don’t know on a road bike. Exactly. Exactly. I mean Alistar and and obviously Rudy was you know as we all know since made his name that that day but yeah know of course Augusta really can ride a bike. He absolutely can and you could see last year some of the risks sorry two years ago some of the risks Sam was taking on the descent which we’re still yet to see. I mean it was close on a few of those calls. I mean sometimes you wonder on this kind of course what athletes are willing to put on the line but it it’s it’s a lot. Well we’ve already seen Jamie Riddle have a little off and get back on. That was close and but I wanted to ask you about that because at the press conference a lot was made of of Rudy Vonberg’s technical proess and and his descending ability and he talked about that 2019 race in Nice. Um he had an armchair view um at of course at the front of the race and actually I think it was Gustaf who said it it was a contrast watching Rudy descend versus Alistister. Alistister was washing off a lot of his speed and then having to accelerate it out of a lot of the corners. Whereas Rudy was able to keep the momentum and flow, looked more relaxed, was able to get the nutrition on board. I remember one of your world championship victories, I think it was Zamsi, the descent into town, you were able to close the gap back up to Andre Streets. And so it’s going to be an important part of this race, this descent from Cors back down into Nice. Definitely. And on paper, it looks like it’s just a descent, but there is some pedaling being some pedaling involved. It’s not just a straight roll down the hill. with some tight corners and exactly what you say, if you can carry speed, it is that energy that you can save and conserve that will then help you on the marathon because I mean it it’s a fourlap brutal marathon out here. There is absolute exposure to all the elements and anything you can save on this bike course is definitely going to be helpful. And I think that’s really interesting that you picked up on that. Maybe you heard the same interview that I heard with with Rudy, but he talked about that quite recently. and I forget when it was this week where he said he doesn’t think he’ll be able to ride as fast as he did in 2019. Maybe because he’s got a bit older and a bit wiser, but also because he said that he doesn’t believe that he could mean he said it’s a different bike setup now, but you know, just alluding to the fact that he could really ride a through a lot of those corners back then, whereas now I don’t think he’s willing to take quite so many risks. So, I guess those are the little nuances that matter at this level. Right. Absolutely. I was a little bit surprised when I saw him on screen. His setup looked very compressed. He looked very tight, old school in the sense that nowadays the athletes all sit much further out the front and much more stretched out and he literally looked like we did 10 years ago. You know, he look very very compact. That may help him on the descents because it probably makes for a more agile position, but surprising that he says it already ahead of the race that he’s not going to be quite as aggressive. Strange tactic to take if you ask me. Yeah. Yeah. And I guess a little insight into his mindset of where he thinks he can make up time. But I mean, just looking at the splits now, I I feel it’s interesting. We always talked about this bike course being thirds. You’ve got the climbing in the beginning, which everyone talks about. This middle third is such a crucial section of the course. You can really set your race up and then we talked about the descent, but we’re now seeing Sam Lelo continue this sort of renaissance in the race with with Christian Blumenfeld. and they’ve taken another 50 seconds out of our leaders and seem to be intent on getting towards the front of this race by the marathon. So, what we see here is actually a little it’s it’s a very fast section that leads us through the course. Again, it’s considered much of a rolling course, but they are about to hit the second climb. And that second climb is much longer than it looks on paper. It’s quite brutal. It’s late on in the in the race course. And I mean on that climb last year, I mean two years ago, sorry, is when Patrick Langanger made up a lot of time. That’s where he set himself up for the podium and he really came around chasing. And that’s going to be interesting to see because also here we saw Sam take some incredible risks two years ago. He knows this course inside out. That’s the one advantage someone like Rudy has. You know, he’s from the area. He’s around and he knows this like the palm of his hand. it. But I’ve I’ve noticed maybe you guys have too that he’s been quite I don’t know whether he feels it’s sort of it’s overtalked now the fact that he’s from here and he lives here and the house is close to the course and he says you know but everyone else has come here for training camps which they have. I mean the Norwegians were here in the winter. So I think eight weeks. So I think he feels that you know what yes I know it but look we all know how well we know our home roads. Even if we haven’t ridden them in a long time we can go home and ride them well. So I don’t doubt for a minute he can ride this course well. Well, that’s the thing. And you got to remember pre-race nerves and what athletes say at a press conference and what they actually do. I mean, I to be very frank, can we just go back to my personal favorite moment so far this morning, please? Patrick showing up in a leotard uh bathrobe and it literally made me think of an accountant walking in to a to a 50 Cent song. I mean, it was so far out of character. And it really shows it exposes the nerves trying to be there, trying to, you know, flex the muscles, but everybody could just see right through it. It’s incredible, isn’t it? I mean, our our words say one thing, but our actions really speak volumes. And that kind of a bathrobe, the leopard print, I would have expected maybe a Jamie Riddle or a Nick Thompson to roll into T1 with with that on. And yeah, I mean we did speak to Patrick pre-race. He seemed very very nervous. Experience is is great, but sometimes ignorance is bliss as well. And what we’re seeing, I mean, we keep talking about our Iron Man World Championship rookies, but these three men on the front of this bike race right now or this triathlon. They’re not rookies in our sport. We have Olympians, we have Martin who ran who won a T100 World Series last year. Um Jamie Riddle has got some experience in the sport now. Jonas Shamberg has shown ability across all distances in this sport. And these guys are by no means, they might be new to this raceourse. Uh well, actually not even new to this raceourse cuz Martin won the 70.3 here. They might be new to Iron Man World Championship racing, but they’re certainly not new to high level racing. Absolutely not. And someone like Yonos Shamberg, he is a generational triathlete. We’re seeing the first athletes that are generational where their parents have done triathlon and they’ve been brought up since crash with triathlon swim bike run. Yonas has been around. He’s been part of the national federation. Uh you know he’s been on Olympic programs and he has done a lot of racing and maybe finally found a home in Iron Man because it really in the end is where everybody wants to end up, right? We all try and dibble and dabble, but Iron Man really still is the golden egg of where you want to be. Well, you it’s good we’ve got here now because you’ll correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe cuz he always goes to South Africa or Namibia to do training. He was in Namibia at altitude at the start of the year and um as far as I’m aware, he was just doing his usual high volley, which I think he’s well known for doing, and then was like, well, why don’t I jump into because he did do the the very first World Tour Series this year in Abu Dhabi. Can think he came 29th, which is not, you know, it’s not disrespectful. So I don’t know whether I I would like to know if he had actually intended to do the full series and then thought you know what maybe I can jump into Iron Man South Africa and see how it goes and we all know how well it went. So and then he also did another World Series race in May in Italy. So he’s he’s a very agile athlete. Well absolutely and I mean Crow you can speak volumes to this but you know he comes from the old school German train of or thought train of of training which has always been lots helps lots and more helps more. I mean that is the philosophy and in his household especially his dad was infamous for doing crazy training sessions crazy mileage weeks and and that’s what he’s continued to do you know and I think that is also part of why you know we’ve got eight German athletes here on the line 10 of them qualified meaning you know you’ve already had a drop out of 20% and that is certainly due to kind of I think still old school high volume methods which work a lot better because nutrition has changed in my opinion I think athletes recover much faster. They’re generally able to handle more volume. But yeah, Yonas is definitely one of those guys who has been around for a long time, is a good bike rider, very, very good climber. Um, and that is one of those sections. It’s just a tiny little wooden. I don’t know what it’s going to do to you if you don’t make that corner, but it doesn’t seem to bother Martin Vanreal here at all as he’s flying through that section. No, Martin Van Real keeping it real through a technical section there. These guys are are letting it all hang out. But again, I mean, we talk about is the swim important? Is it all important? It’s the sum of all the parts and and and you know better than most that the person the man who wins this race is is going to mitigate the risk as best as possible, but they’re going to take some risks with their energy expenditure, take some risks maybe with their race strategy. And um we just saw Martin get perilously close to that wall. Let’s get out our crystal ball um and think about the marathon. I mean, what what kind of time do you think it’s going to take to win here? I don’t know. I mean, right now it’s very very exciting. Obviously, with Christian, I think at this point being in the driver’s seat, he’s touch over a minute back and with the kind of low 230 marathon times. I know for sure he’s one of those guys who’s very much fixed and interested on records. He will want to go sub 230 which you know has been done um yeah once in our sport but you know not in a winning performance. No one has ever put it all together with a sub230 marathon and the kind of course offers offers itself. uh not not to want to correct you but actually twice cuz Matt Hansen did a 228 as well and he’s racing but you know but isn’t it crazy that it’s easy to forget it alon as it’s done once it’s easy to think oh actually has it happened again and even I had to go and remind myself of that so it would be interest but never in a championship setting right well and that’s the thing you know I’m I’m kind of I guess old school in that sense because for me that was never relevant and genuinely I never really cared you know if you’ve got the fastest run split that’s great for you um clap on the back, but you know, get out of the way because seriously, it’s all about winning. It’s a world championship and it’s so black and white, you know, for someone like Magnus Ditlev who’s been around, you know, he’s kind of Yeah. between him and Andreas Rail, they’re the guys who’ve come second that many times. They’ve got world records in terms of times. And this is what makes a world championship. It’s not about a run split. It’s not about a bike split. It’s about putting the three together. To your point, Crowley, no, I I couldn’t agree more. individual splits tell part of the story, but you’ve got to put it in the context of the whole performance and the whole race that you’re in. So, um, yeah, great words, well spoken. I mean, this race continues to evolve. It’s it’s ebbing and flowing as we now see that Sam Lelo and Christian are within 40 seconds of our leader who’s Martin Van Real. He looks like he’s stolen a little bit of a march that get back to Jamie Riddle’s up to 18 seconds. And so, we are seeing a little bit of separation creep into the race here. I wonder just thinking out loud here, is there any element of like a sort of bike racing tactic here? And I know we’re not racing as a team, but it’s Martin putting himself up the road knowing that they’re going to catch. I mean, you know, I don’t know. No, it is quite technically that I mean, speaking from experience, having raced Yonas on a on a very hilly, very tough descending course, he always put in a bit of time on the climbs and he lost just as much on the descent. So, it’s definitely Martin is just a great great bike rider. Um, and so is Sam Lelo. And Sam Lelo is giving the line for Christian to follow. Christian obviously having been here two months over the year to prepare for this course. But it is, as you guys know, just that much easier to follow a wheel in front of you, you know, the line to take, you know, to be aggressive as we see him actually passing Jamie Riddle right here. This is uh just an incredible little partnership that’s formed between Lelo and Bloommy. Two of two of our big favorites. And I’ve just really loved Sam’s resilience. I mean, it’s it’s easy, but I think, you know, when you’ve been in the position and you’re the hometown favorite, there’s a lot at stake and he’s just a champion athlete, so he’s not going to disappear without a fight. But can I just say, mate, what a real treat. I hear you coming back to join us once more. I can’t wait. Love your insights and have a great few hours and we’ll see you shortly. Thanks, guys. It’s been a pleasure. What do you want? Uh, you know what’s that uh really good non-alcoholic beer I keep hearing about? Do you have that really great non-alcoholic beer that I keep seeing? Do you have a non-alcoholic beer that actually actually tastes good? It’s athletic. You’re holding it. You mean athletic? You’re looking at it. I think you mean athletic. [Music] It’s athletic. Ask for it. It’s just going to be [Music] [Music] Endurance isn’t just about medals. 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And look at this. We just saw Jamie Riddle look over his shoulder and say, “Wait, where did you come from? Where did you come from? I thought I had a lead.” And we saw it under 30, under 40, under 30, and then boom, gone. Now, of course, he hasn’t caught Van Real, but here Dee, we saw the catch that we’ve been waiting for for a while. Yeah. Absolutely. And Sam Ladello continuing to drill and Christian Bluingfeld uh continuing to answer the call. So the the descent there uh offered a little bit of separation. Van Real absolutely went for it. Uh opened a gap to Jamie Riddle and Jonas Shamberg. And then gap was filled by Sam Ladello and Christian Blumenfeld with Martin Van Real still up the road. And just another quick update that happened uh while our course commentators uh were on air, but if you had not heard, unfortunately Bradley Weiss has had to pull from the race. Bradley Weiss no longer uh competing in the Iron Man World Championship. So uh too bad for him, but lots of action going on here at the front of the race. Dei, as we as we look I mean here’s the thing. As we look at this and we look at how much more we have to go, we’ve got about 33 miles, about 53k until we get to T2. Um, you’re looking at these impressive shots from way above. We have what we talked about in the final once you hit around about mile 80. uh you’ve got a whole shakeup that can happen and you’re starting to see it and and whether or not and I I like what Curry said, you know, sometimes ignorance is bliss in that you really don’t know when that shoe’s going to drop. But if you knew it was coming, would you do something different? I don’t think so. Right. So Riddle, boom, he’s been caught. Can he just latch on? Van Real is gone. He’s also the one that we’re saying maybe he doesn’t feel that confident about his run. So, he’s also able to just address that and say, you know what, I don’t care. Why don’t I come up with him come off in first place and see what I can do. But I’m real curious to see here when we talk about this section of the course, this is a 9 kilometer long climb. And I think what athletes have said almost universally about this section of the course is that people don’t give this climb enough credit. Uh it is a tough tough climb. some say even harder than the climb up the coldest air. Uh that this climb is is really underrated in terms of its difficulty. Uh and I think we’re going to see now who has been overbiking. I think a lot of I think this this climb here is going to tell a lot of truths. I think you’re right. I think it’s already happening. Nick Thompson just rolling past Shoberg there as he’s sitting into and sort of leaning into this climb popping up out of the saddle. But again getting passed here now by Gustaf Eden. And I think Shoamberg, who was probably feeling pretty invincible all the way through uh the last couple of KS when he got dropped, now really feeling the reality of I don’t know if it’s overbiked, but getting to the end of your rope for a minute and uh we saw him fading and and now here comes that that group. We’re about to get another pass uh from probably Storess here or whoever’s behind. Um so Dee, this is this is when the race really counts on the bike. what you did before adds up to how how you’re counting now, but really this is when it it goes down. Yeah, absolutely. Nick Thompson leading Gustaf Eden past uh Yonas Shamberg there. Shamberg was showing some signs of weakness up on the plateau and sure enough here comes Casper Storis. A little pat on the back there uh from Storess to Shawnberg saying, “Come on, buddy. Join us.” But just a tough tough little patch for him. He’s up out of the saddle trying to answer the move that these guys are making. Uh but it may be just not the right time for Shawn Berg. Well, and you can see also the salt deposits, the mineral deposits starting to form on his shorts. He’s got no bottle in back. He’s got one in front. You have to kind of also question, hey, is fueling on point now? Has it been on point? Are you in a little bit of a deficit with regard to that? Uh this is often those those uh electrolyte deposits, they they come no matter what, but it is something that you look at. Not everybody has that. Sometimes when they disappear, it’s because you’re cooling, you’re pouring fluid. All these things are missing and then and they just kind of add up. So back at the front with Van Real, I mean, I’m not seeing a whole lot of slowdown here. Definitely not. I mean, certainly from his body language, he looks to be in good order. We don’t of course know what the power meter numbers are telling him right now in comparison to the earlier climb. He is grabbing all he can out of that aid station. Definitely getting some water on the body to cool himself off. That tell us the temperatures are starting to rise, not surprisingly. Um and getting all of that fuel on board. It’s the right call. He has the liberty to take a little bit extra time through the aid station. He’s got a bit of a gap on the chasers. can get what he needs uh at his leisure. But here come the chasers. Boy, it it isn’t even a question anymore. We’ve now got Laidlo and Blumenfeld in the aid station. We just watched Van Real pass through grabbing the same aid from the same volunteers. So, uh the gap is is really down to seconds here. A handful of seconds. So, DD the catch uh the pass we will see. But now we can again start to shift a little bit of focus back toward this allegiance here where we have Blumenfeld and Lelo. I I was going to say just the most curious allegiance and uh you know the Iron Man World Championship. Again, maybe if you even step back and say, have we gone too far in calling it allegiance? It’s a partnership that may be sort of loosely and precariously held right by by virtue of proximity. Honestly, it could just be Christian Blumenfeld stalking Sam Lelo. I think on on paper, right, I think Christian Blumenfeld has had the fastest run split. I think four times this year. And I think on paper, I think Christian backs himself in in a foot race against Sam Lelo. So, he’s just saying I just need to keep him in my sights and once we start running, this is all mine. DD, I think you’re right. He he’s he’s done he’s done two 107s this year and one of them was off a flat tire where he had pretty much zero incentive to get to the to get anywhere and he did it as fast as anyone could. Two 107s, a one 234. I mean, he’s he’s And then he when he won Texas, it was hot. It was humid, Konaike conditions, and just rolling along. So, I think to to back you did, he will he will he’ll back himself against any runner. I mean, I don’t think there’s a runner out there that he Patrick Langa, but he’s 14 minutes off the back. So, and and even then, I just I feel like yes, you you know, you come in here and it’s still swim run. It’s still balance the equation uh when you get to the finish line. But, but nonetheless, we don’t really get to see that. What we see here is a closeup of Shawnberg. Really, I I’m going to say regrouping as we come right back up to a little bit of that grimace that Matt said, Leto said that he saw here on Sam Lelo. sweat pouring off the face, a little bit of work in his in his vis and just pushing the pedals uh together with a little gap on on Blumenfeld. Uh this is this is the race and I thought he was going to drop out after the swim. I really did. He was so far back and he was so distraught um at that point in the swim that he has turned around like this is is incredible. I mean, the fact that I I called him out in transition, I was like, “Oh, look, there’s no intention.” Yeah, he was cuz he wasn’t on the bike yet cuz he was cuz he was still probably reeling and trying to figure out what happened. Uh but let’s ask this as we come to Martin Van Real up front still drilling it not quite aware that he’s uh that he’s maybe about to get overtaken. DD I’ll ask this or I’ll state this rather. We I don’t often sort of follow up for the what happened. I don’t really want to see that, you know, call it an excuse or the recap from the athletes that falter, but I am super curious to know what happened to laid low in the swim. I think probably a lot of people are. Clearly, he’s overcome that. But just super curious if if Crow was right, if he banged his head or if one of those guys said, you know, what did he just bump into something? He looked really dazed. So, nonetheless, maybe Fino said that. But coming here and looking at these athletes, there’s still a whole lot of riding to be done. DD 30 miles. I mean, that is a lot of action in front of these guys. It is. But this is this is the end of the grind, I’m gonna say. I mean, once the once the athletes get to the top of this little well, I’m not going to call it little. It’s been 10 km long, but this climb, uh, then we put their technical skills, uh, to test and see how they descend. And we saw on the last little descent just to this final climb how much separation happened between the athletes. That’s when Van Real sort of made his move and and dropped uh Jamie Riddle and Jonas Shamberg. Uh and it’s also where Lelo made a move, wasn’t able to shake Christian Blumenfeld. Uh but a lot of shakeups happened during the initial descent. What’s going to happen in this far more significant descent that’s going to bring us to the end of this zoot bike course? A lot of exciting descending still to come once the athletes make it to the crest of this final climb on the Zoot bike course here at the Iron Man World Championship. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you. You know, and we know the thing about challenging yourself is you’re always looking for what’s next. [Music] It’s the beauty of Oman. Our tradition, our hospitality, the sounds of limitless opportunities to explore. Listen, it’s Oman. The Iron Man World Championship is brought to you by Brightling. Aspire for the ultimate finish line reward and by Precision Hydration. Personalize your race hydration with precision fuel and hydration. And DDI, we have Martin Van Real holding that 26 second margin over the two very intimidating pursuers behind him in Sam Lelo and Christian Blumenfeld. This man holding strong throughout. Very technical in nature, especially for an Iron Man race where we don’t see a lot of this around the global circuit. But watching these switchbacks, the hard 180s, you’re more reminiscent of a tour to France race as Nick Thompson makes a move in out of one of the turns and gets told off in a section uh by he was getting told off by Casper Storz there. And this the slalom course meant to slow them down but really giving a little bit extra challenge to these athletes to test their uh skill as they are aboard the ste bombing down the hill. Dy. Well, my guess here is that that is a no pass zone. And I think Stor probably thought that was a pretty cheap move. Perhaps passing right in front of the no pass. Right before the no pass zone. Thought it was sort of a cheap maneuver. But uh yeah, athletes making their way. Obviously that slalom meant to slow the athletes down before that sweeping sharp uh lefthand turn there across that narrow bridge section. Uh so yeah, a little words exchanged. Uh temper starting to flare in the later stages of this zoot bike course here. Um Martin Van Real continuing at the front, but to your point, Michael, across that last timing, Matt, only about 30 seconds uh back at 129K, that’s a little bit old data between him, San Low, and Christian Blumenfeld. And there what you’re seeing too is at the tippy top of the Corsugul climb and then the little dip a little bit more climb and then you bomb down the other side of Corsugul and folks it is serious at this point. Martin uh Van Real still holding that lead out of the saddle and managing really well. I I still see in or out of the saddle in or out of the arrow bars that rhythm in the upper body still there. Martin Van Real really impressive today just now spending so much time at the front of course being there early the bulk of the day with his uh then riding partners but now solo Dei just really owning it at the front and uh it’s been impressive to watch. So kudos as we watch Blumenfeld try and eliminate that gap laid low as well. These two guys, what a story here. Something we didn’t anticipate. I don’t think either of they did either. We we never ever do. Just another update from the course at that bib number 38, Ben Hill. Uh he is out of the race, had a a bit of a crash at the Arches at Gregier. Uh so no longer able to compete. Uh he will make his way back down to town. Our understanding is that he’s fine uh but not able to continue. So Ben Hill uh out of the race as well. Shame. Both uh athletes. We hate to see people drop. certainly a couple of uh tenacious athletes and why he’s having been seventh year the last time we raced this venue. Uh I had high hopes for him uh but not to be today and you know live to fight another day. If you’re off, if it’s not feeling good, you just got to roll with it. And now back with uh Van Real just again super impressive with 28.9 miles to go. And you can see now just on that little last little section of uphill, moderate uphill before a long descent as you come back in. And it can be a bit of a grind. I mean, this is a section that could easily have sort of an onshore breeze straight in your face where it may be downhill, but it may be pushing you. Uh, and you may still need to really kind of get the effort and head down there. di as you come back to the shore back to the uh uh to the proomenade deanglay eventually there along the coast. So took a little peek over his shoulder there for a half a second. It’s almost like he knows what’s coming and here is what is coming. It is Sam Lello and Christian Blumenfeld. And I’m telling you, it’s like KB just sort of playing with Lelo like a cat in a ball of yarn. just kept him in his sights from the time that laid low sort of caught that chase group. Blumenfeld hasn’t let him out of his sights. And this to me just screams strategy from Christian Blumenfeld. I think you’re right. And and there’s also as these as these uh top athletes will often do, there’s also a little bit of that look, I’m not going to be so close that you know I’m there and that you think I sat in, right? I’ll be 25 m back just to make sure that everybody on camera and you know that I was putting off a solid effort because I think there’s always that component where you know an athlete that second wheel or second position sort of gets shunned and says oh well you know you were sitting in well not in this case Christian Blumenfeld putting an honest effort there several meters outside of the of the draft zone. So, you know what I what I really want to know now as we start to make our way towards the descent. Um, Martin Vanreel, you know, all the talk ahead of time was that, yeah, he’s going to swim lightning fast. Yeah, he’s going to really hammer the bike because he’s had this ankle sprain that he uh sort of sidelined his running, was out for nearly four weeks without running. So, a lot of people including I think himself have downplayed his running, but this guy can run. Yeah. 238, right? So, if he’s got that training in his back pocket, and to your point earlier, maybe just coming in a little fresher having not hammered his legs quite so hard and run training leading into this, what’s he going to be able to show once we get to the run course? I think that history’s shown uh several occasions where it becomes an advantage. It it becomes a two-part uh advantage. And I’ll just reference in 2019 when Tim O’Donnell took second place American at Kona, he had been out and sidelined for something very similar, a a random foot injury, random uh injury that kept him out of running, and he was able to swim and cycle to the best of his ability, trained very hard, and then he went into the race in Kona and was just really in awesome shape. And I think there were there was a down uh there was a lower level of pressure because he’s in there going, I don’t really think I can run that well. That’s an advantage. You’re not keeping super high expectations. Same thing here with Van Real. You’re saying at all the press conferences, look, I haven’t been running. It’s really not in the cards. It’s that’s kind of a nice little feather in your cap. But then you combine that with guess what? You’re fresher. You don’t have the pounding. You don’t have that last 20 mile run. You don’t have that wear and tear. And so ultimately you’re you’re talking about four weeks of no running. Most of us uh sorry most of them can really still just coast. Thank you for making that differentiation and absorb that training right the the the tear down is now finally built back. So to me I think you’re spot on. I think there’s absolutely a 100% chance this guy comes off and rips a 235. Yeah. I mean absolutely could be. It’s it’s fitness is fitness right? I mean there is something to be said for sport specific fitness and I don’t think any professional athlete preparing for a world championship event would elect to take four weeks off of one sport uh if they weren’t forced to do so. But that being said, fitness is fitness. And what a great parallel to Tim O’Donnell uh who I think literally had done two full bodyweight runs on the ground coming off of a foot injury now slightly different foot injury. Uh, and it’s we don’t yet know how healthy Martin Vanreal is. Like, is the injury fully in the past? Can he get through a marathon or is it just a bit of a lack of training that’s that’s going to hamper him? Uh, time will tell, but uh, he is certainly doing the job. And I’m just trying to for like all the talk was, well, yeah, Van Real is going to drill the swim in the bike, but he he can’t really run because of the injury. Well, is that true? Yeah. Exact. Well, and and can he? And the Iron Man World Championship has a funny way of drawing out of individuals something special. And it it bears mention because once you’re there, even if it is still hurt or even if you do ultimately feel that lack of fitness in any way, shape, or form, you rise above in a different way. You overcome a different way. We know he could do it already. He’s a three-time Olympian. So, we know that spirit is there. But in an Iron Man World Championship, if you get in and all those things you said start rearing their ugly head, guess what? I’ll just be more sore tomorrow. You know, I’ll just be wrecked. I’ll be injured for the rest of the year. I’ll take that trade and and but I’ll walk away with this incredible result. So, hey, we’ll see. And the fun part is that we get to still watch him expertly down uh this m ride down this mountain. I mean, as expertly indeed because he’s holding Sam Lelo and Christian Blumenfeld to that 30 seconds. So, uh, the the the man’s got some skills, uh, because we absolutely know that that Lelo is a master on this course and Blumenfeld is just being Sam Lelo’s shadow here. And Martin Van Real holding those guys to 30 seconds through that last split. Gustaf Eden, Nick Thompson, and Casper Storis still together at 140 back now, uh, as they sort of tackle the descending section of the scores. Yeah, that’s pretty cool, too. Cuz also when you look at DD, here’s the thing. 30 seconds, that sounds close. Sort of. 145 sounds kind of far. You start to look at this, but guess what? It’s not that far. That is so short. I mean, that can be made up. Half of that could be eliminated in transition. Yeah. You know, some of that could be eliminated in getting my shoes on properly. It can be eliminated in one quarter of a mile of just feeling off. So those times are negligible. This descent is impressive as you watch that freeze up right on the line. So cool to see that it it froze there on the left because it just shows that saying, “Hey, I’m on the correct side of the line. No center line violation here, boss.” Yeah. Yes. And then also just like, “Hey, you know, how do you ride down a mountain fast on a try bike?” Well, there you go. Yeah. And and again just looking further back, Jamie Riddle and Jonas Shamberg who were so strong at the front with Martin Van Real now sitting 214 back. So Jamie Riddle 30 seconds down of the Chasers Gustaf Eden, Nick Thompson, and Casper Storis. And then Jonah Shamberg definitely going through a rough patch. He sits at 3 minutes back. Yeah, Nick Thompson here in the Arab bars uh just bombing the hill in great position. fun to watch. The 25-year-old Australian uh representing what? University of Western Australia is his team. Pretty cool. Um and then we come back here to the front with Van Real and and just uh really you have to kind of also assume that he’s just having a blast, right? This is they are taking in the fuel on a straight section. Um very important that he can do that and is able to do that from the air bars. But I I really do believe that he is just in there having fun. The you don’t you don’t you’re leading the Iron Man World Championship. Of course it’s fun. But but even in Yes. Correct. And then also just adding in the fact that sure this would be fun in Kona as you’re rolling across, you know, Scenic Point and you’re coming up on the airport. But this is different. This is fun. Riding a bike like this when you’re that good and that, you know, empowered by this lead, that is fun. My goodness, taking these turns in the bars. To your point, this course, yeah, you time your nutrition, but you take your nutrition when you can get it. He took the opportunity in a slightly less twisty section of the course, take that Morton gel on board. Uh, and now he can enjoy the ride and uh it is uh it’s a thing of beauty there, right? And you can kind of anticipate, hey, you’re familiar with the course. You still got to you still got to do it and take and take the risks. Uh as as Crowley said earlier, right, you’ve just got to be willing to put yourself out there and take those risks. How far will you go? Um because one false move, one sort of miscalculation and you’re over the edge in a world of hurt. Happened to Cameron Worf here two years ago and that that dude rides a pro cycling team. So if he can crash, uh it can happen to anyone. But right now, uh, just really, really skilled, uh, descending here from Martin Vanreal. That’s right. That’s right. And, uh, my hunch is, do we have Lelo on the right, DD? It’s a guess. I’m assuming we have first and second, and I’m watch also watching some expert uh, cornering, but I could be wrong. As we come back and get a nice little straight section there in the air bars is also worthy of mention. These these athletes are that good where they can be uh just essentially steering with some counter steering, some counterbalance, lean lean to the right, the bike goes to the left, and you see them drop that knee to kind of keep it going. But uh it’s really a thing of beauty to watch a proper uh bike handling uh lesson, if you will, sort of just beyond display. up out of the arrow bars now on the uh on the bullhorns and clearly that’s where you’ve got your brakes, but you’ve also got a little bit of a slowing effect just by decreasing those aerodynamics. So, you can kind of temper the speed a bit there as you roll up out of the arrow bars. And uh certainly on the more tight uh turns, the tighter turns, you will need to be up out of the air bars. But you’ve seen him do it a few times there and you know he’s pretty well aware when it’s important to get down into the Airbar Cups when it’s important to pop up. Well, as we watch these athletes and their expert descending skills, I’m watching with one eye shut because it makes me nervous. Uh talking about this section of the course uh course goal that it is located on a rocky uh prominator. It’s it offers a wonderful panoramic view of the loop valley. Uh there is of course like many aspects of this course uh a medieval village situated here and it is named one of the most beautiful villages in all of France. Mhm. Yep. And then of course you’ll look to see San Marie Medalin the church there that’s from the 12th century. So uh that’s pretty cool. another communal wash house as well as a beautiful village square and a wayside cross. So DD so much culture, so much history in this area. Incredible. Yeah. I mean, they’re a thousand meters above sea level, but but dropping a meter as we speak. Uh again, another one of these small villages uh of 500 inhabitants. Um it’s an old Roman city um that’s surrounded uh by ramparts since the Middle Ages. That’s right. Wow. Beautiful. And you can see there a nice look and what you’re seeing of course a small town that’s have your traditional medieval alleys, stone houses and picturesque architecture and reflecting of course that rich heritage and about 500 inhabitants um in in this area. The village offers a peaceful setting, perfect again for those same u pastimes, hiking, mountain biking, or just enjoying being in the authentic Provinol village. What a beautiful spot. There you go. I mean there that’s exactly as steeped in history. Exactly. Exactly. The stone stairs, uh cafe. Yeah, exactly. I mean it’s beautiful. The stone houses just adjacent to shutters. All of this is uh exactly sort of quintessential uh southern France uh village life. So seems to me a pretty great spot to spend a few days after the race and go in there and you can see a lot of great art in this area on the walls of the cafes and you could just really experience all that. I mean to go into um a building from the 12th century. I was going to say, I mean, you think to the US where we think things are old sort of on the east coast, uh, but nothing is medieval, right? Right. I mean, if it’s a hundred years old here, you know, here in France, it’s probably brand new. It’s probably modern. That’s exactly right. So, nonetheless, back in front here with Van Real as he’s ripping it, arrow bars on and, uh, again, not so much of the rhythm here with his upper body, but still an impressive show. And as we watch more and more of this race unfold, I’m more and more grateful to be sitting in the commentary booth. And I’ll say this, Dee, you can say that again. I don’t think I need to. I’m glad to be here watching this man rip down the mountain. Can he hold the lead or will he get caught? We will find out. Welcome to the world’s best airline, where your journey is five-star and so is your Wi-Fi. Experience the fastest connection in the sky with Starlink. And best of all, it’s free for all passengers. So why settle for less when you deserve the best? [Music] We’re not here to sell you on this life. You already chose it. No shortcuts. No hype, just work. Same as you. Built to outlast, endure. 40 years in and we’re just getting warmed up. Welcome to the Ohana. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] And we are here with Martin Van Real representing the front of the race in fine fashion. Dee he just continues to hold that 30ish well now 18 second 18 to 22 second lead right now over Sam Lelo and Christian Blumenfeld. See how I keep shrinking it down but I say he’s maintaining it. The the truth is this guy is really just matching these two powerhouses behind him. Not not well because he’s a powerhouse. But here’s what we’re seeing, Dee. We’re not seeing what I initially thought was inevitable, which was just to get swallowed up at the top of the climb, at the top of that plateau. That has not happened. We are well into the downhill. While there is still some elevation change in front of us, he has done an exceptional job of just getting out and staying away. This man Sam Lelo still gunning for him though. He absolutely is. And and full credit to Martin Van Real because for how well Sam Lelo knows this course. Martin Van Real doing just a brilliant job of doing just that. Oh, I said it. Staying away. He’s not away anymore. He’s about to get caught. He’s got a big fat target on his back. It’s been there all along, but now it is flashing red and Sam Ladello sees him right there. And I can’t tell you how much the people at Nice down in the town are going to go nuts if Sam Lello, who looked so broken and so forlorn when he left Nice earlier this morning, rides in to T2 in the lead. You’re spot on, DD. And and I I will say this as well. He must be so grateful that whatever it was that stopped him in the swim and nearly turned him back was overcome, that he got in front of it, that he maintained the belief because he was at the lowest of lows in this race and now he’s at the front. We almost can’t emphasize how rare that is for an athlete of his caliber to literally stop dead, sort of dog paddle, side paddle off the course cause us all to wonder, is he is he out of the race? Like we’re not even halfway through the swim and what’s happening to him to re-engage and catch back up and then come into the lead. not as he would have scripted it, but wow, just courageous, bold, uh, champions mentality. Yeah, I mean, he kept the faith and I think that he lost the faith, regained it, and then kept it. And, uh, as I said earlier, I can’t wait to hear exactly what stopped him in his tracks. Uh, but I also just have to say, yeah, that’s what it takes when when you’re trying to win a second Iron Man World Championship. When you’re trying to perform like this, you have to be ready to handle all of the obstacles that come your way. The good times, the bad times. Don’t get hung up on the good ones. Don’t get hung up on the bad ones. He did that in spades today. He came in and said, “You know what? Boom. I am at the back.” I mean, we were hearing reports from Craig. He’s turning back. He’s going home. He is heading the wrong direction. Nope. Then he got back on stopped for 30 to 60 seconds. Wow. And now here he is about to catch the lead. Let’s not take away from this man on camera, Martin Van Real, who still has not been passed. And then let’s also get into what you said, DeeI. It’s going to be a little bit tense if on this section there’s a pass because I feel like there’s barely enough room for one. Well, yeah. I mean, we’re we’re we’re cheering for it, but I’m also sort of wincing at the possibility. Um just you know these guys know how to handle their bikes but um out of athlete safety it always just makes me a wee bit nervous. Wow look at that. Look at them leaning to that turn. It’s just I mean what a great skill and that is something I hate to say you know we talked about it I think two years ago when the athletes raced here where some of the athletes from Europe definitely have an advantage. We don’t have roads like this in the US. So the the US athletes, Canadian athletes, they don’t really get a chance to practice on roads like this the way a lot of the Europeans do because the roads were made differently. Yeah. It was a different time. It’s a smaller area. It’s a smaller space. You’re medieval roads just aren’t as wide. No, they’re not as wide. And even and even to the to the credit Europe, you know, Europe is is is a large continent, right? And if you look at all the countries, even I would say Norway, you don’t have this in your backyard. You probably have a couple hard climbs descents. Imagine there are tech technical and challenging rides, but even they spent the time here. They being the Norwegian team, a lot of time here to be able to get on this. And again, that’s a lot more doable uh to be sort of in that time zone, come over here, make that happen. But D, you’re spot on. This is this is definitely uh catering to a European style racer, someone that has famili that has the familiarity of these roads, but also the yeah, just overall skill set, right? You know, we we we’ve seen this time and time again. We’ll take some there. We have some rare and unique like Rudy um American athletes that have the ability to to push it. He does that uh back in Boulder as well. He just gets right into it on the the big canyons and the steep descents. Uh but it’s not easy. Well, I am of course starting to project down to the second transition and what may transpire once these athletes get a run in. Christian Blumenfeld on paper, strongest run resume of our three leaders. pretty fair fight between Martin Van Real and Sam Lelo. That being said, we have a lot more data points on Sam Lelo across the full marathon than we do obviously Martin Van Real. And knowing that Martin Van Real may have a small [ __ ] in the the armor um in the form of an ankle sprain. We don’t know the health of that foot or how much running he’s been able to do. Uh but what I’m basically saying is that this is going to be one heck of a fight once we get down to the marathon. It’s going to continue to be one heck of a fight and just on foot. You’re spot on, DD. And uh looking at that, we mentioned that Van Real was able to pull off a 238 to take second to Magnus Ditlave in Iron Man South Africa. Speaking of which, I just said his name. Where is Magnus Ditlev? And does he have sort of that proximity uh to come in and still factor once we hit the run an exceptional runner himself? How far back? You know, I hadn’t checked in on Magnus uh since sort of the very start. It might have been the very end of the plateau section where he was about 2 and 1/2 minutes back. The last timing segment he’s at three and a half minutes back. Again, to me that seems like a lot for to to catch a runner like Christian Blumenfeld. But that being said, you know, it’s they’re different conditions to what we see in Kona. Kona, the conditions cause these massive explosions. Here we’re going to see athletes that may have overbiked and they could blow up. It’s just it’s a different race dynamic. So to me, three and a half minutes seems like a lot for Magnestit, but it really isn’t. None of these numbers are are devastating. I I think if you’re in this if you’re under five, it is a doable uh gap to to to eliminate. But let’s talk to some more experts here. Let’s talk to our crack commentary team over there. I love hearing the perspective. Fraser Craig, please enlighten us. I can’t wait to hear it. Thanks, Michael. Yes. Well, as they say, Fraser, what goes up has to come down. It’s physics. And we’re seeing now our lead men coming down the side of this mountain heading back towards Nice. and still Martin Van Real having an awesome race doing what I think a lot of people predicted. Um there’s been a lot of talk this week that not so much a dark horse but you know a breakthrough performance at this distance was beckoning but I think the real story here is also you know the renaissance of Sam Lelo’s race. I mean, we take ourselves back onto the boat and you know, we just had Yan, you know, with us and as he said, he was very fortunate to be in another one of the boats and he saw the same thing as we saw from a slightly different perspective. Literally Sam stopping treading water. I mean, we all watched it. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing. And yet now here he is lighting this race up. We’ve just seen Lelo make the pass. Oh, actually, sorry. No, it was Oh, yeah, it was. It was Lelo making the pass on Van Real. So, he’s got to the front of the race and Yeah. And and to your to your credit, Fraser, you did call that you did you did say there were there were a few skeptics around us in the boat saying that could be Sam’s day, but you said let’s not ride off a champion just yet. Yeah. And I keep saying it. I was very lucky to see him in leads and he did that off the back of Challenge Roth. So, you know, it takes a very special athlete to do that sort of stuff off the back of no racing earlier in the year because of his much talked about health troubles that he had had. So, you know, he’s just a class apart. I often think uh in these long course races, particularly iron man distance, having a a good honest rest early in the season can come back and pay dividends late. We see it time and again. I know it must have been terribly frustrating for for Lelo, not absorbing the training, not responding to the training stimulus like he normally would, but it seems like it hasn’t really negatively impacted the back half of his season. No, I mean I’m really struggling to find a way that we say that was I mean obviously you’re right. Nobody wishes that on themselves at all and we’re really glad to see him back racing the way he would want to race. But you know, we can’t deny the fact that he lost the first half of his season. Great pitches here as we see now Sam Lelo leading the dance off the mountain and Martin Van Real for the first time in a long time has another athlete in front of him. I think another big story here is Christian Blumenfeld. He seems to have not flown under the radar, but he he’s moving on up through the field with with Sam Lelo, and it looks like he’s employed some pretty good tactics here. Yeah, I mean, we can’t see the camera’s obviously pointing forward at the moment, but as far as we’re aware, Christian is right there. I mean, the camera is sitting in behind Martin and Sam, so that would suggest that Christian has been distanced, but he can’t be too far behind because he has been following Christian up until now. And that’s really smart racing. You know, he’s okay now. He’s been a bit distanced, but we know he knows these roads really well. They spent eight weeks of their, you know, training so far on these roads. Um, you know, he is clearly a very good bike handler and, um, you know, he’s in the driving seat. I think we’ve all come to that conclusion now. You and Yan talked to it. Um, he talked about how fast he wants to run. He’s made no um um, it’s not a surprise that he wants to run fast. Yeah. Well, you stole my thunder because that was my next question. I want to put you on the spot. Is he the current race favorite on the road given given the the race situation as it stands right now? Yeah. Well, I’ll ping pong it right back because you and Yan did say yeah and I agree with you guys. Absolutely. I mean look barring any sort of let’s say a disaster and of course that can happen. We all know what happens in Iron Man. Anything can happen. But look his pedigree is just second to none. How good was it having the legend Yan Fredino come and join us? His insights were were awesome. Yeah. And like we’re all we’re all try geeks right at heart and yeah it’s it’s it’s really interesting to hear it from his perspective. I mean I find it fascinating here from you and his. Obviously there’s six world titles sitting there right beside me you know and um yeah and obviously I love to talk about triathon too. So it it is fascinating. Okay let’s move back through the field to chase pack one. A select group. Nick Thompson Gustaf Eden Casper Sters. Just over a minute down. Looks like Nick’s doing what we thought he might do on this descent. He’s known for his bike handling skills and just his bike riding in general. He he’s across all the cycling skills in terms of fitness, strength, climbing, descending. And those three gentlemen are in a great place. Oh, aren’t they? And as you know, again, that’s sort of the I almost think it’s the more exciting story here. Of course, the front of the race is fantastic to see, but Casper is, you know, we we we talked a little bit about this or touched on it in the press conference. He’s the athlete that won the first big race out of any of the Norwegians. He was, you know, you know, you could ironically say he was the the first to taste success. Um, and he’s been in their shadows a little bit since. So, I’m delighted to see him making a mark here. I hope he continues it. And look, he seemed I don’t know him, never met him before, but he seemed pretty nervous in a good way in transition. And, you know, you can tell that with an athlete that they’re nervous because they know something good could happen. Well, let me ask you about his run pedigree because in the Iron Man Pro Series race in Axon Province, he pushed KB all the way. I know it was a half Iron Man. was a 70.3, but he ran a 107 there. And he also kept KB’s company for a large majority of the marathon in Frankfurt and took the third spot on the podium there. So, I mean, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he could, you know, get in a real running battle with his countrymen here today. I mean, look, was he seventh or eighth, I forget, at the Olympics in Tokyo. I mean, look, of course, he can run. You know, he is a really, really well-rounded athlete. And, you know, it clearly see clear that they have had an incredible training camp. All three of them are coming out of it talking that they think good things can happen. They want a one, two, three. Let’s not forget that. Yeah. And Gustaf Feden looking comfortable. Of course, I’m a biased Aussie, so I’m going for Aussie Nick. But let’s move back down through the field. Another sort of comeback tail and and it’s not foreign for this man. Matthew Marquite has he had a great swim here today. He was just over a minute down coming into T1. Seemed to suffer from those cramps. We haven’t had that confirmed from course yet, but it seemed to be he suffered from those cramps again and at one point was lost 5 minutes in the space of a few miles on the bike. So that speaks to something untoward happening. But as is his way, he just keeps chipping away and he’s made his way up into the top 10 and at one point was the fastest man on course. He which is one of those, you know, I shouted my brother. He sent me a little message to say, look, you know, you do realize who’s fastest on course right now and he’s up to 10th overall. So um and had dropped or distanced at least Camworth at that point. So, you know, that’s fantastic riding. Um, and all credit to him because we also know that he’s got huge strength, lots of heart. He’s going to push really hard in the marathon. And don’t forget, he has got a real incentive with Pro Series points on offer here. Yeah. Well, that that’s a great extra layer to the story today, isn’t it? There’s more Pro Series points than normal and a lot of these guys are in the fight. Obviously, we still got Iron Man 70.3 World Championships on in Marbaya to come this season, but that’ll be the furthest thing from all of these athletes mind today. But you’re you’re right, Matthew Markwart, and many of these other athletes are in the fight for the podium on that Iron Man Pro Series. So, they have every incentive to fight for every second here today. And another one of our pre-race favorites, Rudy Vonberg. He’s still hovering in and around the top 10. He’s in 11th spot. What are your thoughts on his race so far today? Yeah, I mean, I think obviously Rudy would probably want to be a little further up the field. He probably wouldn’t have wanted to be distanced, but look, he’s not been gapped by huge margins. Rudy has a very good run in his back pocket. I know we’ve talked to death about the fact that he knows these roads really well. So, he is going to be conserving that little bit more energy than the other the other riders perhaps now as they are um flying down this hillside. Yeah, I think an interesting storyline around Rudy is, you know, there’s been a lot of talk and Rudy himself put it front and center at the press conference saying his run was five to six minutes off what it needed to be. Someone asked the question, what’s it going to take to take that next step from third or second up to the top step of the podium? He he talked openly about needing at least a mid-230 marathon. So I just wonder if there’s a slight change in his race dynamic and tactics today with that in mind. Who knows? But I do know that he said quite openly that a success for him in this race would be the podium because he was on the podium last year in Kona. So of course he doesn’t want to regress, but equally these riders are all sorry these athletes are all riding really well. They’re all going to race hard on the marathon. So, you know, if it means that he comes eighth or ninth, and I’m sure he’s still going to be if he’s got everything out, you know, all you can do is empty the tank on race day, right? Yeah. And there’s a lot of marginal details and 1% is in the way these athletes, I guess, formulate their race plan. Probably of note, Cam Worth 18th spot, 13 minutes down. Sam Long and Leon Chevelier together just under 14 minutes down. And our defending champ Patrick Lunger keeping company with Jason West and Joe Skipper back around 32nd spot. Michael and Deei, things are are starting to hot up figuratively and literally down here on the prominade to Enlay. Back to you guys. Thank you so much, Craig. Thank you, Fraser. Yeah, the heat, we can feel it. We can see it. We’re excited uh to watch these athletes mix it up on the run. And you guys are awesome. I mean, uh it it’s it’s it’s very clear that your fans and you know the sport. I love the I love the insight and I’ll I’ll so thank you and we we’ll come back to you guys as soon very soon as as I as I volley another just thought back there um when you guys were talking about Rudy and some of these athletes are just going to play their cards a little bit differently. I mean that’s the nature of this sport. I think we’re on such an ascent right now with what people are capable of and you have to reinvent. Someone like Rudy that that really genuinely might be looking at this and saying, “Well, it could be a victory if I run 235. Doesn’t matter realistically what my bike is.” But nonetheless, we can come back to that as we watch these uh incredible cornering skills as we roll through a beautiful and technical section of the course. Yes, this the village of Gatier. It’s the perfect example of a concentric perched habitat, dominant defensive. And what I mean is in the center of this little town, there’s a castle that was just dominant in its day. Often would be destroyed and then replaced u with some new construction. But this town so cool, surrounded in places by walls and sort of uh defensive, you could see the defensive nature of it. So a great little spot here on the eastern province of France. So really Gatsier a key part of this historic course as we’re rolling through. And and all that to say De I I I think it’s almost impossible to imagine that these two men have any idea that that’s hap that that’s any part of the history. They’re just trying to keep that bike up right. They’ve got other things on their mind other than the uh annual pilgrimage to Notradam Devar, the chapel. It’s a religious tradition held here each year in the month of September. So uh right around this time uh one of the cultural aspects of this fantastic part of this legendary course. There you go. and so much legend and so much uh history and so much fun watching these men uh scare the pants off you, DD. I know. Seriously, I’m so dreadfully uncomfortable right now and I’m just sitting in a chair. Yes. But uh but yeah, it’s it’s it’s it’s fun to watch. It really is sort of inspirational to see these guys rise to the challenges that they face each time a new challenge. So, I mean, it’s kind of an understatement here, but the Iron Man is right is offering so much and so many lead changes and so much. They’ve they’ve dispatched Blumenfelt a little bit, but guess what? We talked about that for 5 seconds. And as we roll through 160 kilometers, the top six are now all within a minute of each other. So Gustaf Eden, Nick Thompson, and Casper Storis have done a monster job on this descent um and brought back this group uh that had been about a minute 40 I think at one point, now down to a minute. So all of these guys and here we go. Another pass back uh from Van Real uh back into the lead of the race on Sam Lelo. Christian Blumenfeld sitting just 5 seconds. You can see this the right hand side of your screen. That is Christian Blumenfeld. You can see the other two riders right in front of him. Uh but all the top six riders all within a minute. Let’s not forget we have that flat section as we roll back into transition. So I mean to have six guys roll in together uh to on a course like this I think is is is really something given the dynamics that have happened. Everyone in town’s like oh wow yeah they went up the mountain and they came back and nothing really changed. So much changed. Well, we are approaching these final kilometers. 10 miles to go. 16.8 kilometers until we’re at the Ruvie T2 and we get to jump on to that third and final element, the Hoka run course. Will these two men stay away? Will the top six remain within a minute of one another? We’ll find out very soon. [Music] Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. [Music] Meet Kicker Run from Wahoo. A revolutionary indoor running experience where you just run and your feet set the pace. We call it run free mode. A gamechanging technology that allows you to change speeds naturally, just like you do outdoors. You can even let popular training apps control the speed and grade for you. Kicker Run by Wahoo. It’s time to run free. [Music] [Music] Head off. Pick it up. [Applause] You are a man. And we are back at the Iron Man World Championship. I’m Michael Lovado here with DD Greasebower in studio watching the top three men right there in front of us. Martin Van Real, Sam Lelo, and Christian Blumenfeld. That’s the order of events right now on the road. And then as you pointed out, Dee, Eden, Thompson, Storz, all within a minute of first place. This is one heated battle. When they hit T2 and when they start that Hoka run, it’s pretty much going to be a group of men all together. It it absolutely is. And and not far back from that, we’ve got Magnus Ditlev uh who has swept up and gone past Jamie Riddle. Uh and then Yonas Shamberg who continues to sort of bleed time out the back still riding in the top 10, but he is now nearly six minutes back. So, uh Jonah Shamberg going through a bit of a rough patch certainly on the descent and Matthew Markwart uh hanging into the top 10 at 751 back. Boy, Sam laid low does look smooth when you get that nice side shot of him just tucked into the arrow position and pushing a nice cadence. Also, this man very smooth uh on the bike, Christian Blumenfeld. It’s it’s a thing of beauty here to watch these men at the top of their game just really excelling and doing what they came here to do. Not surprised at all. I think we’ve already overcome a couple of the big surprises. One of them being, for those of you that missed it, early on in the ROA swim, about halfway through, we saw Sam Ladello really run into a brick wall, he stopped, actually stopped swimming uh before he rided himself and got back into the rhythm. But a full stop is not common. Uh pauses and hesitations, but nonetheless, he overcame whatever stopped him in his tracks and is now in second place essentially with the top three. And again, just projecting, looking at the top three men and projecting what we think uh may happen on the run. Christian Blumenfeld has turned in across the 70.3 distance, two 107s this year. And to your point earlier, Michael, one of them was at Oceanside when he was in about 27th place after a puncture. Had absolutely no motivation. I mean, biked 222 at Oceanside. um which I think you know is obviously indicative of the 15 minutes 20 minutes he spent standing on the side of the road still ran 107 and then his two Iron Mans this year Iron Man Frankfurt ran 23059 Iron Man Texas in the heat of Texas 23403 again on paper uh Sam Lelo has hasn’t run doesn’t have that run pedigree and the real question mark is Martin Van Real. Yeah. 238. Uh Van Real was able to put down a 238. Um and that’s a very quick time, a very good time. Uh and but as you do, you look at the resume, you look at the track record, you look at what they have done. It’s predictive of what they can do. But the beauty of Iron Man is it really doesn’t care about what you have done. It cares about what you’ve got today. And I think everyone’s talking about these barriers. Could 230 be broken here by these winners, by these champions today? Um, or just low 230s? The funny thing is that the guys that are gunning for the win don’t care what the time is. They just want to win the race. I I think I think Craig said that as well. Chasing a record is great. Stats are cool, but realistically, all that matters is first place. Exactly. And they’re all going for it. And so, and if I can do that in 229, bully for me. Or if it’s I mean, I I I really believe that. I think if if any athlete really thinks back after the career is over and you say what were your best results the first thing that comes up isn’t the time it’s the place and so uh if history is spitting that back then that obviously is what we’re we’re focused on now and take that a step further these guys still have races left to do this year right we’ve got 70.3 worlds the Iron Man Pro Series is not over after the end of today so their goal would be to run as slow as possible and still win the race to to preserve whatever whatever racing is left for the rest of the season. Yeah, keep that recovery up. As we come back to Magnus Ditv, of course, seventh place at the last timing check. Looks still quite smooth and we are used to seeing him further up the numbers and and closer to the front, but he’s certainly not so far back that there’s real big cause for concern. I think that there are, as we said before, great examples of athletes that uh shift and change their expectations. And so if you are expecting to be in first or second or third place with X number of minutes lead and you don’t have that, a champion like the like DitLv can then turn around and say, “Hey, no problem. Let me just deal with this set of cards I’ve been dealt.” And as he did in Kona when he had that bad patch and came back, he can still come back and deliver possibly even a podium finish here today. Well, and one has to wonder is is this not part of the plan according to Magnus Lev or was his plan to bike a little bit more conservatively so that he didn’t have to go into survival mode in the marathon? We just don’t know. Uh but for me the thing that is bringing such a big smile to my face is Gustaf Eden sitting in fourth place again not to play favorites but when you’ve seen an athlete go through the kind of struggles that Gustaf has to see him back in contention to potentially be on the podium is just super exciting potentially three Norwegians on the podium as well. We’ll see what happens. What do you want? You know what’s that uh really good non-alcoholic beer I keep hearing about? Do you have that really great non-alcoholic beer that I keep seeing? Do you have a non-alcoholic beer that actually actually tastes good? It’s athletic. You’re holding it. You mean athletic? You’re looking at it. I think you mean athletic. [Music] It’s not funny. Ask for it. This is where I want to be. [Music] [Music] Endurance isn’t just about medals. It’s about showing up. Even when your brain says go and your body says no. Showing up means taking care of yourself, skin, and all. 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Martin Van Real, Sam Laidlo, Nick Thompson, Gustaf Eden, and Casper Storis all within 30 seconds of one another hurling towards T2 to get going on the Hoka Marathon course. It’s exciting times again. We joked about it. They left transition early this morning and it’s like nothing ever happened. Six of them rolling back together just as they were when they left there this morning. Yes, that’s right. And I think you were playing a fun game earlier, which is, oh, here we go. This is what it looks like when you come into transition and you run up with your bike. You drop it here. You’re going to give your bike to a volunteer. They’re going to take it. But this is what it looks like on the ground to be cruising through uh that transition. It’s a long transition. We did this earlier this morning when they came out of the water. And so T1 a whole different lifetime ago. Uh but this is where we’re going to be. Feels longer to me now. It does. It feels longer as we transition from uh discipline two to discipline 3, from bike to run. Uh some of our hardworking staff there jogging that section. Uh yeah, you know, it’s just to see if they can. Again, this is a very very long run. It’s it’s you haven’t handed Yeah. both a blessing. They haven’t even gotten to the gear bags yet, right? So, here they come to their run gear bags where they will grab that red run bag. they will put their helmet in it, uh, get those running shoes on, grab a seat, um, maybe not. Get the run shoes on, and out they go. It’s an opportunity to get upright and get running well, but it’s an opportunity if you’re an outstanding runner to distance yourself between you and the six guys you’re coming in with into transition. That’s right. That is correct. And we are now back on the closing miles of the course. 4.8 8 miles to go or just under 8 kilometers to get these athletes home and they are on a stretch that will ultimately intersect with the fourlap Hoka run course. Uh but but closing out these miles you have to expect even the best of the best on the bike are still fairly ready to get off the bike. We all have a sense of okay 180k is still a long time. Even if I make quick work of it, let’s get done and move on. and stretch some different muscles and apply a little bit different force. Absolutely. And I think uh again for if you’re Sam laid low to endure what you have endured thus far on the course and to be in the position that he’s in, I think he has every reason to be grateful and optimistic for how we thought things were going to go. But we’re going to throw it down to our guys uh who are just outside the transition zone. Uh Craig and Fraser throwing to you. Thanks D. Yeah, the excitement’s really building down here Freys. We’re right next to transition and the crowds building. It’s about five or six deep. We can see the line the streets being lined down the prominard to Anglay and this race is certainly delivered. I cannot wait for this marathon. Oh, it’s getting pretty exciting. I I I maybe a bit too much of I had to run through there and the there’s some deep crowds out there in their building. It’s it’s Yeah, it’s it’s palpable. That is too much information, but thank you for that. like this. We’re on that flat fast run in to T2. Now they’ve they’ve been up on the maritime Alps. Now they’re back at sea level. They’re on the Mediterranean. And by hook or by crook, we’ve come back to a group of five at the front of the race. Yeah, it’s interesting. They’ve come back down into that flat section where we had Yan Yan and he said that when he raced here two years ago, he sort of referred to that dip when you come off the descent into the this absolute flat section that follows the the riverbed. I believe um as like the cafe leg syndrome, you know, that feeling of oh, you know, I’m feeling a bit flat. I’m feeling a bit dead and like sort of get me off the bike type feeling. Yeah, it’s a great description. But it doesn’t look like any of these gentlemen are suffering from the cafe legs. I think everyone who’s ridden a bike knows what that feels like. But I guess we’re about to find out. I mean, it’s not it’s not terribly hot down here, but the temperatures are starting to get up. We we’re going to find out very shortly who has managed themselves well through this bike course, who’s been right on point with their pacing, the hydration, and their fueling strategies. Yeah. And I think what I I am looking forward to or will find most telling and interesting is that you know these fourlap courses are quite unusual in a marathon. I mean I’ve been to Frankfurt a number of times and that also is a four lap and it’s I find it a great distance to watch a marathon over because you can really sort of you know it’s basically four 10k loops right you sort of you can most of us are familiar with running a 10k so you can sort of think right what sort of time are they going to knock out this first lap in and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re moving. Yeah, if we cast our mind back two years, the bike course record set by Sam Lelo was a 431. And I’m not sure I think these guys are going to get pretty close to that. And and it will be Lelo, of course, because he was the furthest back out of the swim. So, I mean, let’s talk about these average speeds on this course with, you know, over 2,400 m of elevation gain to average 40 km an hour, 25 mph. That that is swift. I mean, it’s mindboggling. I mean, you’re right. Absolutely. 40 km an hour gives you a 4 hour 30 marathon bike Iron Man bike split and it’s just look that’s a fast time or once upon a time was a very fast time on a flat course. Now we’re talking about on one of the most demanding technical you know elevation gain courses that we have on the circuit. So um and with that comes all the technical bike handling that’s required too. And that doesn’t mean you’re always going fast either although you might assume it does. Um, yeah, it’s just really mindboggling keeps keeps coming to mind, but that is how I feel. I’m I’m I’m feeling watching this race. Every time we get close-ups of these guys, they they all look composed. They all look like they’re on top of their fueling, their hydration, um, you know, their movements on the bike, their posture hasn’t really changed. Has anything you’ve seen in the last 30 minutes changed your opinion for how this marathon’s going to play out? Good question. Um, I mean, I suppose what you’re highlighting there is what we’ve talked about all through this. You know, we had our three Iron Man World Championship rookies. Um, but none of these athletes are, you know, none of these athletes is are on their first rodeo, right? So, invite run, they know their way around it. Of course, on an Iron Man, the nutrition, like you say, matters so much more. Holding position on the bike and being in a comfortable position matters so much more. I would be interested to see how Sam Sam was stretching his back when we saw him leave T1. We wondered if that was the reason that caused the issues in the swim. So, you know, we’ll find out soon enough if he can run. Yeah, I think we’ve got a fair idea of what KB is going to do in this marathon. Probably Casper Storis as well. I’m really excited to see what Sam Lelo can do after the trials and tribulations he’s had. And and also Martin Van Real. I think he’s he’s still the X-factor in this race. So, a lot to look forward here. Um, as we throw back to you guys in the studio, Michael and Dee, they’re about to hit T2. Thank you so much, Craig. Thanks, Fraser. Great stuff as always, DD. An overhead shot of these athletes as they finish this Zoot bike course. And it it really is staggering that 40 kilometers an hour is something that is within the realm of many of these athletes really close to it. And Martin Van Real at the front of the group trying to come in here and be the first off the bike. Uh then we will see what happens on that run. We absolutely will. And I I’m just going back not only to before this race started, but to the pre-race press conference where a lot of our top contenders were asked, “What sort of a gap do you need to Patrick Langa?” Right? That was everyone’s focus, like how much time do you need ahead of Langa in order to win this race? And we can throw that playbook out. I mean, they’ve got it. Yeah, they do. Right. I mean, just hasn’t played out the way we saw it playing out. And a lot of our favorites just not not factoring in. I mean, we’ve got Rudy von Berg um fourth here two years ago, third a year ago in Kona. He’s 1042 back. He can he can have a solid run, run his way possibly onto the podium, but so many things have happened that have just been, as always in Iron Man racing, a little topsyturvy. I mean, to your point, a 100red miles into the race, Patrick Longo was 19 minutes down. Not a surmountable lead or that is an insurmountable lead, either way you want to read it. Uh, but yeah, great points. I mean, this surprises these things happen, it’s the nature of Iron Man. One thing that also happens here on the Kotur is crowds come out and they watch this show. Look at either side of that narrow strip. these cyclists coming through and those folks have been waiting in the heat, the warmth of the day here to watch the superstars of Iron Man come off the bike. And then just to the other side of that median, DD, that’s where they’re going to be doing four laps for the Hoka run course. 42.2 kilometers or a full 26.2 mile marathon. It’s almost here. Seems a little crazy. Let’s do it. It is absolutely when we talk about that fourlap run. I think that plays to the benefit of some of the stronger runners, right? They get to you’re going to see your competition constantly, right? You’re out, turn around, back, turn around, out, turn around. These guys are going to be getting so much data, not only from seeing their competitors on the course, but from the literally thousands of spectators who are going to be screaming splits at them almost every step of this marathon course. So, some of the stronger runners are really licking their chops here. This isn’t this isn’t a race where guys, you know, that that are maybe off the front can sort of run in high. You’re on full display and I think the runners are just going to be, you know, pounding their chest to be like, “Yeah, I’m going to I’m going to let you know every single 5K exactly how much damage I’m doing to you.” There you go. And that’s Yes. Well said. I I think of Oh, those poor athletes that love the kind of course where you get to go out and be on your own, run and hide. um or or just even if you’re dominating, you feel great. You’re not hiding, but you’re just alone. You talk you talk about those elements of the Kona course where you’re really in that solitude. You just you don’t have that here at all. And that’s and that’s from uh all angles. You’re you’re at, as you said, the athletes and the spectators and the volunteers. You’re just it’s always noise. What a great contrast to the bike course where they have been sort of on their own given the remote nature of a lot of those roads. It’s really difficult for supporters and spectators to get out there to give them love, give them support, give them a split, give them information and make it back. You just can’t do that. So, I think after being on their own for the last, you know, four and a halfish hours, uh, they will welcome a bit of company from the crowds probably. So, here we have, and look, you can see that you’ve got Van Real, then Laidlo, then Nick Thompson has jumped in front of Christian Blumenfeld. So, interestingly enough, the the young Aussie decided that he was really going to gun over that last little segment of the race. Vanreal into transition, still with the helmet, has discarded the bike. Uh, now you’ve got Blumenfeld together with Gustaf Eden and Casper Storz, the three Norwegians. Just another training day, the training partners. And maybe Nick Thompson didn’t pass. maybe uh Blumenfeld conceded, you know, and said, “Let’s let’s come together, my my three my three Norwegian or my two friends, my my threesome.” So, here’s what’s cool. We now have the foot race we’ve been waiting for. At least I have since basically the gun went off. Mount Martin Van Real the first and the Wahoo Element Bold first off the bike time. Stamp stamped it 4:3148. Again, that is the time. We talked about how laidlo was 431 last year 28 43128 was that course record. So uh 10 seconds over that but I mean that’s that’s first off the bike. That’s not the fastest split. So did uh laid low best his own yes he did 42929. Uh Nick Thompson also under that previous course record as well. So Van Real getting his run back first and taking a seat as Laidlo is in. Nick Thompson is in. And then the three Norwegians lock step together. And this is Fen Real just looking to the side seeing who’s coming and uh not too impressed as he pulls on his socks because this I think the fighters love this fight, right? The runners love this run. And uh we’re going to see as we started the day talking about fireworks DD, we’re going to see fireworks. Some of these athletes going to want to insert assert themselves at the very outset of the marathon. Others are going to say, I’m not too worried about what happens right now because I’m going to blow out the 230. I’m going to do that. Who who else is coming with me? So it’s Van Real and Laidlo first out of transition. And they will run out shoulderto-shoulder laid low tucking in some nutrition there. Running through a quick aid station. Get a gulp of water on board as Van Real makes some adjustments here. Uh getting that run watch on. The rest of the guys making their way out of transition. Looks like Christian Blumenfeld has made himself a little bit more arrow with the shaved head. That’s good for running. That’s that’s a good move. He’s got the hat on and the two Norwegians head out shoulderto-shoulder. And this is when you do say, “Hey, another training day, at least for now.” Yeah. So, the the two have history, right? Each one has won um Iron Man World title uh at a minimum. Each one has excelled, won obviously the Olympic champion, Christy Bfeld. These guys have the accolades. They’re racing now for the absolute glory of today. And I do think you’re going to see um that camaraderie and that friendship and that partnership with those two really bolster them until the gloves come off with five or six or 8k to go. Well, and that’s what we saw, you know, the year that Gustaf won in Kona. He was running shoulder-to-shoulder with Christian. Uh and we everyone was saying, “Oh, well, Christian’s won this race before.” But that was that year it was Gustaf’s turn. Gustaf took um took the victory and I think we’re seeing uh the Gustaf Eden of old. He’s proven that uh his form and fitness and and mental game is absolutely back on track. You’re you’re not wrong. We’ll find out. These two still shoulder shoulder. Sam laid low with the bucket hat keeping the sun off of Van Real a standard full white cap. Neither with a visor, neither with exposed skin on top. Sam tucking bottles into the kit. uh a move patented and made by Patrick Langa back in the day uh in Kona 17 or 18 when he came in and was was establishing that this could be a place to kangaroo pouch your fluids. Um and everyone’s like, “Wow, that’s a good idea.” Hey, why not? Now we all do it. And now we’ve got Magnus Ditlev coming off representing Denmark and uh you have to assume not where he had hoped to be with the deficit with these guys already out into that first kilometer but nonetheless the champions uh heart will enable him to to press on and and have a great race. Uh Dee quickly how much of this is running scared and how much of this is running confidently? Where are we at on the scale there? Uh, I would say, well, I mean, for both of these guys, it’s it’s Martin Vin Real doesn’t have a lot of iron mans under his belt, right? So, I don’t want to say he’s running scared, but he’s running a little bit into the unknown. I would say Lelo knows exactly what’s coming behind him. I don’t think he had the time gaps that he would have liked. Um, to either Gustaf Eden or Christian Blumenfeld, to be honest. Um, so I don’t want to say he’s scared. He is not an athlete that bikes backs down from a fight. Uh but yeah, I would say if I had to pick one, he’s running more scared than running confident when you’ve got Christian Bloomfelt. Um you know, who’s had the the put up the run splits that he has. Those are not splits that we’ve seen out of Sam Lelo ever. Um and Martin Van Real again, the question mark as we check in with our race weather presented by our friends at ROA. Uh air temperature now at 80° Fahrenheit. That’s 27° uh Celsius. It says overclass overcast clouds. Easy for me to say. Uh it doesn’t necessarily look that way. That sun looks pretty pretty strong. Uh the UV index at 4.6. Humidity has dropped to 53% and there is not a stitch of wind out there. As we look at Van Real uh sitting on the shoulder of Sam Laidlo, uh he took second in Kona and then won here. Laid low and then and then in Kona 18. This time he is in the driver’s seat for now as the Norwegians head out. Uh I don’t want to say shoulderto-shoulder, but uh Gustaf Eden doing the pace setting of the two right now. They are only uh a handful of seconds uh behind. And I think uh Nick Thompson is somewhere in that mix as well. actually know Gustaf and Christian have gone past Nick Thompson as we have Riddle coming in here with Magnus Ditv. They are into transition now together, the two of them. And the South African who led for so long as part of that trio that led for so long. Uh he looks sharp. He looks good. He looks ready for the challenge. Ditv also looking good. Um and DD I just want to kind of talk about these two guys here on camera. Van Real, when you talk about his 238 that he did in South Africa, that was 6 months ago. Yep. And in a completely different set of competitive circumstances, it earned him second place. But when you see that 238, if you if you forget about any sort of injury or downtime, is he capable of five or six minutes faster today or is it more of the same 238? You know, one would I almost don’t even want to say this because I’ll be wrong. One would assume that in his Iron Man in South Africa, he’s been a little conservative, right? Did no iron man experience, right? I’m not going to I’m going to try to get my slot. I I don’t know what’s in front of me. I’m not going to hit the ball out of the park necessarily. Um so now he sort of has a feel of it a little bit. Okay. Uh might know what’s possible. Five or six minutes is an awful lot. That’s a lot to shave off uh on a marathon. Different course, different circumstances, different level of competition. I don’t want to say it’s not possible. Um I don’t know that it’s extremely likely as we watch Jonas Shamberg uh making his way into transition uh all on his own. He’s given up quite a bit of time uh in the last I’m going to say 40k of the bike. Uh we had Magnus and Jamie Riddle in. Okay, we’re about 6 minutes down and Shawn Berg will come in um yeah 822 down off the lead. So these two that you see on camera have run in their opening kilometer the same pace uh and through that first split that we saw the Norwegian duo run. So each of them kind of each of those two groups running about the same pace. Um as we do see Matthew Mark come off the bike looking typically as he does a little bit crunched up trying to open up and stretch out the body. Uh but I feel like that’s pretty darn close still. He’s in a good spot. Definitely in a good place to move up the ranks. as we take a look at our three fastest transition times uh presented by our friends at Ruby. Sam Lelo at 207, Martin Van Real at 214, and Gustaf Eden at 220. Again, that’s amongst our contenders. There might be faster transitioners coming in, but uh for now, those are our three fastest transition times. So looking here at a nice overhead shot pulling away from uh Laidlo and Van Real just to give you that perspective of what it approximately 20 seconds looks like. That’s Eden with Blumenfeld. They are obviously running their pace and I think it has to be fairly difficult to run your pace and also look up the road and see that gap because the uh the competitive mind says just eliminate the gap right now. Go get them right now. But ultimately you have to listen to what feels like uh the reasonable voice which is just run your pace. You’ll catch them. As we zip back there to Casper Sternes and here’s Mark Ward. Yeah, he’s looking he’s looking he’s a little bit of a wse in the face, but um not necessarily surprising. The legs probably feeling a little beat up for a lot of these athletes. It’ll take, you know, a K or two to find that rhythm, find that groove. Uh but a couple of winces on the face of Markwart, but it’s certainly not uh the debilitating cramps we’ve seen him with coming out of the swim. Uh so again, he’ll hopefully shake those off. uh he rounded out our top 10 into uh T2. So, Matthew Markwart will make his way out onto the Hoka Run course momentarily. Just another uh update, an athlete we had hoped to see run his way not into contention for the win, but potentially into contention for a top 10, top 15 uh was Jason West, but we’ve gotten word from the course that Jason West has pulled from the race as we watch Rudy von Berg uh top off some water, make his way into transition. Again, not in a position uh that Rudy would have envisioned for himself, but uh we’ll see how he plays the cards that uh he’s been dealt on this day. And we look at the progression, the forward progress every Iron Man athlete or every athlete wants. You want to go from fourth here two years ago to third in Kona and then go to second. You don’t like backststepping, but in the end, that’s a part of the journey sometimes. And I think for Rudy vonberg to come in here and come off the bike and do maybe a turnaround and have the best run you’ve ever had could be extremely even more valuable uh than any than a successful more productive maybe not as satisfying. Uh but I think there’s still a lot of victory um in the potential there for for Rudy von Bird. Yeah, definitely. I mean he is uh off the bike in 11th place. He’s got Christian Hoganhog uh just about 30 seconds behind him. A and for Rudy, I think it’s it’s obviously going to be a little disappointing. We had talked so much about how Rudy has such expert knowledge of this course. His family lives on the course. He spends a lot of time training here. Uh we certainly know his bike uh prowess and particularly his technical skills. So to find himself in 11th place uh and to be 11 and a half minutes down, not super ideal. not what what he would have envisioned, but you’ve got to just say to yourself, um, what can I do with this? How far can I run up? How many athletes can I pick off ahead of me? You Yeah, that’s right. And and so these two athletes here running together. You saw a little while ago Sam Lelo talking to uh Martin Van Rio. They were communicating and and then now just looking at the splits, although you don’t have the three Norwegians together, the three Norwegians are all running comparable almost identical kilometer pace. these two uh stride for stride and then Storz just behind this man here as well running pretty much the same pace. Nick Thompson running the same as the first and second place on the road. So these guys are all out there rolling the DDD every single one of them and it’s super fun to watch. And of course much has been said about this uh waterfront marathon course here in Nice. It is spectacularly scenic. But after that bike ride, there is no doubt it is a brutal, brutal ask on the legs as we can see on the faces of some of our competitors making their way into transition. Literally every step of this run is cheered by screaming crowds along the prominade delay. Let’s take a closer look at this stunning final leg of today’s Iron Man World Championship course [Music] to the 2025 Iron Man World Championship here in Nice on the beautiful Kes. Let’s take a look at the Hulkar course. Get ready for a flat and fast marathon lined with cheering spectators from start to finish as the hookar run course spans the iconic prominade des loop 42.2 kilometer or 26.2 mile run tours to famous beach clubs and the cheeses of the French Riviera. In each loop athletes will make a Uturn at the N international airport and have a chance to check in on the competition multiple times. Pros and age groupers alike will get an extra boost from fans and supporters packing the sidelines. Let’s hear what one of the top pros had to say about this special run course. The run course in Nice is four loops. Basically do 5k out, 5k back. Just a very small dog leg on the way back. And the conditions I mean can be quite difficult. Can get very hot along the prominard. Also quite humid. Although there could be a sea breeze, the buildings kind of tend to stop the the wind from coming and so it can get pretty hot and humid out there. But the difficulty of the run has a little bit to do with how hard you went on the on the bike. But equally, it’s a run course where you can’t um there’s no descents. So you if you go over, you’ve gone over, you know, very important to just keep a cap on it for until the last lap. I would say the crowds will definitely keep you going. Uh that’s the good thing about this course is that this crowd’s whole way along pretty much. That’s your Hoka run course. That is the Hoka run course. And this is what we’ve all been waiting for. The two Norwegians from third and fourth coming into first and second. It’s a bunch of athletes together and DD Sam laid low still in front coming into this a station. Martin Van Real pouring water on his head. Then Gustav Eden in third. Really the power position or is that power position held by the man in the back Christian Blumenfeld? This is the moment we’ve waited for. You know, it absolutely is and one has to want to crawl inside of the mind of Christian Blumenfeld and and say, you know, are you just playing with them? Uh, again, on paper, has the fastest run splits of this group. Although Gustaf Eden, we haven’t seen Gustaf Eden at his true self in his true form for three years now. So, uh, Gustaf Eden proving that he is back on form as well. We’ve seen hints of it with a great performance at Oceanside earlier this year and then a fourth place finish at Iron Man Frankfurt. So, uh, the progression has been a steady one back to form as the four athletes running now uh, stride for stride. All four of them look smooth. Each of them running their own style, their own uh, form. But Dee, you know what? This is where if I’m looking at each of these athletes in particular, starting with Blumenfeld, he knows his training partner very well, he knows that Gustaf Eden is back in better form than he’s been in, as is Storz’s just a few steps back. But here’s what I feel like. In the world of athletics, in the world of competitive iron man racing, there’s still something that you hold over someone when you’ve got that more recent dominant history. And I think so when Bloomfeld’s there standing behind look he’s like hey we caught him. He’s still in there going like I’ve got you Eden. You know we’re my guy and we’re going to go through this together but right now I’m on top. You’ve got to kick me off the top. Well and I guess my question becomes as we watch uh Sam Long make his way into transition here. And that’s Leon Shiovalier off of his shoulder. Certainly not the performance from Shiovalier that we would have expected on the bike. Uh he is an athlete that we would have thought would have biked his way a little bit further forward into the race but got good company with Sam Long. But my thought process with Blumenfeld and Eden in particular, when does that partnership when does that this is my training partner uh we’re going to do this damage to this field together become a battle in and of itself? At the at the at the end when you know at the end when there’s Yeah. because the someone will someone will it’s sort of like someone will find that energy advantage at some point. Someone will have that shift and when that happens I think it’ll be seven to 9 miles towards the end. You’re going to just start to see a little break. It could happen earlier but realistically I think it’s later. I think it’s at that ending point where someone just has that power shift and they capitalize. Am I wrong? Possibly. Let’s find out who’s going to come out on top. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] You know, and we know the thing about challenging yourself is you’re always looking for what’s next. [Music] It’s the beauty of Oman, our tradition. Our hospitality, the sounds of limitless opportunities to explore. [Music] Listen, it’s Oman. The Iron Man World Championship is brought to you by Oman. Beauty has an address. Endurance has a destination. Experience Oman and by Morton. Get used to it. Dei, we’ve got four runners here at the front of the race. The two Norwegians, Gustaf Eden and Kristen Blumenfeld, did a solid effort, just a subtle but solid effort to catch back up and that’s just where they paused. So again, tactically when you were talking about laid low on the bike, how why didn’t he just take a breather when he caught up? Well, that’s exactly what these two appear to be doing is they make that first turn ahead back to the start of this loop. They’ve done just over 5k and uh it appears that they’re doing that just kind of re not necessarily regrouping because I don’t think they overextended but really just biting their time. And I think again the two up front when you look at laid low and Van Real, they’re just doing what what do you do? You’re just doing what you did. You’re just staying with the pace and not trying to panic. Yeah. I think, you know, again, I I am no Sam Lelo, but if I’m Sam Lelo, I’m sweating it a little bit. I’m like, well, if you’re going to run by me, just run by me. Don’t play don’t play with me like that. As we look at Patrick Langa um make his way into transition in 33rd place. He is 20 minutes and 44 seconds back. So, not the day for Patrick Langa, but no doubt he’s going to get so much support out there and he is going to do everything in his power to run absolutely as far up in the standings as he can. Yeah. And this could be a case where you’re out so so much out of it that then you whip off that run that does give you a time that maybe softens the blow of of losing your title defense. Uh but you never know. I mean, everyone has to draw upon a motivation at some point or another. Uh, these four up front sure look fantastic. And this guy, Casper Storz, he kind of got left behind, but he’s not getting left behind, right? He’s it just a bit of time in transition and now he’s just running incredibly. And then the Aussie Nick Thompson. Wow. This guy just again, no company, doesn’t matter. Just looks great. Yeah, he does look very good. He’s 43 seconds back. Uh, now Stor was about 8 seconds back. So, a little bit in closer touch. And when you’re that just that 8 seconds back, correct me if I’m wrong, Michael, but you just kind of want to be up there, right? Not because it’s any kind of advantage, although I think it is a little bit to just be able to focus on the shoulders in front of you and just lock into that and think about nothing else other than match the pace with the guy in front of you. Match the pace with the guy in front of you. And that eight seconds, it looks like he is pulling that back in because again, just to be a part of this train, I think is an advantage to let somebody else set the pace at the front. You get to sort of tune out to pace and just race the race and forget about the pace. You’re just focused on the athlete in front. Match his footfalls. Yes. And then here’s the counterpoint only because it’s fun to have a counterpoint. When you’re chasing, there’s a power. And and and I think for a lot of runners, some none, there’s no power. But this man right here, he gets to focus and see what they’re doing. He gets to be chasing. There’s a carrot, there’s a rabbit. All that to say, you know, when he catches up, he probably will feel a little bit less burdened. Uh but I think hunters like to hunt, and I think that’s what Storess is doing right now. Just have to give a counter point. Well, again, fair fair point. We’ll see what he does when he gets back on, assuming he does get back onto the back of this pack. Wouldn’t it be great if he just blew by? If he just blew right through. It was like later boys. All mad that he got left behind. But yeah, so Sam Lelo in front. Mark Van Real in second. Just off the left shoulder, we have Gustaf Eden. And then just off Eden’s right shoulder is Christian Blumenfeld. Storz just picking up those couple strides and catching on, latching on, proving that you’re right, Dee. He just he needs that momentum. And then uh realistically the cameraman I’d say probably struggling to to keep the wheels turning over to stay up. And how great is that the Norwegian flag there on the side of the course with three Norwegians uh in the top uh five guys here at the Iron Man World Championship. That’s uh that’s pretty thrilling. Yeah, easy stuff if you’re from Norway. He just kept he he’s like, “Look, I’ve got good odds of finding some people if I have this flag at the front of the race.” Uh Nick Thompson here a little bit solo but a little bit impressive just running kind of head down and floating. Looks pretty good. Uh I’d say even looks great as he manages these opening KS. Remember folks we’re 5 hours and 44 minutes into the Iron Man World Championship here in Nice. The men uh competitive men, professional and amateur from all over the world are uh duking it out here on this historic and legendary course. Dee, it’s been about what we promised. Fireworks start to finish. This is what we all wanted. We all love a good shoulder shoulder, headto-head, mono ammono, toeto toe race. And you know what? That’s what’s happening. Yeah. We’ve got toe to toe to toe to toe to toe. Uh and now we’re actually going to throw it down to our guy Fraser who’s out on the course. Fraser, where are you and when are those guys going to get to you? [Music] Oh, thank you, Dee. Well, I think I’m about 3/4 of a mile. We didn’t quite have the GPS on when we walked out, but roughly 3/4 of a mile according to the tracker. That makes sense. Um, I have just seen Patrick Langer literally run past me. So, that gives you an idea of how many athletes have run past. But my word, it’s really the crowds are building. It’s actually really quite windy out here and they’re going to get a real stiff headwind now on the run back in towards the finish of the lap. They’re getting a pretty nice handy push on the way out. So, it’ll be interesting to start see the differential and splits on those those out and backs. Well, now we’ve got Nick Thompson again solo looking down, taking the legs over pretty well, I will say, Dee, and this man again, it comes back to that question that you asked. Uh, does he need the company? Would he do better with the company? Is he better chasing? He’s all alone. Well, to to that point, and and Fraser can can certainly confirm this on the way back into town if the headwind is a factor. probably part of the reason that Storus wanted so badly to get on the back of this group and why we may not see any lead changes until they head back out again. Just let Lelo sit in the front and do the work into the headwind section. Yeah, fair enough. I mean, that’s that’s definitely a thing. I I personally kind of also value on a warmer day the breeze hitting you, cooling you a bit, but certainly drafting on the run, breaking that wind is a thing. Um, you can see them now and the palm trees indicate that the winds in their face and they’re sort of echeloned out there but to either side it looks awesome though. I mean there I cannot count that many races where in an Iron Man at any point I have five true contenders together. Um, and this is three of our four Iron Man World Championship title holders right there. DD we’re only missing Patrick Longa. So that’s telling you that that there’s contenders. Then we’ve got our three-time Olympian and we’ve got Casper Storzes. So, realistically, this is um this is a dream come true for those of us that like to watch a big battle and like to watch a race play out. Um I’m tickled to see it. And uh and there’s still three and a half laps, folks. To those of you that are watching here along with at the bottom of your screen, you’ll see that Hoka run course uh graphic. You’ll see that we’re approaching the turnaround. That begins lap two. Uh, but we do have three identical 10k plus a little over 10k laps. Look, look at how smart these guys are. You can see the like the angle of the wind and they’re angling it to protect themselves from the wind. So smart, so thoughtful, conserving every ounce of energy that they can. Um, and now we’ve got Vanreal going to the front and uh Sam Lelo saying, “Hey, I’m not going to do the work. I’m going to tuck in as well.” So, the wind definitely a factor down there and these guys are playing to that and uh trying to tuck in behind one another to to escape from it. That’s right. With the uh the the breeze there coming offshore and uh yes, a true echelon as though it were a bike race. Uh finding that gutter, if you will, getting uh getting in. And I think what Van Real has actually done very smartly is he’s moved all the way to the left. He’s minimized that draft. Did you notice now, Dee, it’s straight line. Um, if if these were cycling tactics, he did exactly what you’re supposed to do. You pu you push those guys into the gutter and say, “Sorry, your draft is going to be as small as I can make it.” But each of these men looks great now with Sam Lello in the back of that five. And then the lone soldier here plugging along in blue. Also, kudos again to this man. Uh, we talked about his mustache. Okay, I talked about his mustache, but I also want to say he’s the guy that’s not in the triathlon camouflage. Full blue, easy to find, easy to spot. Thank you. That mustache is one that would make even our own Matt Leato blush a little bit. So, uh, yeah, credit to him, although leaking a couple of seconds. He went from 45 just to 53. So, not significant, but just bleeding a little bit uh on his own, a little bit out of sight, out of mind, perhaps locking into his own pace, fighting the wind on his own. Matt never blushes. And then also aerodynamics. Maybe that’s where he lost those two seconds. The mustache could have uh other implications. But no, this is I I think it’s not we’re not at the end of the race, right? We’re still completing lap one, but I will say that when we talked about does Martin Van Real still have signs and pain of that injury from the ankle, it sure doesn’t look like it. There’s no lip, there’s no limp, there’s no uh hitch in the giddy up. He looks great. very smooth. He’s forward on the forefoot. A very quick turnover. I mean, I think he looks better than everyone else at this point. I mean, he certainly doesn’t look worse. No, he doesn’t. He looks I mean, he looks great. Yeah, if there were any question, absolutely no hitch in his giddy up whatsoever. Uh no indication uh that he is struggling or suffering at all. So now the question becomes later into the marathon, do those missed miles start to leave a mark? But at this point, no agree 100%. Uh Martin Van Real uh looking absolutely fantastic. But again, on paper, we come back to the fact that Christian Blumenfeld has turned in run splits that are in the in the realm of three, four, five minutes faster than all of the guys that he’s running with. You know, again, minus Gustaf because he’s been a bit of a question mark these past few years. Um, so is Christian Bloomingfeld just Biden his time? One would have to think kind of yes. Yeah, I think so. And and I think he’s just a calculated runner. I think when we also look at all these great um runs that we’ve seen out of Blumenfeld, I don’t think we’ve ever seen him truly pressed like he he ultimately could be like truly pressed. You look at and I always go back and say, you know, Dave and Mark, right? They pushed each other side by side, shoulder to shoulder. The greatness comes from when greatness tackles greatness. But let’s just rush on down to Frasier Cartell, who is on the street, the prominade, Desang Glasier, share it with us. Take it away. Well, um, Michael, I’m still patiently waiting here. I see that they’ve gone through the 7.7 kilometer tracker point, so I don’t have eyes on them yet. I can see nothing but straight line as you can imagine. That’s pretty much all the prominade gives us. Um so yeah, I I don’t expect them to be very long at all. But um I didn’t quite hear the the full broadcast until we got here. But I’m sure you guys touched on the fact that Casper must have had to work like a bear to get back on and catch those guys because the benefit of being tucked in behind the um the other four guys with this headwind will will will surely pay dividends for him. So, um I I can imagine that was um fairly pressing on his mind on that first outward outward 5k stretch. Um what do you guys think? Yeah, we talked about the strategy um and that it did look like he was trying to pull himself back on. Of course, we didn’t know uh the conditions down on course as you were able to provide for us that the wind uh that headwind back into town is definitely a factor. So, a really smart and thoughtful move. While could potentially be costly, yeah, if he had to if he had to burn a match to get back on, he’s certainly reaping the benefit of it uh by being able to be in this group into the headwind. Yes. And now we’ve got Gustaf Eden who has popped himself up in front and realistically into that wind pushing in front of Martin uh Van Real with with Goo uh sorry with Blumenfeld just in third position there. I think this is all just the get it done, right? I mean, this is us. Well, now we’ve seen Storzes jump in front of Lelo. We’d seen that happening. Uh, but I think this is just I mean, DD, I don’t know exactly if this is the way to say it, but this is just you have to put these miles in. This is not the race. This is not where you win it or lose it. This is where you just are trying to advance the pieces down the road. You’re just you’re pushing pushing uh the pieces around the chessboard trying not to lose a queen realistically trying to keep all the firepower for the end. And it’s it’s not at all to belittle it, but it really is just something where you have to b your time, take your fuel, keep the pacing, don’t get carried away, uh and make a stupid mistake. I think the the Norwegians have even said it before. I will kick I will kick myself forever if I if I screw up the strategy because the fitness is there. So I I can’t screw up the strategy. And right now we’re taking a look at uh Magnus Ditlev uh who again this is where conditions like this are not going to favor our gentle giant uh running into a headwind uh solo effort there. So um Magnus looking not bad. I wouldn’t say as good as some of these guys are looking, but he is a taller stature athlete. So, he’s not going to have the the the turnover, the stride rate uh that some of these guys are going to have. So, Magnus uh getting it done back there uh fighting the fight. He’s such a beautiful runner though in that in that way you don’t really expect. He’s just got the slow and low uh leg turnover that just looks so smooth, I believe. But we are preparing ourselves uh to get Yeah, you can see the athletes going the other way, right, Dee? You can see our men here that we’re with heading back into town and Storess just getting that gap again. But we’re going to zip over to Fraser and be ready for him uh to give us the action uh on the street. So Frasier, maybe now’s the time. You can see him or you can’t see him, but prep us for it and give it all you got. Well, we can’t quite see them, but we can see some headlights of the moto, so you know, that gets exciting. Um, they’re not far. 3 400 meters, they’re coming. I mean, obviously they’re coming. Um, yeah, maybe not quite as quick as they’re going to be going in the other direction cuz I know I keep saying it, it’s a strong wind. Um, it’s definitely going to it’s definitely going to be an an attritional marathon for sure. Um, yeah, you you know um you guys are going to um Yeah, I amum There we go. Sorry, I was just Yeah, definitely can see the moto coming and I can see the This is so reminiscent of watching um you know a world triathon or an ITU race of old. It’s just what do you want to see when you see a good running race. You want to see a group, you want to see tactics and this is everything of that. Um yeah, I’m actually a little bit speechless that we’re getting to witness this at World Championships. And Fraser, you’re you’re not you’re in good company there to become speechless because we all want this. We all I mean, honestly, there’s a part of me that wants to be speechless and just watch it and listen in and see if there’s any conversing or any sounds that we can pick up. Um, obviously that is a technical demand that we would place on our cameramen. That is very difficult. Sorry to in there, Michael, but they are on me right. They are on me now. Here we go. We have got looking super smooth. Sam is right on the shoulder. Chris in behind. And actually, surprisingly, we have Casper off the back and Martin. I don’t want to say if he’s been distanced. I don’t want to say if he’s starting to be dropped off, but you know, we all know that he’s had struggles with his running. So, time will tell on the next lap. But look, those um those two in the front, Gustav and Christian, looked Oh, they looked super super smooth. Fraser being for you guys. Being down on the street level, Fraser, is there anything you saw in their eyes? Like you get a you get a look into their faces as they came by? Anybody looking more more warm than anybody else or anybody really with that I hate to use the expression eye of the tiger? Uh that you get a little tickle in your belly that wow, this one’s on to something. Oh, sure did. You know, I know exactly what you mean. Um and you know what, that was just sort of steely focus on all of them. Maybe a little bit there. It was hard to gas as they came past because they did come past so quick. They’re moving. Um maybe Casper looked a little bit more gassed. Um but he’s just had to put that effort in. But no, um Gustaf and Christian super smooth. Um Martin maybe just being a little bit more um observational, a little bit more aware of his surroundings, which you know, to be fair could be a good thing. So yeah, time will tell. Back to you guys. Thanks Frasier. And I tell you what, the the Norwegians are making that Sam Lelo sandwich right now. And I think if there’s at all, and this again is not belittling Lelo’s running, but to see that is the surprise to see of the of the five of them that we’re seeing him remain in there. It’s so tenacious. And again, it speaks to his ability to overcome that that bad start and a great bike and then now come in here with a run. Will he stay in that sandwich? Will the Norwegians drop him? We will find out. Please don’t go away. Welcome to the world’s best airline, where your journey is five-star, and so is your Wi-Fi. Experience the fastest connection in the sky with Starlink. And best of all, it’s free for all passengers. So why settle for less when you deserve the best? [Music] We’re not here to sell you on this life. You already chose it. No shortcuts, no hype, just work. Same as you. Built to outlast, endure. 40 years in and we’re just getting warmed up. Welcome to the Ohana. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] Right here on the prominina Deson Gllay, we have the action that we’ve been waiting for. We have those breaks. Martin Van Real finally showing a little bit of a [ __ ] in the armor getting dispatched. And then of course we come here with Jamie Riddle and uh Yonas Stroberg. These two so much time together on the bike, but that is not the essence of the race right now. The essence of the race, these guys are cracking it out extremely well. Very impressed by these young men just getting it done as Iron Man World Championship rookies. This is the exciting point. We saw laid low briefly at the front as Eden came to the back and Blumenfeld sort of waited for him and then boom they just blew it up. The Norwegians making their move. Van Real first guy to slip off where Storis is coming back in. But this is the break D. This is when I was saying hey it’s going to happen later. They’re they’re putting a punch in now. A couple of slugs. They’re going to gap everyone and then we’ll see them probably settle and hold a rhythm for maybe that middle lap. But this is it DD. This is the Norwegian onetwo punch. Gustaf Eden in front through this aid station and Christian Blumenfeld a very close second at the moment. You know for is a little bit heartbroken and I’m not saying that this move is going to stick forever. Although it seems likely that uh it is a pretty aggressive move. A little bit heartbroken for Sam Lelo who battled so hard after the setbacks in the swim. Um but uh again to see team Norway doing their thing here, it’s not a huge gap there um to laid low, but to to reel that back in um it is going to be a tall order, but my literally heart is like soaring out of my chest to see Gustaf Eden uh running at the front of the Iron Man World Championship after the hardship he’s suffered the last few years, the injuries, the setbacks. to see him back on form is just amazing. I I love seeing this because I love competition and and I think that that is the type of pass or I would say that is a drop uh that you don’t come back from. So, this is not even a direct hit on Sam Lelo. This is a direct hit on when you’re in a race like this and you just you you see a move like that in Iron Man racing, you just don’t re you rarely see that uh overturned. And so I think that’s a decisive blow uh to the Frenchman. I’m very happy to see, as you said, his fight that he even came back because I I for one thought as soon as I saw him come out of the swim that far back, I thought he’s going to drop. I mean, I just felt like this is he’s he’s injured. He’s off there. I thought there was something dramatically wrong. He has already proven me so wrong and he’s still in this race in very good placement. But these two men, that’s the race right now. And I think that if I were to throw, you know, a little caution to the wind and predict something, I think Storzes has also gone with his flow and he has said, you know what, those two guys, I’m not going to try that right now. I’m going to sit here in fourth. I’m going to say stay right where I am and then see what I have later. Look at this gap now. I mean, what was just a couple of seconds through that aid station just 90 seconds ago, that’s a lot of daylight there. That’s that’s it. That’s done. That’s massive. Here’s your race right here. Barring disaster or major meltdown, uh, this is your race right here. Norway versus Norway. Training partner versus training partner. Iron Man world champion versus Iron Man world champion. That’s right, Dee. And if you look at these splits on a kilometer average pace, they these two fellas dropped into the low 320s from the low 330s. So, if we’re talking 10 8 to 10 seconds per kilometer, they they literally um just up the Annie. I mean, they they said good night. It doesn’t even have to stick for long. All they have to do is make that break. They can then settle back to the 330s if they want to. [Music] Well, and to make that break and then leave uh Sam Lelo exposed for the headwind section back into town uh is just adding a bit of I’m going to say insult to injury. I mean, lad looks okay. Um I’m I’m going to say he does not look nearly as good uh as Gustaf or Christian at this point. Uh but he’s not looking terrible. No, he’s not. He’s definitely not. And I and I think if you if you really it’s hard to compare the the these these athletes, this is a freight train that has left the station right here. I mean, this is this is the runway and the jets are taking off. And so I’m I’m really going to echo what you said to to watch Gustaf Eden have the few years where he himself and others have really counted him out. I mean, I think he it’s not it’s not unfair to say that he’s not even had the mojo. He’s got it today. And and even if it drops, whatever happens, he’s back. And that’s cool to see today. You could see him just leaning into that pace. And these men are equally, they know each other well, and they are so fit. And that is so clear right now. Well, one thing’s for sure, he’s got to look after that lucky hat uh like it’s made of gold because uh right now it is bringing gold. Good luck to him. Uh, as we look at Storess now going past Sam Ladello, Norway, we we talked about it. Nobody actually thought that it was necessarily a realistic possibility, but do we see Norway Norway Norway? I I it’s such Yes, I think that Yes, we see that it’s happening. I mean, I think that was was kind of uh if you start to put some thoughts in Stores, uh relatively, you know, an iron man rookie still, he kind of got next to Lelo and did the uh for real, like uh am I there? What what do I do now? He broke uh clear. And I and I would say right now you have these three Norwegians in the absolute driver seat. If anything changes and these guys get spit out, it’s because the Iron Man thing happened to them and they just they they had there’s some massive implosion. I don’t see it happening. I think that’s your uh that’s your podium right there. And it’s 20 seconds from Storess up to Eden. One has to wonder if Storess is going to be like, “Hey guys, wait for me again. Like, let me tack back on. Let’s finish this thing out together.” Uh 20 seconds separate Casper Storz from his two countrymen up the road. Although when you look at it from this angle, 20 seconds is an awful long way. You know, and I think I think because we’re so early. Look at the graphic Dee at the bottom. The Hoka run course, we’re not even to the halfway point or or even to the halfway to the halfway, right? We still haven’t got to the turnaround. Here’s what I like for Casper Storins. He can do realistically speaking, he can really focus internally. He’s got that carrot up front. He knows all the world is behind him still, but he I think this is a really promising place for him. Uh because he he is uh training with these guys. He knows them inside and out. He doesn’t have to be there um getting dragged along with them. It it could almost be damaging. So, I think it’s great. Um I it the thing that would would not surprise me is if is if somebody cramped or or had an issue and Storis came through and we saw the the Norwegian triumphirate come strong but the order changed well again and let’s remember uh Casper Storis another one of our Iron Man world championship rookies uh one of the 21 rookies again Martin Van Real another one of our rookies as well uh so the rookie story continuing to play out as well. I love the rookie story because I do think there’s some uh level of of not even comfort but uh sort of brash confidence of being ignorant of what of what this I mean that’s not even fair. This guy’s raced so such you know elite competition on so many distances but just there is no matter how you treat it there’s a special sauce that comes with the Iron Man World Championship that that just adds greater implications. The same thing that’s causing this man to keep fighting. Yes. He’s not listening to our soundtrack. He’s playing his own. He’s turning down us. He’s turning up. I can still win this thing. Yep. He literally in his head is a picture of how these guys are taking it out too hard. They’re going to melt down. They’re going to cramp. They’re going to, you know, um all the all the evil things are going to befall the guys in front of him. Uh he is absolutely still in this thing. Golly, Gustaf Eden looks good to me. Like he just looks I mean, not that Christian Blumenthal looks bad, but just Gustaf looks so in control and calm. Uh, relaxed. Uh, he has missed this moment for the last three years and he’s he’s getting the moment back. He He’s That’s old school Eden. That that’s that’s how he looked when he won here for the 70.3 Worlds. This that’s his uh Kona form. Um, I’m with you. He he looks great. Um, and then if I’m still if I’m betting, I just think that that Blumenfeld has, you know, we’ve seen his his bad day. We’ve seen him vomiting in Kona. We’ve seen him hurting. We’ve seen him struggling. Right now, he’s too good. I just see such fluidity to his running form. I see him checking the splits. He’s being diligent and smart. I mean, you know what? It’s too early to predict, but I’m calling KB then Eden, then Storz. Hey, you know what? I’d even bet an athletic brewing on it. At least one or two. All right. Well, you heard it from Michael Lovado. He’s he’s back in Christian Blumenfelt with Gustaf Eden second. Casper Stor is third. You know, it’s it for me it’s too tough to call. I think Gustaf looks just so so good. And I think he’s got three years of you doubted me. I knew I was coming back. I am back. I am not losing this thing. He said pre-race he he was here to win. He thought he could win. Uh he’s backing himself here and he knows what form these that’s the thing that makes this so unbelievable is that these two know each other as well as two competitors could possibly know one another. There are no secrets between these two. No, that’s the truth right there. That is the truth. And uh there’s so much racing to be done. The Hoka run course offers four loops and we are only on the second. So, lots of action. And the question that Dee and I are asking is which of these two Norwegians has the goods to take home another Iron Man World Championship title? That’s a huge question and we promise that we’ll answer it. 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But after 180 km on the bike, this is where the mind and the body do start to fatigue. And I think what we need to do is really kind of take a closer look at the Hoka Marathon Run Course and hear what these folks think about it. Let’s do that. It all comes down to who is having something left, you know, in the pocket for the run. So, um, but yeah, I guess you’re all sort of it’s sort of a fight to get through it mentally no matter who you are. Like, uh, uh, if you’re having a good day or bad day, like I think everyone who is racing on Sunday have had a brutal day out there before, so they all can sort of relate to how it feels like. um um yeah struggling just to finish and the same is like if you’re winning the race you will sort of hit the wall at some point of the race. a question mark just how close to the finish line you’re running empty and uh before you have to sort of start uh fighting to survive to run after a bike ride like your knees is going to be I think especially at the world championships some of the most challenging you are ever going to go through um because on paper it’s and also in reality it’s completely flat uh like I think you can count the uh altitude on on one hand. Um but at the same time you have so many small factors coming in. Um weather weather conditions like it can be it can be really brutally hot here in these. Um if the sun is directly at us it’s it’s going to be it’s going to really warm up. Um, and that’s going obviously going to impact. Um, and then the bike like it’s going to require that you overpower quite a bit on on some sections here. And that’s that’s what you’re going to see on the last 20 or 10 km on on the run. The the bike legs is just going to like kick in and all of a sudden you have no energy left. It is a super fast run course, but uh it is so dependent on the race dynamics. I guess uh Lelo and Shamberg and a lot of other athletes will try to make it a really really tough ride and I’m ready for the tough ride and of course it will impact the run quite a bit but uh having the downhill towards the end where yeah I don’t think I will I I can’t really say what my tactics are for sure but uh I will try to kind of relax I think in a downhill and kind of flush out the legs a little bit and be ready for super fast run because basically all of the uphills are in the first half of the bike. So, I think I will be able to kind of get the good run lags even off a really hard bike here. Yeah. Um but yeah, sub 230 is not going to be uh Yeah, it’s not going to be a surprise that it’s sub 230. There you heard it from uh some of the best of the best. And it’s fun that Christian and Gustaf were talking uh so appropriately about exactly what’s happening now. Um they they did handle he he did Eden did handle that that hard bike course and he is and that effort and he is uh just in control at this moment. These two uh men legends already both pushing to each try and win their second Iron Man World Championship title. Uh, but before we continue with this action, we get the wonderful treat of joining Craig Alexander together with our CEO of the Iron Man Group, Scott Daroo. Fellas, I can’t wait to hear from you. Take it away. Thank you, Michael. This is turning into one of the great Iron Man World Championship races, and it’s a pleasure for me today to be joined by the CEO of Iron Man Group, Mr. Scott Daroo. Thank you for your time, Craig. Super excited to be here. What a day. What a day. Yes. And what have you made of the race so far? This is going to be one of the most exciting World Championship races in the history of Iron Man. Uh from Sam having a tough swim and having the the inner strength to come back and have a blazing fast bike. Uh and now what we’re seeing on the run with uh Gustaf and Christian, Casper, Sam. I don’t know that we’ve ever seen an Iron Man World Championship with this many top athletes hitting the run course all at the same time. Very exciting. Yeah. No, it’s certainly very crowded at the front end of the race. Let me put you on the spot. Have you got a tip for us? We’ve we’ve narrowed it down to a few. So, give us a tip. Who’s going to win? Predicting with an hour to go is a little bit easier than predicting with eight hours to go. But, um, look, we’ve got a real chance at a Norwegian 123. Uh, but, uh, you know, Sam is never out of a race. Uh, and there’s some folks right behind him as well. Uh, so, uh, it’s it’s anybody’s race uh, at the top of the field right now. Uh but uh Gustaf, Christian and and Casper look really strong right now. Yeah, it could be a historic podium. So we can wait and see on that one. I wanted to ask you about Nice. Nice has shown itself to be an amazing venue for Iron Man and Iron Man athletes, but there are some changes moving forward. So how do Nice factor into those changes? Nice is such an iconic destination for triathlon and sport uh globally. I mean, as you know, the home of triathlon in Europe, uh, and Nice for decades has opened its arms to the Iron Man community and welcomed us and, and so having the Iron Man World Championship here the last few years has been incredibly special and we are very excited about working with Mayor Estraasi and his team to extend our world championship partnership with the city of Nice uh, with our 70.3 World Championship uh, here in 2026 as well as in 2028. and the feedback from the Iron Man community globally has been uh just a very high level of excitement. Uh and so I think everybody’s looking forward to our future here in Nice. Yeah, that’s great news. Uh athletes better race out and book their qualification and get down to the French Riviera. There’s uh definitely worse places to host a triathon and to come to do a triathon. So it’s been a busy week. There’s been a lot of talk around the story lines, how the race would unfold. There’s also been a a lot of announcements in and around the Iron Man Pro Series and and moving forward what that’s going to look like next year. Can you fill us in on on some of those stories? Absolutely. We’re we’re incredibly excited to announce the uh the Iron Man Pro Series the 2026 schedule uh this week which just came out a couple days ago and the partnership with uh Oman and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism uh among uh uh many elements to that partnership uh but the naming of the Iron Man Pro Series. Now, the Experience Oman Iron Man Pro Series as we go into 2026. Uh, and it really is a testament to the power of triathlon, the power of our sport, and the excitement around the Iron Man Pro Series where Oman got uh really excited about that platform and and all of the uh the energy and buzz around the Iron Man Pro Series and how it’s really elevated uh not only the professional side of the sport uh but inspired age groupers around the world. And so we’re incredibly excited about the future of the Experience Oman Iron Man Pro Series and our partnership with uh with Oman where we’ll bring the first full distance Iron Man to the Middle East region next year uh in early December. Uh naming of the uh the uh the Iron Man Pro Series uh and uh also going to be the home of the 2029 Iron Man 70.3 World Championship, which will be the first time uh ever in the Middle East. And so we’re really excited about uh uh this race this week uh but everything that we’ve been able to announce as well. Awesome. Well, thank you for your time today. Appreciate you taking some time out of a busy schedule to come and join us. And you heard it here first. CEO of Iron Man Group, Scott Daru, has called for a historic Norwegian podium sweep here at the Iron Man World Championships in Nice. Back to you guys. Thanks, Craig. Thank you, Scott Darus. Some really exciting announcements of course this week. Uh great to hear uh the Iron Man Pro Series headed into its third season. It’s been uh just revolutionary for the sport. A great opportunity for the professional athletes. Uh and to see it carry on into a third season is just extraordinary. almost as extraordinary as our continued storyline here of Norway, Norway, Norway. Although it is interesting through this headwind section back on the second lap of this course have seen uh Gustaf Eden look over his shoulder a couple of times. Don’t know if he’s, you know, having a conversation with Christian, if they’re strategizing or if he’s trying to get Christian to pull around. Uh but he definitely has changed sides of the the sidewalk a little bit before they got back here onto the prominade. Uh and definitely doing the work through this second leg of the headwind section. And it is extraordinary De and the composure for both of these men. They’ve they’ve gapped the uh the chasers not by a massive amount but 35 seconds is notable uh to to laid low um or sorry you know stoes and then laid low further 35 seconds back of that. So the gaps there but really just the composure and the way these two are running. They’re supporting one another in a way that you can tell they have camaraderie but they’re also uh believe it. They are they’re fighting each of them and and you know ferociously for the win of this Iron Man World Championship. And of course looking onto the other side of those ballards there uh makes me smile as well to see the fans and we lost it with that camera angle as we come back to Sam Lelo. But the the bicycle brigade following our leaders along. There it is. The bicycle brigade. Uh again you this can’t be their support crew. So they can’t be giving them information. These are fans who you can see posting to their socials uh riding along with our two leaders in this historic event. Norway Norway Norway currently first, second, and third here at nearly halfway through the marathon. And and Dee, you can you can you can you can really appreciate the couple that have the camera turned on themselves and then with the action in the background because they’re doing either a Instagram live or welcome to Tik Tok or their own show. But uh it’s also worth mentioning that a handful of them, many of them were actually on electric assist bikes because they can’t keep up with this uh 530 uh pace per mile. Um, but in in all seriousness as well, Casper Stores, uh, who is our third runner, 35 seconds back of Gustaf Eden, just looks remarkably smooth, and he’s only got, uh, really just two Iron Mans to his credit. He He’s not He’s not as accomplished or have near the depth of the other two. I mean, uh, Christian Boomfell has won five iron mans and and this this man has not even completed that many. So, uh, he’s I say that because that experience level when it does kick in in your favor is, uh, I think getting through some of those hard moments, but I will just say he looks smooth. He does look smooth. And here’s the other thing. If you’re not going to have the experience, at least he has training partners who have the experience, right? And so those three, they train together day in day out. And no doubt that Christian and Gustaf will have shared with Casper, hey, this is how you want to attack it. This is how it could play out. This is how, you know, it’s going to feel. They would have prepared him, maybe kept a couple of cards closer to the to the chest, but uh, you know, if you’re not going to have the experience, at least you’ve got training partners who have the experience and are going to share that with you. And I think, you know, the the possibility of this all Norwegian podium almost too good to be true and the fact that it could well come true um is just amazing. And I think each one of these guys that there’s a lot to run for out there right now. Well said, Dee. And and the the cool thing too that we’ve seen over the years with training partners when they see when you’re training side by side with an athlete that has won on the biggest stage, you you always start to allow yourself to ask if if then if them then why not me? If because I’m sure at times stor has has had the upper hand in training. He’s had the faster splits be it a swim, a bike, a run session, a combo, something. And so you start to say or even if you don’t have the upper hand, you match it and you just start to say there’s really no reason why I can’t do this if they have. So that’s just even not a shared lesson, but just something that you earn and you keep. And we’ve seen that Dee before with multiples of our Iron Man champions. But look at this. We’ve now got Christian Blumenfeld in the front of the race for the first time. Uh taking the burden there for Gustaf Eden. And just as you say that, he comes over to the right which gives the draft and he looks over. They kind of check uh to see perhaps where Casper is. But really unique dynamic here. This does show that they are still um compadres and they are still working together all the way until they aren’t. I mean, one has to wonder, and I want to have a backseat to the conversation between these guys that like, okay, we’re teammates, we’re training partners until we’re not, and at what point in the race are they not? Well, well, they probably had these scenarios. I mean, we all go through Iron Man and Iron Man training uh with scenarios in mind. If this, then then I’ll do that. If that, I’ll I’ll do this. So, certainly, these guys have probably had a scenario where they said, “Okay, here’s the deal. Let’s say that the dream comes true and we’re doing what we think we can do and you and I are running shoulder shoulder prominade deanglay. Uh at what point are you, you know, do I drop you? Does it matter? Do we I mean at what point are we no longer allies and we just really drop the gloves and go for it? Uh I think they’ve had that scenario. That doesn’t mean it’ll play out that way. No, no, not not at all. And and again, it we’ve seen this not exact scenario, but we’ve seen this scenario play out before where it has been a natural selection at some point in the race where one of them just the cracks in the armor start to show, but clearly these two have strategized and you know the the whole of the second lap until just a moment ago, Gustaf was in front and then he calls Christian to the front and Christian’s like, “Okay, yeah, he’s my he’s my training partner. He’s my I’m gonna air quotes teammate. It’s my turn to take the lead. But at some point that friendship that you know it’s gonna turn rivalry because there’s just too much on the line. Gustav fighting so hard to get that World Championship title back after three really, really difficult years. Christian Blumenfeld with a chasing a perfect Iron Man Pro Series points score, right? I mean, he he could make history by winning, having a perfect score across the board. Uh he’s got have a lot on his plate to do that in Marba. Um but it is possible. And so there’s there’s so much to race for, but at this point, they’re definitely still in it for each other uh as the collective good. That’s right. And and when you said that, when you when you talk about those chinks in the armor and when you mentioned that natural selection, you you can definitely think back to something you brought up a a handful of minutes ago, the 2022 Iron Man World Championships in Kona. That was a time when we did not know what was going to happen. We didn’t think either one would would surrender or back down. And it was Eaton who came out on top and Blumenfeld who ended up third. And that was that was the big battle uh that that we watched. And so ultimately we will see time will tell um and and all that fun stuff as we go through. But Casper Storz, man, I sure do have to applaud the fella. And this guy, you know, Sam Lelo, look at that. He’s a minute 16 down. That’s marginal losses. When we talk about it, Dee, we said it coming off the bike. A minute’s not that much. Almost halfway through this run and you’re a minute back. Uh it’s still very very tight and Van Real is still hanging in there with two minutes back. Yeah. Yeah. I was gonna say I mean Sam Lelo has a nice cushion on either side. I mean it’s about again 40 whatever almost a minute to Casper Storis and and a and a comfortable 45 behind to Martin Van Real. So he’s got cushions on either side. It seems unlikely he is going to surge up to Casper Stor. What he’s banking on is Casper’s inexperience across this distance that uh he has uh bitten off more than he can chew. Uh the two at least on paper have turned in comparable run splits in Iron Man performances recently in and around the 237 238 mark. Um and so yeah, here we have Gustaf Eden back in the front uh after not too long. I mean Christian wasn’t on the front for all that long and Gustaf has gone back to the front. Um, so yeah, I mean just a lot of different scenarios, but all of Norway has got to be crowded around their screens right now at what would be absolute history. Norway, Norway, Norway. And I think we’re going to see a lot of proathletes trying to move to Norway to see what’s in the water. That’s right. And we’re going to get right on down to Fraser Cartail on course. Frasier, take it away. Dee, sorry to butt in there, Dee. Hello. I’m live. We got We’ve got visuals of the guys. Thanks, Michael. Sorry to butt in. So, we’ve got visuals on the guys now, and I’ve been listening in intently to to your take on this and and to your point about the companionship of these guys. It’s just incredible that we’re potentially going to see a clean sweep. And sorry, sorry. Um, so the clean sweep, this clean sweep is reminiscent of 2018. They did it in Bermuda over short course. They did it again in Bahrain over long course and the 70.3 distance. It’s incredible that this is happening. And they look amazing. Here they come right past me right now. There we go. And I can’t see any [ __ ] in their visuals at all. They look so so smooth. And of course, here comes Casper right behind. Wow, he is closing in. Fantastic. I’ll um throw it back to you. That is just it, Fraser. Uh Casper has shut down uh that gap to a mere 12 seconds. And that’s in the headwind section. He’s he yo-yoed off the back at the start of the marathon. He caught back on during the headwind section. Yo-yoed off the back again when Gustaf and Christian surged to the front. Now he’s back attached at just 12 seconds back or sorry uh yeah so he was 35 seconds back down now he’s down to 12 seconds. So Casper Stor is making a show of this as well. It really truly doesn’t get any better than this. It it doesn’t. And you know what you kind of have to wonder did did when that that step to the side of Bloomfield was he kind of looking back and saying hey let’s let Casper get back up here. You just don’t know. We have a lot of questions still need to be answered. The Norwegians are going to give us those answers. What do you want? Uh, you know, what’s that uh really good non-alcoholic beer I keep hearing about? Do you have that really great non-alcoholic beer that I keep seeing? Do you have a non-alcoholic beer that actually actually tastes good? It’s athletic. You’re holding it. You mean athletic? You’re looking at it. I think you mean athletic. [Music] It’s that fun. Ask for it. [Music] [Music] Endurance isn’t just about medals. It’s about showing up, even when your brain says go and your body says no. Showing up means taking care of yourself, skin, and all. Because when you train hard, your skin works hard, too. That’s where Bulldog comes in. With products packed with brilliant natural origin ingredients that help prepare, protect, and recover your skin. No fuss, no nonsense. Bulldog skincare is man’s best friend. Official men’s care products of Iron Man Europe. Beyond the finish lines, our commitment goes the extra mile. We are the Iron Man Foundation. We’ve given back more than $55 million to support our mission of leaving a positive impact throughout race communities. Without our amazing athletes, volunteers, and givers, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Together, let’s continue this journey of impact. Join the Iron Man Foundation, and be a part of something extraordinary. Welcome back here to the Promin Deslay and the Iron Man World Championship. Nice France. And yes, we have exactly what we all wanted, a headto-head battle, and now they all happen to be Norwegian, but these three men just going toe-to-toe. And we are going into the second half of the run. What a great opportunity to zip away and hear from Craig Alexander with a special guest, a man who knows something about toe-to-toe battles in Iron Man, the legend, six time Iron Man winner, Mark Allen. You guys, I cannot wait to hear what you guys are thinking about this race. Please enlighten me. Thanks, Michael. Yeah, I really wish I brought my autograph book today because I’ve had Yan in here and now I’ve got arguably one of the greatest male triathletes of all time again. Mark Allen, as Michael said, you’ve won Iron Man World Championships six times, but probably just as importantly, you’ve had 10 victories on this course. So, you know this course intimately. What have you made of the race so far? You know, Craig, I’ve been here since 1982. That was the very first race here. And uh this is this is reminiscent of some of the super close finishes that that I had and and there’s something about this course that lends itself to it because the bike obviously very challenging, very strategic. We saw um you know everybody slowly working into that that final pack that all came into transition and then we have this huge pack of top talent, world class going out on the run, but it slowly sorts itself out because there’s no um you know there’s no hills. And so it really comes down to to fitness. It comes down to tenacity. And um we you know we saw and prior to the race you know the Norwegians were saying we’re going to be one two three and somebody asked me what do you think about that prediction and I said absolutely no way. However, and you know what I love it when somebody shows that my prediction was wrong because it means that something extremely exciting and actually unpredictable happened. And so if they are 123, it will go down as one of the most iconic podium finishes ever in Iron Man history. But we saw um interestingly that you know Christian and and Gustaf are essentially working together. I mean I’m assuming they’re kind of working together, but both of them want to win the race. So there’s part of their their mindset that uh is probably not quite working together. And we saw it because as they headed back into the the headwind on the return from uh the far end of the run course, Gustaf kind of said, “Hey, dude, come on. Pull your weight. If we’re going to work together, you got to you got to do some of this.” Everybody talks about drafting on the bike. Nobody talks about drafting on the run. And as you know, Craig, if you’re tucked in behind somebody, that gives you a little advantage, especially on this course today where they’re running directly into the wind the entire way back. Yeah, that that is a great point because results um race finishes are always dependent upon conditions and it’s the wind actually down here on the coast is it’s a tailwind, a direct tailwind heading out to the airport and a block headwind coming back into the wind. So, we’ve seen some tactics at play. Of course, you were a part of one of the great shoulder-to-shoulder races in the history of our sport, the Iron War in ‘ 89 with Dave Scott. More recently, we saw a great, it wasn’t a shoulder-to-shoulder battle, but a great running battle for the women at the European Championships in Hamburg between Laura Phillip and Cat Matthews. So, there is a lot of mental byplay and mental gymnastics that takes place here. I want to drill down on that. You know, at the press conference, the Norwegians were very clear about they train as a team. They often sometimes race as a team and they would work together until halfway potentially. It it hasn’t looked like that Christian’s been living up to his end of the bargain. It looked like on the bike he was very strategic. He sat behind Sam, laid low, and for the first half of this run now with the pitches we’re seeing with the three guys shoulderto-shoulder across and what pitches these are. I mean, this is what we hope for and dream for at a World Championships. Christian has come to the front, but again, interestingly, it’s with the tailwind. Yeah, he’s he he’s he’s sort of like, “Okay, but boys, here we go.” But as you said, Craig, he’s got the tailwind, so he’s not really doing the the real grunt work. And as you said, on on the bike, he was very strategic. He never came around Sam once once he was caught. And um so he was sort of just letting the race unfold and holding back a little bit. And I have to ask, I mean, he’s had two very very intense long distance Iron Man distance races. He had uh Iron Man Texas. I was there. Incredibly strong on the run. Uh he had Iron Man Frankfurt, incredibly strong on the run. In my opinion, that takes just a little bit of that edge off of what you what you can put out when there’s real pressure like like he’s seen right here. Yeah. Well, it is interesting because both Casper and Gustaf were at those races, but didn’t look like they went as deep into the world as Christian had to. I mean, he ran a 234 in Texas and and a 230 and change in Frankfurt, which are incredible times as we’re getting some footage of Sam Lelo now and and he’s battling on. What a great resilient race he’s had. I just checked the splits. They went through halfway in 11440 or thereabouts. So, they’re on pace for a sub 230 marathon. There’s been a lot of talk about that being possible. I I don’t think there’s any doubt it’s possible. We’ve seen it in some other races. Manuel Messias ran a 22650 and I man Brazil. We’ve seen Matt Hansen do it in Challenge Rot and a couple of other races. No one has done it at a world championship race though. Yeah. And and I’m not sure it’s going to happen here today because there is going to be part of these three guys running together that’s strategic that’s has nothing to do with trying to set a marathon record. And so they they may just be holding back a little bit on this third loop to sort of set themselves up for that final loop where like the rubber is going to hit the road and one of these guys is going to do it. You know, interestingly, I saw um I saw Gustaf two days ago in the elevator and he had his his racing flats and he goes, “Here, check these out.” And I, you know, I put them in my hand and they were literally as light as my as my cap. And I’m thinking I said, “Are they good?” He goes, “Ho ho ho.” So, he’s he’s ready. And, you know, after Frankfurt, um you know, he wasn’t on the podium, but he was smiling. He said, “I’m I’m on track for Nice.” And that’s one thing that the the Norwegians have shown over time is that they’re they’re very strategic. They’re patient. Um you know, 2019 sort of began quote unquote the Norwegian method where all of a sudden they became unbeatable coming out of CO and then there was a little bit of fall turned in there where where none of them were really showing uh that that trajectory to continue on to be at the at the at the front. Well, look at this. Yeah, it’s interesting, isn’t it? For the first time, I mean, about a lap ago, I was going to say, are we going back to 2022? It looked so reminiscent that that race we saw when um both Christian and Gustaf were trying to chase down Lelo and and Gustaf spent a fair majority of that marathon on the front and then slowly ran away. But it looks like Gustaf’s I’m not sure if he’s hitting a rough patch here or the other two boys have slightly picked it up. Casper Storis for me is interesting. He had probably the slowest transition. Gave up 30 seconds. Ran back up to them in 5k, which is no easy feat. Started taking his turn on the front into the headwind as well. Got gapped again when the move was made at the end of the second lap. Has has bridged up again 30 seconds. And now he looks nice and smooth. But it’s just there’s such a contrast between their turnovers and their technique. So, I mean, we have this idea of what we think textbook running looks like, but in the end, it only really matters what happens from the hips down and how fast you actually cover the ground. Exactly. Casper actually looks the lightest on his feet. Um, Sam here, obviously not quite as light as he would like to be. Um, you know, if you look at a lot of Casper’s splits from previous races and you kind of add it up, you you actually got to scratch your head and go, why hasn’t he won something like a world championship? Is today going to be the day? I I He as as you mentioned when we were off camerara, uh Casper really runs a sort of erratic pacing like he’s he’s a slow and then he picks it up and he and he gap and he closes those gaps. I’m I’m really uh I think this this opening from Gustaf might be something that sticks though. Yeah, it’s a great point and I mean you’re right. Just let our viewers know, we got word from the course that Magnus Ditliff has sat down, so he’s not having the world championship he’d hoped for, but we know what a tough minded athlete he is. So, let’s hope Magnus can get up and get going again. But yeah, I mean, if we look at the run splits this year, Casper Storis went shoulder-to-shoulder with Christian Blumenfeld at the IM Pro Series event in Axon Province, which was only a 70.3, but they ran a 107. He did run on Christian’s shoulder for a large majority of the marathon in Frankfurt and he he ran a 235 to Christian’s tick under 232. So they both have the runs on the board. The question is have they gone into the well too much. What I found interesting at the press conference was Gustav’s thoughts that you know since he left the highest level of iron man racing and went and pursued the Olympic Games and then had the injury and the personal struggles. He said the bar has been raised. I’ve never run down in the low 230s. So, he would have to break new ground here today. Yeah. And Christian has shown that he can hit those low 230s this year. He’s shown that. Casper, I I think he’s trying to kind of um soften things up. I don’t know if he feels like he can hold that pace all the way through. Again, here’s Christian sort of doing what he’s done all day. He’s he’s the shadow. He’s lost an incredible amount of weight because he knew that carrying extra weight up and down those hills as as we know neither he nor Gustaf were here in 2023 because they were going for the Olympics. So it it to see them preparing for this course specifically and for Christian to since last year in Paris to just be slowly losing that weight that he knew he did not want to be dragging up and down those hills on the bike. And of course, the lighter you are on the marathon that there’s just a physics that you’re going to run faster if you have that reserve. And that was my one question when I saw how much he weight he had lost. It’s like, has he lost so much that he won’t quite have that reserve he needs for the full distance of an iron man? Well, I think we’re going to get the answer to that in the next 45 minutes or so. But I mean, you know, we often talk about the course profile and you know, this is a flat marathon, but flat often means fast, but not easy. There is no downhill sections where your heart rate can drop, where you can reboot your leg turnover. You’ve just got to generate your momentum the whole time here, and I I’ve always found them as challenging or more challenging than hillier courses. Um, the change in pace that Casper has demonstrated is interesting to me. I agree. I think Christian, he looks like he’s sitting there playing his card. He’s He’s patient. I think this is a crucial lap. Like, you think, oh, the third lap’s crucial, and then you can bite down on the mouth guard the last lap, but I think these guys are just setting it up for lap four. I think they’re setting it up for lap four. Anyway, it’s been great, Mark. Always a privilege to chat. I could sit here for an hour. Can’t wait for the finish. I’m just going to throw back to Michael and Dei, guys. Things are starting to really heat up. Thank you guys so much. Just a treat to to hear you guys chat and and uh I wish I had my autograph book for you both. Craig and Mark, great stuff. Um I love it. So Dee, a lot of dynamics and you know, we keep talking about what we think is going on and what we think is in their heads, what we’re observing, but in the end, as you and I were discussing just now, ups and downs, highs and lows, they hit each athlete when they want to hit each athlete. Some of them uh have very short lows, some have long long highs. Either way, there’s a great part of this race that is somewhat out of our control and we respond to it. Will these two burst away and take the one two? Let’s find out in a few minutes. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] You know, and we know the thing about challenging ing yourself is you’re always looking for what’s next. [Music] It’s the beauty of Oman, our tradition, our hospitality. The sounds of limitless opportunities to explore. [Music] Listen, it’s Oman and we are approaching midway for lap three of the Hoka run course here at the Iron Man World Championship. The Proomenade Desang Gl is delivering the drama as it always does. And Dee, I tell you what, we just came away from the Norwegian duo of Blumenfeld and Storis. And Storis was trying to wiggle to the left and get uh Blumenfeld to pass him and and there was absolutely no chance Christian came right behind him and Casper tried again and in with a bit of dismay he sort of said okay and is staying in front. But Blumenfeld, I think, is answering yours. And my question, the question of when do they drop the gloves? When is it no longer a partnership? I We’re full in there right now. Blumenfeld is racing for the win. He’s not giving advantage to anyone. He’s not coming in to quote unquote take a lead, share a lead, push anything, I think. No. And and we saw it sort of on the bike where when Lelo inserted himself back into the race after a a really rough start in the swim, Christian Blumenfeld really just attached himself to Sam Laidlo and said, “I am going to keep eyes on this guy until like this is the guy I need to beat. I’m going to keep eyes on this guy until the end of the bike course knowing what he had in his back pocket.” Gustaf Eden did a brilliant job doing the same thing. But Christian Blumenfeld has not put himself in a role of being the aggressor. Never did it on the bike, not doing it on the run either. And and guess what? He doesn’t need to. He stoes is if Storz slowed to the point where Blumenfield had to come around, it’s too slow for Storz. So he’s really in a commanding position and it’s fantastic to watch uh through and through. So, take a look at the precision fuel and hydration performance stats here for Casper Storz. The man in front, uh, that’s right, through 15.6 miles, this man was cranking an average pace of 3 minutes and 32 seconds per kilometer. Uh, there we’re estimating him coming through the next split at 2 655 thanks precision fuel and hydration and DDI 332. If you’re a kilometer illiterate, that’s still right around 530. 535 pace. 535 we’ll call it in the miles uh average mile pace. So incredibly quick. Still well under I mean let’s just do this for those of you that aren’t crunching the jock math. A 238 237 high is a 6minute mile or a 345 perk. We’re just blowing that out of the water. I mean good night. Yeah, absolutely. And just for context, uh here with Gustaf Eden, who is sitting, I’m not going to say comfortable because we’re pretty deep into an Iron Man at this point, but sitting comfortably in third place, running 339Ks to Sam Ladel’s 347Ks to Martin Van Real’s 349ks. So those are your top five. Uh no resurgence from San Lelo. Uh Gustaf Eden continuing to lose a bit of time to his two fellow countrymen up ahead uh to the tune of about six seconds per kilometer which is not you know significant but uh it it just keeps adding up. That’s a that’s a that’s a solid six per six seconds per K 10 seconds per mile. I mean that’s when you start to say hey this these are big numbers. this race dynamic right here between these two as they approach that turnaround um is fascinating and they’re going to run over the median here in just a second and I think that’ll be another opportunity to for sto to sort of try to let Blumenfeld get in front without losing too much momentum and he let me bend over tie my shoe here why don’t you take the lead now that we’re back into the headwinds but you know what you can’t play around too much cuz the hard look for where is Eden because I think also with the uh the likes of these two up front each of them battling the other but still knowing that in this race uh you you don’t leave Gustaf Eden unchecked I mean you can’t forget about him well and again through that last timing segment you know Eden had given up a bit of time to them but he’s holding he’s 13 seconds down but through that last segment running the same three and a half minute Ks so maybe he did just go through a bit of a rough patch. Do we see him come back? I I I I think that there’s even if we’re still speculating here, the one thing that you c you’re not speculating on is that there are always energy ups and downs, highs and lows in Iron Man racing. And so what it comes down to is did you get your precision gel in? Did you get your Martin? Did you get that hit that you needed at the right time when the energy was low, when the vibe was down? And and so we do know what happens. And and also I’ll always remember um thinking back to 1989 and the coverage, they talk about Mark and Dave in this battle and Mark sensed that that energy dip and he said, “Now’s my go time.” He looks like he’s coming back on him. I mean, it’s 13 seconds. It’s not a lot, but he he looks wonderful. Like he looks fantastic. He doesn’t look like he’s missed really a beat, just a little bit of a rough patch. And and they are again, they’re right there. I know it’s 13 seconds and this deep into an Iron Man, you can’t just snap that back, but uh yeah, it looks like he is trying to get back on and reinsert himself to the trio. And to say you can snap it back, Stern has snapped back 35 seconds. So you’re you’re spot on and and it’s and he’s coming like there he is. He’s right there. That’s not 13 seconds. Well, that’s not him, but this gap right here as well. Look, this is kind of this is kind of yo-yoing a bit as well. So, it’s I think that the more you run in front as Storz is and the more you want something, the more you start to gain more strength. Look at him go. And him, I mean, Stern like he’s really gaining by being up front. I think it’s a very empowering position. Actually, you can tell by the posturing that uh I believe um Bloomfeld was just peeking peeking, taking a peek. It looked kind of like he was a little bit I can’t be certain, but it looked like he was kind of peeking over to see what was behind him. I I think See, isn’t is that Gustaf behind? I mean, there’s a wheelie with him. It’s got to be a camera. Yeah, way back. I thought they had just passed a fellow that was in white that looked right there. So, all in white. So, so 13 seconds. Yes, we have. But look at this. Another move. This is Blumenfeld losing ground to Storz 100%. So they are no longer together. Storis has opened up that gap. This is the most fascinating Iron Man World Championship marathon that we’ve seen in a long time. And it is so good because now Stor is just gaining that that energy. He does not hear or feel uh Blumenfeld on his shoulder anymore. This is unbelievable and I want some more. Yeah, 100%. And I think these lapped athletes are looking at what’s going on around them and saying, “Well, yeah, it’s Norway, but that’s not the Norwegian I thought it would be.” Look how far back Blumenfeld is now. This is a proper gap. And so, uh, go Storz, go as he approaches the end. Still a couple K before he gets to the end of the third lap. But remember here on the Prominade Deslay, we have four laps to make a Hoka run course complete. And uh this guy is in uh the driver’s seat and he’s just really commanding um everything right now. Everyone pay attention to him. Everyone follow his move. He sort of tried to get Bloomfeld to come through. Guess what? It didn’t work. And now it doesn’t matter. He’s like, “Yeah, I don’t need you, bro. I got this. I got this. All me again.” He was off the back at the start uh where Gustaf and Christian had gone to the front to pass Sam Lelo. Casper stuck a little bit in a rears, fought so hard on that first lap through that headwind section to get back on to that pack and was successful. And now end of lap three, he seems like he’s running away with it. This is really fantastic. And back with Blumenfeld who is you can tell he’s having a little bit of maybe that moment where Yep. shaking out the arms, a little bit of less sort of fluid mo movement. Uh he still looks fantastic, but I think it comes back again to those energy es and flows. And right now he is 100% in an Eb. He is down. He is low. He’s got to come back to get uh back to where he needs to be with that flow. So great stuff here today on course as we approach or just hit exactly seven hours of racing. DD, we are closing in on the finish of this beautiful race here at the Iron Man World Championship. Beautiful and extremely challenging race this has been. The race dynamics here have been absolutely bonkers if you’re just joining us. Sam Ladello with his struggles in the swim caught back on to the group uh at the tail end of the climb through the plateau section of the course. Uh the group thinned out at the start of the descent. Uh technical skills being the differentiating factor. Uh blew up the lead group uh that had been three strong. The Chasers caught the lead group and then coming down the descent. It was uh Storis, Blumenfeld, Eden laid low into transition. The three uh Norwegians now at the front of the race in an order I don’t think anybody would have had on their their bingo card. Well, that’s right. Look at this. 5 seconds, 18 seconds. I mean, that was at the last split, but we know it’s more now. So, Casper Storz and and Mark Allen said it earlier, he has since well, early on looked the lightest on his feet, the most forward on the forefoot there. He does look just smooth. Now, granted, looks don’t count for really that much of anything, but it gives us those clues, those insights into how the race is going. A little heavier on foot here, but still exceptional. I mean, this race has a lot of uh battle ahead and and we’re going to sit here front row to continue to watch it. Oh, absolutely. And I mean, we had we had Mark Allen say, you know, Christian Blumenfelt trimmed down considerably. A lot was said of his weight loss coming into this race. You know, yeah, power to weight. You don’t want to be carrying that weight up the climb. So, did he go too far? Was it too much? Didn’t seem like it was. Now we’re getting to the business end, the last 10, 12K here of this Iron Man marathon. Are those energy stores just too low? Like does he not have what it takes or is this just a a breakthrough otherworldly performance from his countrymen Casper Storess? Well, we’ve been saying it since the beginning. These three trained together day in day out. They’ve done all the same general uh planning and and and execution uh getting to this day. And so we do know that Casper is capable of this and we we spoke of it earlier that he has trained with the guys that have won the title and so he knows he can do it. Now that was obviously a little peak inside the soul there of Christian Bloomfeld. When you give that hard look, it means you’re not feeling that good and you’re no longer thinking how do I get to Casper. You’re thinking how do I stay away from stuff? Yeah. I mean again that that gap is 12 seconds. I mean it’s and this gap seems to be that’s again last timing mapped the gap between Storus and Blumenfeld appears to be growing and again the fans going absolutely bonkers as he makes his way down uh back towards what will be the turn to head out on the final lap of this Hoka marathon course. Look taking a glance at the watch and this is another just observation when we watched Casper running with Blumenfeld and Eden running with Blumenfeld. Bloomfield is the one that looks at his watch more than any of the three. He looks at it repeatedly every minute or two and you can see it almost compulsively checking that pace. You don’t see that a lot and I feel like that is it’s not a bad thing, but when I watch someone like Casper just really not pay attention to those metrics and then occasionally glance, I really feel like he is in the moment. He’s staying very present uh with what the effort feels like, what he could do right then, right there. I just think he’s executing such a fantastic race. Uh, as we come back to second place, rookie, Iron Man World Championship rookie. Yeah, but but really, we talked about that. He’s not got the resume yet at this distance. But fantastic. Here comes Gustaf Eden, and he is coming right back on his training partner and friend, uh, Christian Blumenfeld. So, folks, if you’re looking, there is one interloper there that doesn’t count. not on the same lap, but this with the black hat, the lucky, or is it blue hat? This is Gustaf Eden as he rolls back up on the shoulder of Christian Blumenfeld. To say that we have more fireworks in store is a crazy understatement. Blumenfeld now a little bit uh little bit less smooth with the arm carriage. He’s he’s uh he’s not gone to the arms completely, but you certainly can tell that he is laboring through. Whereas this up front, Casper Storz just looks smooth as he has since the first step. Absolutely. And uh momentarily, we lost that camera real quick, but it uh Gustaf Eden on the shoulder. Here we are back on the shoulder of Christian Blumenfeld going through the aid station. No doubt he’ll take his aid, and I think he’s going to go right back by him. And and they both do this each time. and appropriately they’re slowing way down to make sure that they get the actual fuel in that they need and the hydration. This is something that is often overlooked by other athletes where they try and hurry that. Uh Bloomfeld got right back in front, had a couple words and it’s just absolutely just I don’t know the toughest thing to not actually hear what they’re saying. I I wish we could get right in there with a microphone and just dangle it over their shoulders. Just through that last segment though, we had talked about that 330K, 330 to 340K. For that last segment, Christian Blumenfelt 354K. So definitely going through a little bit of a rough patch, but I actually like what Gustaf is doing here, doing to Christian what Christian did to him a lap ago, sitting on the shoulder, taking the draft into the headwind section. Uh Gustaf has come back on Christian Blumenfeld. Uh when we get to that turn, it’s going to be full guns blazing for all of team Norway here. Casper Stor is with the upper hand with 10 kilometers, a little over 10 km to go. And I I’m sorry, DD. I know you’re the same, but such a fan of the sport. And I I I just have to say how much I appreciate Iron Man running and seeing these guys on this fourlap course because there is so much that happens, the es and flows, the highs and lows of the energy, the highs and lows of your mental side, just everything. It is the best part about it. And we’re getting the greatest foot race here. But to see all of the ups and downs, it’s just fantastic. These uh Norwegians are really delivering today. Absolutely. putting on a show. And again, going back in the tracker, uh Sam Lelo still holding down fourth place. He’s two minutes 45 back. Still with a comfortable margin of a minute 15 seconds over Martin Van Real. So your top five um still your top five. So no interlopers into the top five. Yona Shamberg holding on strong to sixth place. He had faded pretty hard in that last 40k of the bike, but he is running strong with Nick Thompson in seventh place at 10 minutes back. Well, good for you, Dee. I had sort of forgotten there was anyone else in this race except these three. Uh, it’s just too riveting for me. As we get right in up and close with Casper Storz, glancing again at the pace, the GPS watch does not lie, giving him real-time feedback. Uh, he continues to look really great, light on his feet. Again, that forward foot strike, very little contact time on the ground. I mean that foot is down and up immediately. There’s no absorption. It’s really just good energy return. And uh his lead now against his fellow countrymen up to 40 seconds. 40 seconds on Blumenfelt, 42 seconds on Eden. Again, Gustaf Eden coming back on Christian Blumenfelt but not taking the bait. Waiting, waiting, biting his time potentially into this last 10k. We thought all along it was Christian Blumenfeld who was being the strategic one, always sitting on the shoulder, not spending much time uh taking the wind, setting the pace. And now it’s Gustaf Eden who fought to get back on the shoulder of Christian Blumenfeld headed back into the headwind waiting for his turn perhaps when they make that last turn with 10K to go. We also can’t discount the the fact that Bloomfelt was dangling. So he got dropped and then he was dangling. He was exposed and when Eden caught him, there was a lift to that. He obviously got a physical lift from going through the aid station, but he he did have that emotional uh boost by getting Eden up with him. So, that counts for something as we watch uh Storz grab into the jersey and pull out his own uh special electrolyte mix and calorie mix and then zip right up. And this is something again that we talked about it Dee where it’s more of a thing now. It’s more expected uh to bring what works for you in the in the jersey there versus grabbing only oncourse nutrition. Absolutely. And and the other the other advantage to this world championship event is the the pro services table each lap. Uh the pros have a table where they can put their bottle. Uh it is at the turnaround. So we will see we saw it on the last lap. Uh athletes will grab their own bottle of whatever it is that they want. I mean again the nutrition the advancements in uh nutrition sciences that and the amount that these athletes are able to intake all of these products across the board just raised the bar and allowed these athletes to put in these performances. And here we have Gustaf Eden going back by Christian Blumenfeld as they make their way towards the turn for the final lap of the Hoka Marathon. They’re approaching that final turn at the finish slashtransition area and then they do have uh that crazy last turn there. Uh but remember each lap is is about 10 and a half kilometers and that is how we get through four laps of the Hoka run course. Right now we’ve got Gustaf Eden back in front. The 2022 Iron Man World Champion in front of Christian Blumenfeld. And you can still see that Christian’s laboring. You could see that he’s lost that compo super composed and completely pokerface uh appearance, but he is still battling it out. And and Dee, what better way to get right inside and feel the vibes of these men running than to throw down to Fraser Cartail on the run course. Fraser, please take it away. We can’t wait to hear what it’s like there on the beat. Oh, Michael, it’s getting very busy down here. It is. I tell you what, though. The wind is picking back up again. So, I am not surprised that Gustaf did everything he could to get back on the shoulder and then obviously just go past the shoulder of Christian. But my word, here comes Casper and he is shifting. And oh my goodness, he looks super composed. Straight through the aid stations. Not slowing down one bit. I mean, and I mean not one bit. Straight through water, straight through Coke. Gone. Done. Um, and now we’re starting to see if we can get eyes on Christian and um, Gustav. Excuse the chopper. We’re right below it. Um, but yeah, the wind is really picking up again. We actually thought that it was starting to die down, which it was, but now, bizarrely, it seems to be picking right back up again, which is not what these guys are going to want going into their fourth lap. But yeah, I mean, very, very astute tactical racing here from Gustav. Um, he is Oh, actually, I tell you what, he is now on the front. He must feel good because um you know any nobody wants to run into this this headwind um because it’s strong. The palm trees are really starting to sway. It’s like being the mania on the on the Queen K. Oh my goodness. Right. Here we go. And Christian is digging deep. Wow. Real contrast in their faces there. Real contrast. They’re both going for water. Both going for Coke. Um yeah, but definitely real obvious differences there in how they looked. Christian really doing everything he can to hold on the shoulder of um Gustav and Gustav just looking super composed too. You know, I wouldn’t be surprised. Maybe it’s too much of a call to make, but he could make a push for Casper. What do you guys think? Oh, I think you’re right. I think he could definitely make a a push. I think one thing that we have learned, Fraser, is that this race is absolutely going to continue to surprise us, continue to throw some curve balls. These three men are fighting one heck of a fight and it is so fun for us to get to watch. We ask for it all the time, but De, they’re delivering three men so close all within 54 seconds, 55 seconds. It’s so good. And and so here’s the thing, Dee. We’ve got a little bit before we hit that final turnaround and then we’ve got just over 10 and a halfk to go. Will Casper Stor hold the lead, or will Gustaf Eden and Christian Blumenville close the gap? Time will tell. Welcome to the world’s best airline, where your journey is five-star, and so is your Wi-Fi. Experience the fastest connection in the sky with Starlink. And best of all, it’s free for all passengers. So why settle for less when you deserve the best. [Music] We’re not here to sell you on this life. You already chose it. No shortcuts, no hype, just work. Same as you. Built to outlast, endure. 40 years in and we’re just getting warmed up. Welcome to the Ohana. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] And we are back here now in the Hoka. a run course with the same dynamics we left behind. Questions still left unanswered. Casper Stornage Stoage in front of Gustaf Eden who is just barely in front of Christian Blumenfeld and Dee. This race has the nuts and bolts left in front of us and it is going to get even more intense and we are going to even get more excited. Believe it. Well, I I you know it’s hard to imagine right now Casper Stor lead just over a minute over his fellow two countrymen. Christian Blumenfeld really kind of I don’t want to say left for dead but really on the struggle bus halfway through that last lap. Uh Gustaf Eden swept him up and he is holding the shoulder of Gustaf Eden. Races like this are once in a lifetime. If you could look at a course like this with how hard it is, how challenging it is, the race dynamics and know that three fellow countrymen would all be within one minute of each other at the pinnacle of our sport. I no one would believe it. So, we’re going to throw it down to the triumvirate of iron man racing legends. We’re going to throw it down to Craig Alexander with Mark Allen and Yan Fredeno. Thank you, Dee. Yes, there’s a fair bit of Iron Man World Champion World Championship experience with me in the booth here. And I think I’ll throw to you first, Yan. This race is is the gift that keeps on giving. I mean, we’ve we’ve seen it eb and flow. We’ve seen some changes. Casper’s gone out to a minute with one lap to go. He looks full of running. He’s He’s running himself into the history books. You just went out for a run. The wind has picked up here. We’ve seen it’s been a very tactical race, but tactics now are going to be crucial. Absolutely. I mean, here the wind is an absolute factor because you’ve either got it completely as a tailwind as these guys have now on the way out to the airport. And this will be interesting to see what Gustaf does. And that’s why Gustaf’s move was also so interesting be just before the end of this lap to actually just get ahead of Christian and give him a bit of wind blockage. We thought maybe he’s got one more match to light to try and close this gap. I mean this is one of those championship moments, right? But for this guy, I mean Casper, he’s been in the shadow of these two for so long. the Norwegian train has been talked about and it basically it was just a translation of Christian and Gustaf and that can be a motivation and I think that is something he’s been stewing over that he’s been building his training over and that has really gotten the dog out in him to go and give everything he has and throw it at this very last lap. Yeah, he certainly got the dog out and he has been living in their shadow and there’s no doubt for the last half a decade or more. He has got some experience as Fraser pointed out earlier. He did top the boys at an ITU World Cup race in Bermuda, so he’s no stranger to beating them. This is probably the first opportunity he’s had at doing that. I just wonder, Mark, if he’s just got his pacing spot on, you know, at this level, staying on top of the nutrition, the hydration, and the pacing is crucial. We we saw Casper run out of T2 30 down. He was able to close that gap with the 5k stretch out to the airport. At halfway, when Christian made a move to break the big group up, um he dropped another 30 seconds. He he bridged up again and now he’s got a minute. It feels like he’s got his pacing right, but we’ve also seen him be really hypervigilant with his nutrition. Yeah. And you know, there’s there’s one thing that nobody talks about, and that’s what it feels like to actually be in the lead of the Iron Man World Championship. There’s there’s an energy that you’re sort of almost tapped into or that you’re accessing that you you just don’t have when you’re running with other people. And I think Casper is feeling this right now, like he’s he’s leading the entire world of triathlon. He’s leading the most important race going on. And he knows that the other two guy he knows what the other two guys can do. They train together. They have this incredible camaraderie. Um but when you are in the lead, and you all know this, when you’re in the lead, there’s something magic that takes over and the numbers disappear, the the strategies disappear. where you just tap into this almost like a an invisible force that propels you and you get that little that little snap in your step and that little stride extra that these guys you can see it in their in their in their turnover. Yan, absolutely. I mean, you know, we talk about the runners high, but this could be defined as the triathletes high leading a world championship, which is something that few people get to experience. We just saw Sam come through and he actually doesn’t have that much of a gap. I think he’s having quite a similar run to what he did probably two years ago. It’s just crazy to see where the Norwegian train has taken the pacing. Martin Van Real coming around here. His head dropped. He knows that he’s got a tough day. He actually nodded to me on the course and said he’s not in the run shape that he wants to be. It’s always a fine line, right, between being injured and being in your top shape. But this man here looks like a million bucks. He looks like a winner. He looks like a winner. I’m not prepared to call it right now, but he looks probably better than he did on the last lap. We know he’s he’s on that long stretch with the tailwind. For what it’s worth, I think Christian looks a little better than he did maybe 15 minutes ago. And the the dynamic is intriguing to me here, the the mental gymnastics. I mean, these guys train with each other every day. And we’ve all had training partners. So when you train with people, you get to intimately understand their strengths and weaknesses in the midst of a long swim session or a long bike ride or an interval session on the track. So I’ve got to believe that they know who’s got the fast kick finish under load, who’s got the speed, endurance, you would imagine. And I mean, as we get back to I mean, it’s just an interesting contrast those two shots. This man still looks like the most relaxed and composed on course. like clockwork. He’s grabbing into the jersey and getting some carbohydrates and probably some electrolytes in. His pace looks great. He’s probably just mentally preparing for a tailwind section and then, you know, a last fight to glory into that headwind. But, I mean, some of the pacing has been incredible. For those at home who um go to the gym, I mean, they they went out at 17 12 km an hour. Go and run on your treadmill at that for 2 and 1/2 hours after, you know, 180 km. The pace has definitely slowed, but this has been an awesome race. And as we see the top 10 here, I mean, Martin Vanreal and Lelo seem to be locked in a battle for the top five. Yona Shamberg still having a great race. He’s in sixth place. Nick Thompson, the Aussie boy. Come on, mate. Keep going. He’s hanging in there. And Jamie Riddle as well. And Matthew Marquad are having great races, but all the action is up the front. What does it tell you that he even does up his jersey? I mean, that is something that I don’t know. I had very few races where I thought about doing the jersey up any further than 50 m from the finish line. You when you sort of like, okay, I got to present myself. But here, he’s obviously thinking about his cooling. The suits are all designed to kind of persspire quickly and and and give you a cooling effect. And we see keep seeing this guy in the green jersey. Can somebody give this guy a good solid tackle and get him out of the I know, you know, he’s running with a tailwind right now, so he’s going to be sweating, but he also knows that his core temperature is going to actually drop a little bit on that return directly into the headwind. So, it’s kind of a it’s kind of the double-edged sword. It cools you off, but it’s it’s almost like all of a sudden you’re having to run uphill. It’s it’s one of those good news, bad news situations. You haven’t got the resistance. Um, so your pace is quicker, but you haven’t got the convection cooling either. So, the core body temperature goes up and I I just get the sense Casper’s looking great. To Yan’s point, he’s composed. He’s making smart decisions. He’s not grimacing. He knows he’s got to get to that that airport and then it’s it’s literally 3 miles back to a world championship title. These two men know what it feels like to do that. He does not, but he’s trained with them every day and probably dreamed of it for the best part of five or more years. And we just saw 90 second gap. I mean, interesting. Also, what do you make about it? Um, Mark, about these two actually running together. I was quite convinced. We saw we both saw Christian turn around and look back to see Gustaf coming about 3 or 4Ks ago and now they’re running together. What? Look at the grimacing. He’s just fighting. He He is a fighter. Yeah, he’s he’s putting the bottle in the jersey. He’s pulling it out. When when Gustaf caught Christian, he stayed behind him for a while and I thought, well, maybe he’s not thinking he had a chance to win, but then he pulled around as as we all saw into the headwind, which kind of said, “All right, I’m going to go for it. I’m going to try and catch Casper.” But now I I have to think that those two are thinking, “Okay, which one of us is going to be second?” So, and because it when the gap is is is expanding this late in the race, uh it’s really hard to close it back down. He definitely has Well, he definitely seems to have momentum on his side. I mean, he’s he’s moving and and you know, this is the kind of stuff that makes or breaks an athlete. And we’ve talked about it earlier. You know, there are many training world championships. There are many many Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday morning world champs and you know Casper Sa has a chance here to write himself on the history books and to your point Mark I mean that is that is momentum that is something on your side and I always think the best athletes in the world they’re running away from something they’re not running towards a goal they’re not wanting this they need this and I have I tr truly get the feeling that Casper has just come second often enough I mean don’t get me wrong Crowley 2017 Bermuda whatever whatever cup it may have been, you know, that’s Yeah, it’s probably a training race where you beat the boys, but uh this has no comparison. No, no doubt. I trust me, I dive deep into the books for that one. I wanted to find something something where Casper had any sort of moral victory as we now see again. I mean, this dynamic is just incredible. It looked like a minute ago, Yan, we saw that grimace. We saw him he he looked but one thing we know about this man he has a capacity to suffer unlike many others. Gustaf looks like he’s hit a real flat spot here. I mean when these guys blow they really do blow but then they have the capacity to come back. I just think this change of pace this change in style these facial expressions are just indicative of the fact that these two men are are operating on heart and maybe muscle memory. Casper looks like he’s just got a little bit left in the legs as we see again. Chris Christian just grimaces, but the leg turnover is still good. There’s a fight. There’s a fight on here. And again, these men know each other’s game so well. They train day in day out. Have done since they were 13 or 14 years of age. They know each other’s mental game as well. So, the tactics here, I mean, they would have to know who’s got the best sprint finish under load, who’s got the best kick from distance. So, I mean, the tactics here are just fascinating. You know, just looking at at Christian’s face there, it almost says to me he’s going, I I haven’t given up yet. I haven’t I haven’t given this to Casper. I’m going to I’m going to give it that one last shot. I don’t care how much it hurts. If I’m laying on that ground for 20 minutes after I cross the finish line, so be it. Yeah. Well, I think it’s one of the indicative things of the World Championship mindset. It’s never over and you fight to the death. I mean, one foot after the other, that’s a simplified way of putting it, but as you guys know, sometimes you just break it down to the bare bones and that’s where you’re at. That’s all you have left. Yeah, absolutely. And these three guys proclaimed to be selftrained now. Uh, after all, after all that they’ve done over the last, you know, kind of well, decade, I would say. But the interesting thing here obviously much of the rumors going around Christian having lost a significant amount of weight before before this race specifically since Frankfurt. And it just shows you they’re walking a very fine line, a very very fine line. And for Christian to come in here and have that kind of a fight, it’s it just speaks to his mentality. Just speaks to his his championship kind of pedigree. That’s what you need. and and he posted on Instagram. He goes, “It’s a fine line between eft and fit.” He goes, “I’ll figure out I’ll find out which one it is on race day tomorrow.” I think he’s finding it out right now. But again, Mark, he just he finds ways to keep kickstarting that that cadence and that turnover. He looks gone, he walks off to the side, he looks back, and then he kicks back into gear. And again, Gustaf has responded a little bit. I still think Kasper’s the fastest man on course. He still had the the presence of mind to run through the shower at that last aid station, you know, manage that core body temperature. Um, Casper looks great. For me, the real intriguing fight is going on about a minute behind him on the road here. To be honest, I can’t tell the difference between lap two and lap four uh with Casper. Like, he just looks great. He’s solid. Clock now run out to 2 minutes. I mean, yeah. Who had that on their bingo card this morning? Let’s be honest here, gentlemen. Right. I Yes. No, me for one, I didn’t I I thought Casper was a top five uh prospect, but again, we say it all the time. You in the leadup to these races, there’s so many storylines, so many narratives. We’re looking for anything we can find. We’re all bored in race week. We can’t wait for the gun to go off just like the athletes. And you know, we’ve all known many contenders, people who have that, like you say, young that ability to train well. Can they bring it onto the race course when it matters the most under all the pressure? And for me, yeah, it’s just an interesting different in mindset as we see Christian really slowing that. That’s the shower we saw Casper go through before and it’s almost like he high-fived the show trying to get the gel off his hands or something. Yeah, interesting. And he’s got probably 5 m on Gustaf. So, the elastic band on those two hasn’t broken. and just understanding Christian’s mindset. I don’t think he’s he understands that his other training stable mate could go through a a tough period at any moment as well. So, it looks like Casper’s full of running, but we still have three and a half miles to go. And, you know, as they always say, anything can happen. I I would say just looking sorry, looking at Casper’s stride, his his relaxed rhythm, he’s definitely the guy who’s in the driver’s seat at this point. He’s almost at two minute two minutes on the gap. So he’s taken those 30 second jumps and and added four of them together. Now he’s got the two minutes. Absolutely. And uh Gustaf right here on screen. He looks to be he looks to be suffering. He looks to be hurting. We’ll see what he does. I mean, you spoke to it on the way out. It does feel a little bit like running in a sauna, you know, because relatively they’re standing still. And the the sun is hot. It’s it’s warm out here. It’s humid still from the rain last night that we had a little bit of. And you know, imagine the training group. They’re going to have three of them, each of them with their own one-star kind of photo here on the prominard. Uh for those of you that don’t know, every champion gets a photo uh in in superhuman size out on the prominard before. And there will be the first training group with three individual world championships. Not bad. What a prospect. Casper looks like he’s running towards his star. Michael Anditi. We’ll throw it back to you to call them home. Thank you so much, Craig, Yan, and Mark. You guys uh deliver amazing content every time. So, thank you so much. And we agree fully here. And and just for the record, Dee, we had it picked this way, didn’t we? Yeah. To I mean, I knew it at least for the last five minutes. I knew it all along. But yeah, I mean, one of the things they didn’t mention yet, Gustaf is obviously uh in a world of of hurt right now, and I think he’s having some stomach issues. We caught a little bit of a um an ejection uh of the calories just a moment ago and he looks like he’s he’s still got that bottle in his hand. So when that stomach settles uh still mindful that he wants to get those calories down the hatch for that final uh 5 kilometer push. So he hasn’t discarded the bottle just yet but uh definitely has slowed to let the stomach sort of unwind a little bit and uh take one last swing at his countrymen there. I I I agree. I don’t think there’s anything going to stop Caster Casper Stor at this point. Uh, but the battle between Christian Blumenfeld and Gustaf Eden is not yet decided. It’s not decided. And Gustav’s going with calories in, calories out. Still fighting. Will Casper hold the lead. Will Eden catch back up? We will see. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] You know, and we know the thing about challenging yourself is you’re always looking for what’s next. [Music] It’s the beauty of Oman. Our tradition, our hospitality, the sounds of limitless opportunities to explore. Listen, it’s Oman. And we are following along behind second place here, Christian Blumenfeld, as he comes it up to the turnaround for the fourth and final lap of the Hoka run course in this the Iron Man World Championship. And yes, at that final turn with 3.2 2 miles to go. Casper Storz from Norway continued to run 329 or 330 pace. He is on track to get home in that sub230 pace. Just I mean I think really he’s actually probably still at that 228 high. If some uh seepage of the pace uh he might get into the 229s. It also depends like how much is he going to want to celebrate versus breaking that 230 and Dee if the math is correct. 755 is really in the cards here today. 756 and this is amazing. When they were talking sub 8 hours on a course like this, I think people thought they were cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs and the fact that it is I mean we talked about on the bike average paces over 40 kilometers an hour with that amount of elevation gain. Now them running these paces with this kind of wind in these conditions out here. Unbelievable. I want the focus to be on this podium as well as as it should be. But I do want to take a look in the rearview mirror just to mention Patrick Langga who was so far out of it has run his way into 13th place. Uh he is considerably far back at 2139 back but continuing to pick off at one athlete after another and it is not outside of the realm of possibility that he could run his way into the top 10 which would be pretty unbelievable. Would be pretty Patrick Longa. No, don’t be sorry. That’s great. Look at this. I’m actually rerunning the math and if we’re actually at 4.2 [Music] If we’re actually at 4.2 2 kilometers at this point and he’s running 330s DD. So realistically that’s 14 minutes. So it actually puts him at 750, not 755. My math was a little off. But if we’re under 755 in the territory of 751 at this pace and still with that sub 230 in the cards, not only is he going to take out the Iron Man World Championship title, but he’s going to do so with having done something that everybody talked about this week, but nobody has done yet. Uh a true contender at this race running sub 230, a true say a winner. Fantastic. Something he’s he has never done before. We didn’t expect that kind of run split from Casper Storis. We thought, yeah, maybe Christian Blumenfeld capable of it. Uh given what he’s done in the past. Uh Casper Storis wasn’t one of the guys we thought would dip under 230. Uh Christian Blumenfeld really just battling, battling, battling trying to hold off uh countryman Gustaf Eden. Uh that gap still just a handful of seconds between those two. Christian Blumenfelt willing himself, but it is all Casper Storis and this is the first time I’ve seen him look not perfect, just a hair off of perfect. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you’re really observant if you’re seeing something that But you’re right. Hey, you know what? He finally fell off that 330 pace and he he did a a really pedestrian 339 per kilometer on that on that section. Somebody get him going down there. But we’ve still Yeah, but we’ve still I mean, it’s beautiful. He’s done two hours and 14 minutes um with with only 4K to go. And again, 14 minutes, that’s 228. Uh really just approaching 229. I’m still saying that it’s up to this guy as much as how much he wants to is back. Gustaf is back. The stomach settled. He got some calories on board. He is re-engaged. Back by Christian Blumenfeld. I tell you, these guys not letting this be a dull race. It is. Yes. Norway, Norway, Norway. But the race dynamics between the three of these guys on this Hoka Marathon course have been truly memorable and historic. Well, a lot of back and forths. Eden has come through and and did not pause at all on that. He did find himself uh feeling better and and rolled through. You you did see Blumenfeld looking very rough when he was uh on camera. His face was on camera a couple of minutes ago. And our spotters are even saying too that back we’re seeing a little bit of another lead change where Martin Van Real is coming back on Sam Laidlo. So still fighting for fourth place and fifth place back there Dee. Um but you know who can look past the three Norwegians. I mean Casper has not looked back and and the other uh two Norwegians just a whole ton of cat and mouse. But it goes to your point exactly, Michael, in that there are energy es and flows, highs and lows, particularly this deep into the Iron Man. Yeah. You’re not going to see it an hour into the bike. You’re not going to see it two hours into the bike. You are going to see it two hours into the marathon where everyone’s going to go through a bad patch. And it is how bad is that bad patch and how long does it last and can you get it back? And what we’ve seen, we’ve seen Christian go through a really bad patch and get it back. We’ve seen Gustaf go through a really bad patch and now he has it back. The only one that has seemed somewhat impervious to the bad patch is the guy in the front of the race and that’s Casper Stor. The the only time we could even say that it looked like maybe he was suffering was in the first two miles where he lost that time and you thought, “Oh, he’s 30 seconds back. Maybe it’s just too much.” But he was really just adjusting to running. And ever since then, DD, you are exactly right. zero uh faltering from that. And that’s honestly I’m so excited to see because I do believe if he stays there that 229 and change is going to happen today. It it is unbelievable because to me Christian Bloomfield looks better than he did a lap ago. He just came around. He he literally looks better than he did a lap ago. But Eden has rebounded by more. Yes. Yes. Yeah. And and and back to that point of the of the troughs, you know, the peaks and the valleys and and Eden was vomiting and when you lose those calories like that and you then compose and bring them back in, there’s going to be a rebound effect. And those calories have obviously kicked in and helped. He got more in and perhaps something that was slowing him down was there in that GI and he’s he’s emptied those contents and started over. So again, that’s to me that really speaks a little bit more to that experience level where some of the rising talent might not know that it’s okay to vomit in a race and still win. It’s okay to vomit and still come back to an excellent run. Uh but anyway, as we come back to the man on the camera, give him more credit. He was the third wheel of the Norwegian train, but no longer he’s going to be the fastest and the newest Iron Man world champion. Absolutely. No longer the other Norwegian, right? No longer the other Norwegian. He is the Norwegian of the hour. Casper Storis on his way in his rookie debut at the Iron Man World Championship going to take home a title to become the Norwegian of the hour. Casper Storis putting on a show here today ahead of his fellow countrymen Gustaf Eden and Christian Blumenfeld. That’s right. and back here with Gustaf Eden uh rolling along with him and then back to Blumenfeld. So fun to just bounce back and forth and uh watch these athletes just really do what they are set to do, which is not just fight each other, but fight the distance, the ups and downs, the uh the ins and outs of this. And now look, run in. He’s still cooling himself. He waved ahead of time and said, “Give me that hose. Cool me off.” Uh we have crept up in temperatures into uh the upper 70s nearly 80. Um here’s an athlete in his his rookie world championship event who is absolutely dotting his eyes, crossing his tees through that final aid station. It wasn’t so much about getting the nutrition on board. It was about keeping that core body temperature down, warding off any catastrophe in the closing two kilometers here of this Hoka Marathon course. Wow. Just really fantastic. and and we we were trying to find a little bit of um breakdown in his form as he just looks at his watch uh Casper Storz, but he he’s still he doesn’t have any of that run ugly uh that suffer of the late stage the Iron Man. He’s right up on that forefoot just as he was when we saw him at the beginning. just such execution and and I mean just a huge huge amount of respect to come in here and realistically do what he’s doing um with with only from a standpoint of finishes. He’s only finished um two Iron Mans. I mean he he dropped out of Iron Man Germany in in his first goround and he he has finished two this year. So, uh, that would be in Texas and then of course at Iron Man, uh, Frankfurt, the European Championship. But wow, this is finish number three. Yeah. And again, the story of the rookies. We saw three rookies at the front of the race early on the bike going for broke. Jamie Riddle, Jonas Schoberg, uh, and die. I can’t remember. But, uh, you know, the the the thing is, and we say it again, it’s not how fast you ride the first hour of the the bike. It’s how how fast you run the last hour of the run. And these are the three who really were patient and together in that chase group on the bike, came to the front by the end of the bike and boy, they have just run away with the show. They’ve had their own battle with their countrymen here. Um, and it has been a race for the ages. As as Crowley said, the gift that keeps on giving. uh you always asked for these races and and we knew when we saw those nine superstars on the bike all in close company and then at one point having five runners together uh when it was when it was early days Van Real Stoes Blumenfeld Eden and Ladello those five took off and stayed together we’ve just had delivery upon delivery upon delivery of great Iron Man action and it is just a huge huge um I guess I would say aruck moment oment for me to watch as I think the next next generation, right? I mean, this is this is good stuff right here. This is pushing that boundary to where all that talk D this week about what could be done is happening. Absolutely. I mean, and not only when you talk about the dominance of team Norway, but the the speed with which they’re doing it on. I again, I cannot reiterate, this is one heck of a challenging course with elevation. Um, and certainly the wind playing a factor here today, definitely part of the storyline. uh throwing added challenge at these athletes and to put in that kind of time on this kind of course is just my jaws on the floor. That’s right. And it’s pretty cool to see. I mean, we did hear uh him state prior, Casper state prior that he he did feel he can win. He shared that with Iron Man and there’s a clip online on Instagram where he said, “I believe I can win.” But you know what? Uh believing is the first step towards executing. And I think all of the uh well, it’s not the first step, but really it’s one of those essential steps. Uh but nonetheless, this man is just really in charge of from my standpoint flawless execution. He he’s just been completely nailing it. And uh I haven’t I haven’t seen him struggle. And I think that I really do think that run is going to reflect that in a 229. And to be that far under 8 hours, six or eight minutes, we’re thinking it will be uh very cool. Yeah, the other we Norwegian No Longer. This is Casper Storis in his Iron Man World Championship debut, besting his two better known countrymen in Gustaf Eden and Christian Blumenfeld. But again, full credit to Gustaf Eden, who’s had a really rough three years with injury, personal loss, the loss of his mother. He’s fought his way back and to land on the podium. Yeah, he came here for for the win. All three of these guys obviously came here for the win. Uh only one man can win and right now that man is Casper Stor. So smooth DD that overhead shot looking down just again light as a feather on his feet as we come back to second place. Gustaf Eden he turned the ship around really well and it’s just a nice forward leaning nice quick foot um and ju and and second place again. So, uh I I mean you really could just say, “Hey, let’s just sit here and watch these amazing athletes continue to execute what has been just exciting racing from start to finish.” And it hasn’t been flawless execution for these two, Blumenfeld and Eden. It’s been exceptional execution and it’s been great comeback story after comeback story within the race for them, but flawless execution just shy of that today. But wow, not for Casper Stor. It’s just just getting it done. Absolutely. And and to see how the gaps have actually sort of exploded here in this final lap in the final 10 kilometers there amongst the three countrymen. Casper Storus went to the lead. Gustaf Eden now sitting 247 back of Casper Storis. And that is a combination of Casper Storis just continuing to drill. Three and a half K minute KS three and a half minute Ks. Three and a half minute Ks. I think we all saw one split that was maybe 338. Uh, but he has brought it right back down. Starting to enjoy the high fives now. Oh, come on. 12 high fives and a hands on the head. Oh my gosh. But one quick look at the watch. I mean, what the heck? This is exceptional. About four minutes from the finish line. About a K, a little under. And guess what, Casper? As you get to start celebrating those high fives, take as many as you possibly can. It’s not going to slow you down. Only it’s going to speed you up. No, absolutely. I mean, well, welld deserved. Uh, so long in the shadow of his fellow countrymen, but it to his credit, how much he’s learned from his fellow countrymen on how to attack this race, how to approach a world championship event. Uh, drawing on the experience of his training partners. He’s going to empty the pockets so he looks nice and slim for those finish line photos. No bulging belly full of nutrition in the pockets. It’s Casper Storis on his way to the red carpet. But again, that that that presence of mind, right? I mean, I think I remember back to uh Chris McCormack finishing with the sponges and just being so mad that he had not taken out. I wish I thought to take those sponges out, but uh in this area now, we’ve got a little bit of a limp and boy cramping. It’s that cramping that comes on and you you can see it. It’s it’s it’s sort of the question of are we close enough because that is loading up and you can see him stiffening up in the hand and just that right leg just really cramping up and giving giving out. It’s uh it’s a terrible thing. Left leg hamstring. Yep. Yeah. And a quick walk as we pedal back. He’s going to try and straighten it out because he does not. And he’s back running. Of course, that was a flashback, but he does not want to get caught by Van Real, uh, who is rolling through on Sam Lello. And as Christian Blumenfelt has his struggles in the final two kilometers of this HOA marathon course, we’re going to bring it to the finish line with our Iron Man World Champion, the other Norwegian. No longer. No longer. He’s giving the disbelief uh gesture and still soaking up those high fives. A couple of low fist pumps, but really this is his moment. There you go. That is how you celebrate some high fives and really a proper uh celebratory fist bump. This man has earned every second of this praise and recognition uh today for what he has done. And Gustaf Eden has uh resurrected himself looking fine as he charges his way towards the finish line. Uh halfway through this last lap, he went through uh a bit of bother and Christian Blumenfeld got by him, but he was able to settle the belly and get back on it. He has gone past Christian Blumenfeld sitting comfortably in second place, but that’s not going to matter because it’s all this man Casper Storis, the flag in hand. And that is right. Today we have seen history unfolding and now the happy face, the celebratory face and pictures of Casper Stores as he comes home with the Norwegian flag proudly draped on his shoulders. Today our 2025 Iron Man World Champion is Casper Storzes from Norway. [Applause] Casper Sniss, you are an Iron Man world champion. the emotion as we take a look at Casper Stor’s runs split 22922 courtesy of our friends at Wahoo Element Rival 22922 off a monster bike course. His emotion says it all. I tell you what, that is something special right there. And we said this um that to deliver upon what everybody said they thought could happen, the sub 8 and the sub 230, Casper Stor is doing both for the victory. So good. New world champions. Of course, that’s our Paul K getting some finish line thoughts. We are going to get a chance to uh interview our podium finishers in the Hyper Ice Recovery Zone in just a bit of time. But right now, Casper Storz letting it all soak in. And folks at home and wherever you are watching this race from, just imagine running 3 minutes and 33 seconds per kilometer as an average pace for pretty much any distance and then apply it to Casper Storz for his uh 26.2 miles after 180k on the bike and a little 2.4 mile swim. I like to go back and forth there, Dee from the metric because 180k sounds a lot more impressive. But I tell you what, that is quite a show. It’s longer. Congratulations here. Norway on top. One, two, three. Yeah. Let’s get uh our next Norwegian across the line. That is going to be Gustaf Eden. We will expect him any minute now. And let’s keep willing fellow countryman Christian Blumenfeld along. He is suffering with uh some pretty severe cramping in these final two kilometers. We saw hints of that coming on about halfway through the the final lap. Uh just didn’t have the stride. Uh but here comes Gustaf Eden, another Norwegian flag down the finish shoot on to the red carpet. What a celebration for this young man. Uh seemed to have lost it all and fought so hard over the past three years to get it all back. Let’s credit the lucky hat. Let’s credit the patience. Let’s credit the persistence and determination of this young man from Norway. Your runner up, Gustaf Eden. And that’s special there to watch the two training partners with truly an appreciative embrace there. each one uh very happy for the other. You know, there’s something to be said for for selfbelief. Um but when you go that long and fight that hard to get back to where you once were and then again in Gustaf’s word to surpass it because the sport has elevated uh since his uh period of dominance three years ago uh to get that back again the emotion. Yeah, he came here looking for the win, but I think a podium for uh for Gustaf Eden uh is something that he will be really thrilled by it. It’s it’s a victory. He got back to the uh top steps of international Iron Man racing, world class and world championship racing and he had been absent. So, uh he did he did say that he stepped away and the sport moved on without him and it’s not easy to catch up and he he did just that. So, really impressive and and this is amazing as well. Both men uh looking down the finish straight to find their third brother in arms, the uh Christian Blumenfeld, who we saw cramping. They don’t know exactly the state he’s in. They know he was very close, but it’s such a mutual admiration and respect these three have for one another, and they’re just they’re waiting for uh for him to come and that’s again, oh gosh, not coming easy there for Bloom. Oh gosh. Okay. Yeah, he’s looking behind him now. He does have a bit of cushion. There is the carpet right there. He just has this little right hand turn down the finish shoot. He’s just got to jog it in. He can’t try to do too much. Uh or he’s going to have a really tough time getting there. Uh but here he is. Third place. Didn’t pan out quite the way he thought. We thought he would be the fastest runner on the day coming off the bike. We thought it would be his day. He has certainly had his struggles. But let’s give it up for the third step on the podium. Also from Norway, Christian Blumenfeld, Christian Blumen, [Applause] Casper to welcome and congratulate Christian. There’s stuff as well. The three are united, train together, coach each other. Quick words, Christian, just quickly tell me about your day. You did an amazing job. Oh, what a scene right there. Look at that. Norway, Norway, Norway. Well, it’s fantastic, DD. I mean, I think these three men came into it knowing uh that the uh the team that coached themselves could get there and make it uh three for three sub eight and these incredible times. I don’t think they could have scripted the order. Uh they were probably guessing as much as we were and I think probably each one of them thought, “Hey, it’s going to be me.” But all within 4 minutes and 58 seconds of one another. Three very close finishes. And and I I mean, who knows had those cramps not hit how how dangerously close those two would have been, him and Eden. But Dee, what a day. I mean, you don’t get it any better than that to have uh just the tight racing throughout, which is so thrilling for a sport that can can just take really all day. Uh but to have that closeness, but then to have it also be these three training partners and these three countrymen so good today in these friends. Now having a little lie down behind the finish line, letting it all soak in for these incredible performances today from Casper Storis, your Iron Man world champion, Gustaf Eden, your runner up, and the final step on the podium going to Christian Blumenfeld. All from Norway. just with such an empty tank, Dee. I mean, it should go without saying, but to observe these men uh do what they did and just to see how much they went to the well and delivered. Christian’s getting watered by Scott Daroo there at the finish. And look at this. This was the comeback. Fourth place now. Uh Martin Van Real from Belgium just rolling through and coming back to overtake Sam Lelo late in the game. uh the the man that was worried about his run fitness, the man that didn’t race like he was worried about anything. Really an impressive Iron Man World Championship debut uh for Martin Van Real. Yeah, I think Martin Van Real has every reason to be optimistic about the future of his Iron Man racing. Uh he will wonder what could have been had it not been for that ankle injury. Uh certainly came in uh to his acknowledgement a little undercooked in his run training. Uh certainly banking on fitness for fitness sake. I mean certainly incredibly strong in the swim. Uh led the charge, was part of that lead pack on the bike all day long. Uh just didn’t quite have the miles in his legs to to do the job to the best of his um potential on the run. Certainly to the best of his ability on this very day. And hey, fourth place in your first Iron Man World Championship. That’s uh that’s nothing to to shrug your shoulders at. That’s uh that’s some pretty darn impressive racing that it is. And DD, just to throw some fun numbers at you, we’ll probably cover these later, but the 22922 of Casper Stor was followed up by 23215 for Gustaf Eden and then what feels like just minutes later, so far back, 234 36 for Christian Blumenfeld. Of course, I’m being facitious. That is not far back at all, but 229, 232, and 234. Uh, I mean, that was that was just extremely well played and to catch up and get the inside scoop. Poor Martin Van Real is looking for his bib number. What he didn’t realize is that whipping wind pulled it off his belt. So, he keeps turning it around looking where’s my bib number. He spun it around six times. Yeah, it’s no longer there, my friend. Uh, the wind took it. Uh, but we know who you are and we will welcome you to the finish line. He’s He’s like, I better get my photo. I bet I better want my finish line. Everyone still wants that proper photo. Uh but yeah, checking the watch again. And it some of that you have to wonder if it’s automatic pilot, how much you really care. Uh but Martin Van Real really impressive. Oops, I said real twice. And um and it it is this is a guy that has been all over the top of international uh world class racing for a long time and now just kind of pushing what is our next wave of Iron Man racing. And you know, gosh, I can I feel like it’s been 10, 15 years where we’ve been listening to folks, legends like Mark Allen and Dave Scott say things like the men are underperforming on the run. The men are underperforming when they need to be running faster. They’re not running that much faster than we did. And suddenly, u well, it feels suddenly Yes, they are. They are now. We we now we don’t talk about 250 and sub 250. We don’t talk about 240 and sub 240. We are now down into those uh very rare errors of low 230s is is world class. And now of course that 229 exceptional exceptional racing. But let’s put our hands together for fourth place. Martin Van Real agony on the face but has to be very satisfied. Um maybe dissatisfied but very happy to have made it fourth place. And you could see the emotion on the man’s face. Uh, so still wanting for more, but well done. Such a conflict of emotion there to to know what you’re capable of on your best day and to be off of that on the day that you had, but to to put it all out there and give it what he gave. uh to come back on an athlete like Sam Ladello. Uh a step off the podium, which may be again a disappointment for what he wanted on his best day, but for what he was dealt in the injury, sitting on the sidelines for over four weeks, missing run training. Um he’s going to be disappointed right now, but let’s hope that a little bit of perspective will sink in and he will look back on this Iron Man World Championship debut performance uh and be proud. And we are going to take it down to the hyper ice recovery zone. Our very own Craig Alexander recovery area 2025 Iron Man world champion champion Casper Storis. What’s the feeling when you go from someone who thinks they can win the world title to knowing you’re going to win the world title and then winning the world title? Uh, I knew I had a chance to win, but I knew I had two very hard competitors to beat. Oh, I tongue get numb in my tongue. I don’t know why, but yeah, I um Yeah, I’m just over the moon. So happy. You saw the emotion when you crossed the finish line. Relief, satisfaction, I I believe, but also maybe in your initial words, gratitude to your good friends and training partners. Yeah. They have uh pushed me to the line for so many years and uh yeah they are the best mates I can uh share the podium with and I’m so so happy. Yeah. At times in the run it looked like we were in Bergen and you guys were doing a tempo long run and talk to me about the dynamic when you’re out there. Um obviously you’re training partners and friends but you’re also racing for for all the marbles. Yeah, I had a quite bad transition for at T2 and when I uh catch them, they uh uh they increase the pace out on the second lap. So then I just stick to my plan and run 330 pace and um yeah trust that this is the too fast pace for now and then I catch them out on a uh third lap and uh try to relax a bit and then I increased the pace and got a gap on Chrisen after when it was 15k to go and uh then I just needed to stick into it and uh yeah I didn’t believe it before it was like 3k okay to go. Then I knew, okay, now it’s too much time to uh catch me. And uh yeah. Well, amazing. I unconfirmed, but at 229, I think that’s the new world championship run course record. Congratulations. You are the 2025 Iron Man World Champion with one of the best performances we’ve seen. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Good job. Thank you. Sorry, I’m so numb. Welcome Eden. It looks like the lucky hat is back. Yeah, but I didn’t win. No, I’m just kidding. That was uh truly insane and I’m so so proud of Casper. Yeah, to take the win is uh it’s always something you dream of. and for him to come here and do it on this uh first try, it’s uh it’s amazing. Talk us through your day. It looked like from the swim, you were in a good position, probably in the second chase pack, great T1, got into a great position on the bike. You look like you’re in control and and your first couple of laps on the marathon. It looked like 2022 again with you and Christian and that familiar run style of yours. You mentioned at the press conference you’d have to break new ground with your marathon and you did that today. Yeah. Uh overall it was a good race for me. I had a pretty good start to the swim and I faded a little bit towards the end but I tried to not uh stress because stress in a swim is never the answer you know. So I yeah stayed calm, had a good T1, ran hard and then suddenly quite good on the bike and uh from turn around Sam was pushing an insane pace and I just couldn’t hold up but I knew that my downhill is uh pretty strong so I wasn’t stressing too much. And then we caught them just before uh T2 and first two laps super in control and then uh the Iron Man kind of hits you towards the end. But uh overall it was a super super good race for me. I think uh yeah, Casper sub 230, but still my run was incredible. So I’m super satisfied. Well, mate, congratulations. Triathon is just a better place with Gustaf Eden on the podium. Thank you. We’re now going to welcome to the microphone our third place finisher at the 2025 Iron Man World Championships, the 2021 champion, Olympic gold medalist, one of the pre-race favorites, and a guy we know always turns himself inside out on the raceourse. Congratulations. It looked like a good race from you. You were on Lelo’s feet early in the swim in a great position. always looked composed on the bike. Tactically, looked like the race was going the way you wanted and and even early in the run, it looked like the race was yours to lose. You looked like you were in control until you weren’t in control anymore. Yeah, that’s right. Um felt we were pushing quite hard on the bike there. uh and uh without feeling too fatigued. So came down to T2 and uh felt smooth on the run in the beginning but then uh that was good. I was picking up the pace. I felt like this is a bit hot and then he wanted to share the work and I knew that I don’t have much to tribute with. So, it was a bit poor. Cat the mouse before um yeah, just run out of energy. But, uh yeah, it’s amazing. One, two, three. What a performance. So, you’ve made history. It’s the first time that an Iron Man World Championship podium on the men’s side has been all world champions. Now, Casper has got that title and it’s only the third time on the men’s side there’s been a sweep. So, you guys got your podium sweep. And I think for me at the finish line photo just the emotion and the gratitude you all had for each other. Yeah. Like uh we’ve been of us u since corner last year. This was the goal. uh we decided to sort of take control over their own our own training and uh make our training program ourself and uh it’s quite amazing to see uh how the group is performing and uh yeah it’s uh yeah unbelievable. We were dreaming about taking the podium sweep before the race is sort of something like it’s a bit a bit cocky to go out and say, but uh yeah, to actually be able to put it together and take Yeah, all all three guys on the podium is uh just amazing. Well, congratulations. We’ll see you in Marbaya for the Iron Man 70.3 World Championships from the Hyper Ice Recovery Area. I’m going to throw back to you now, Michael and Dei. And Dei, that was a wonderful collection of interviews from our Norwegian podium. Uh, you got I got exactly what I wanted to see, which is a grateful, surprised yet uh very satisfied and happy Casper Storz in first. A very humble and gracious second place uh for Gustav Eden in third place. Christian Blumenfeld. Wow. Just completely spent. and also very um impressed with what his group did. I mean, they guided themselves to this and that is no small feat. Dee, there’s the Aussie Nick Thompson. Yeah, now the floodgates are open. Of course, Casper Storis uh will obviously becomes Iron Man World Champion. Uh he will take home 6,000 points in the Iron Man Pro Series. And now the clock ticking down at a rate of one point per second as they continue to come in across the line. Um it’s going to be a big boost for Casper Casper Storis. Uh Christian Blumenfeld obviously in contention for uh the overall series win which is different obviously than the Iron Man World Championship win. So still a lot on the line. Martin Van Real we saw come across in fourth. Sam Ladello holding on to fifth place. Jonas Shamberg with a very strong run um after he faded a little bit in the last 40k of the bike. He holds on for sixth. Nicks Thompson in seventh. Matthew Markwart coming across the line now in eighth place. Outstanding performance for the American. Uh what a great great day for Matthew Markwart who’s had uh his share of struggles this season, his share of triumphs as well. Um battled some uh some cramping issues in the early part of the season. seems to have figured that out. Uh, and what a great performance. He really got off to a slow start on the bike, but has just chipped away and finishes in eighth place and the top American finisher. I mean, really fantastic. Again, as you as you talk about the yo-yoing and the back and forth and the way his season’s gone, uh, being so everpresent, his two Iron Man wins, and then to come in here and really not come from nowhere, but he he delivered a very consistent effort to get there to eighth place. Dee, what a day. I mean, just so far, if I think back, I mean, obviously some points, some shuffling and calculating in the Iron Man Pro Series, which runs concurrently, but is independent from this Iron Man World Championship. So, the prize money that is handed out today, the $375,000 that goes to these professional men, that is one thing. and they are still adding and and accumulating points and vying for that Iron Man Pro Series title that does not get handed out until we are in Spain in Mara at the end of the year in November. So the race within the race, I mean it’s I don’t know, you may have run the numbers while we talk, but there are numbers to crunch and some spreadsheets to shuffle around. Oh, absolutely. and and a lot of the athletes again, some with just two Iron Man scores on the board, so they will be adding the full weight of today’s score to their points totals. Other athletes with already uh three Iron Man scores, so they’re looking to better some of those points totals. And then of course uh the 70.3 in Marba, that is a a points boost as well, a more heavily weighted points tally for a 70.3 event. So, a lot of changes can happen and this is where the athletes are looking at their nearest competitors saying, “How close do I have to be to this guy so that I can stay ahead of him in the overall pro series standings?” Because again, keep in mind that’s $1.7 million being handed out as a year-end bonus uh for consistency and excellence across the season as you know, in its entirety. And I think athletes already looking forward uh with the news uh just a couple of days ago of the 2026 uh Iron Man Pro Series. And here comes your defending champion, Patrick Langa. Boy, what a day for him. What ninth place. I mean, really, you just have to stand up and give a standing ovation here for this man that really by all accounts was just going backwards. the gaps, the time deficit that he had, uh, to be able to then come and crank out 231 33 and snag that third. I mean, that ninth place, that top 10. I mean, really, this guy is just, he’s impressive to do that when you came in with the intent to win and to be so far back on the bike and yet still find the heart and the will to dig that deep. As we see early race leader, this was one of our rookies at the start uh of the bike who was just so uh aggressive, one of the real agitators at the start of the bike. He is going to come home in his first Iron Man World Championship with a top 10 performance. Of course, this is Jamie Riddle from South Africa. So, congratulations to Jamie Riddle. uh maybe not the marathon he had banked on, but boy did he get a valuable uh race experience that he did uh an impressive show. He was he was never out of that top 10 and he just uh showed that South Africa has a bright bright future future at Iron Man Racing uh backing some of the past that they’ve had with incredible stars uh over the years from from the Rainbow Nation. You know what? Beautiful stuff. And here we are just looking at these incredible shots uh from above and and looking down at more finishers. Dei just coming across the line again. Still so much for these athletes to be racing for. Pro Series points again very valuable. They don’t know how it’s all going to uh pan out at the end of the year, but to throw some more points on the board in pursuit of that $1.7 million year-end bonus uh is something worth fighting for. As we go down to our podium celebration, of course, in third place, uh, this is Christian Blumenfeld from Norway. His race time 75636. [Music] Norway. And in second place, also representing Norway, um a previous champion coming home in 7 hours and 54 minutes with 13 seconds. This will be Gustaf Eden. 54 minutes 14 seconds and a 232 marathon thanks to our CEO gets that medal. Puts that lucky hat back on his head for Gustaf Eden. Gustaf, hold on to that hat, man. It does it does good things for you. Ladies and gentlemen, here he is, folks. He is your 2025 Iron Man World Champion. He swam 4521. He biked 43126 and he ran a jawdropping 22925. Uh, this is your 2025 Iron Man World Champion from, you guessed it, Norway, Casper Stori. And showing the effort of the 75131 time in climbing up to the top step of the podium. It’s all Norway all day. Congratulations Casper Storz, Gustaf Eden, and Kristen Blumenfeld. [Music] Let’s see those trophies and the flowers in the sky. Congratulations [Music] and all podium. And now gentlemen, it’s time to say That’s right. Thank you to the team from Atlantic. 1 2 3 [Laughter] Gust saying, you know, I don’t want to dump all that athletic brew. I’m going to I’m going to throw a couple of couple of sips down the old hatch there. And there we go. We’re sharing one flag. Never been done before here at the well, I shouldn’t say never. We’ve had it with other countries, but we’ve never had it done before with Norway. Fantastic show of dominance here. Um, all three of these men crushing that 8 hour barrier and and well below 235 for each marathon. These men trained together, support one another, and uh battled the pants off each other. Di, what a day. Can you scream? And here are your results from the 2025 Iron Man World Championship. Going to get those up on the screen for you. We’ve recaped them in bits and bobs, but we’ll do a final recap for you of our top standings of our professional men. Thank you very much. Looking down here, Dee, at that incredible and beautiful setting here for the Iron Man World Championships in Nice, France. We’re going to go ahead and have a look now, Dee, at the Iron Man Pro Series standings. And again, unofficial. We still have people racing. We still have points to tally, but unofficially we’re looking at number one, Leon Shioalier at top. And then we obviously will have to come back for that full summary. Do you have that official? That was that was old data and of course those results as you said unofficial because uh athletes still out there racing. We don’t know how that might alter uh some of the points. Some athletes still out on course might find their way into the top 10 uh overall uh depending on how far back and how many points they accumulate. Again, keeping in mind this is a 6,000 point race. So, a lot more points on offer and a lot more potential for these athletes to move up and uh down the standings accordingly. As we think about the uh the event today, Dee, and we start to look at all of the uh return to normal, if you will, on the uh Plaz Ponchett there. All the beachgoers are back and bathing in the sun and enjoying this beautiful day. while just behind uh the race will continue from now all the way until midnight as these 2500 plus iron man athletes that have qualified from all over the world make their way to the finish line. Some will be taking every bit of that time and others will be uh extremely fast setting PRs and personal bests as well as accomplishing those goals of hitting that podium in the age group that they belong in. again. What an outstanding race venue. What a fantastic host city uh befitting this Iron Man World Championship. Uh and the party will continue on well into the night that it will and and we suspect there will be a lot of folks uh staying in the area and returning to those beautiful uh villages in the mountains. But have a look here. Uh this is going to be today’s results for the Iron Man World Championship. We know first place went to Casper Storin is 75139 Norway Gustaf Eden 754 in second place and Christian Blumenthal for 756 and third place DD and of course Martin Van Real on debut at a World Championship event in fourth. Sam Ladello after a rough start coming home in fifth. Jonas Shamberg uh in sixth, Nick Thompson from Australia in seventh. Top USA finisher Matthew Mark Quart takes eighth. Patrick Longa, the defending Iron Man champ, he came home in ninth with Jamie Riddle from South Africa in 10th. And then we did tease it earlier and eventually we will get to share with you. They’re still calculating those numbers is how I read this. But we’ll continue to look at these beautiful scenics of just a wonderful spot here on the uh Cook Desour here in the south of France and really just a spectacular place. We talked about its history. We talked about its challenge and of course the talent that made their way out here uh to try their best and to test themselves against the Iron Man World Championship course. Dee, this has been, I would say, more impressive than anticipated and I had come into it with very high expectations. And again, I mean, there were sort of expectations based on what we thought some of these athletes can do. Some measured up, some surpassed, some fell a little bit short, but that’s what makes it an Iron Man World Championship event. That’s right. and and Dee, if I had to look at a couple of my favorite moments, I would say uh there were um realistically there were a handful of very small things that I would indicate. Favorite moment without a doubt is just seeing the camaraderie of the three Norwegians and coming in and doing exactly what they said. They didn’t know which order, but they came in there and said, “We have the capability of a podium. We support one another. We train together.” To me, that is just an absolute highlight above the individual accomplishments. And and for me, again, the theme of this year’s Iron Man World Championship, resilience. And boy, did we see the resilience from Stan Lelo, for whom we thought his day was over before he even got out of the water. And again, from Patrick Langga, our defending champion, uh, who was so far back on the bike, but ran his way into the top 10. Talk about the resilience and the mindset of those champions, uh, on full display here today in Nice. Without a doubt. And and then you know there’s also to me what would be a secondary moment if you will that I really dub as a favorite. It’s seeing the talent of the future making good. Seeing an Alec or seeing a Jamie I keep saying that but a Jamie Riddle come in here and deliver with the words that he shared. This is more important to me than the Olympics. And that’s something that a handful of folks can say hey I’ve compared them both. they’ve been to each uh but for Jamie to come in here and show that uh wave of the future coming in and the wave of the future being generational athletes who have grown up with their parents being uh Iron Man athletes have having grown up around the sports. They were in little short pants uh at at early uh episodes of of the Iron Man World Championship and now it’s their turn and boy does the bar just keep getting higher. Yeah. Well, it’s it’s an exciting time in the sport of Iron Man and we are watching these barriers continue to to be blasted past and uh I I do think we’ll continue as with anything when you have these big breakthroughs, you’ll you’ll get more. They will just come and they will say, “Hey, let’s go.” As we look at these beautiful shots of our wonderful venue, I would like to thank everyone for watching the Iron Man World Championship men’s race. We can remind you to watch on demand replays of all Iron Man Pro Series broadcasts exclusively in the US and Canada. You can sign up for Outside Plus today. Globally, of course, you can watch the pro at proseries.ironirman.com. Iron Man Try YouTube channel or any of our global distributors. The Iron Man World Championship Women’s Race is in just a few weeks on Saturday, October 11th, and it’s going to be absolutely epic with the field on tap. Stay tuned to Iron Man’s social media channels and to YouTube to catch all of the exciting pre-race buildup. Until then, on behalf of DD Griezbower, Craig Alexander, Frasier Cartell, and Matt Leedto, Aravoir from Nice. Come on. [Music] Hey. [Music] [Music] champion boys. [Applause] This copyrighted broadcast of World Triathon Corporation may not be retransmitted, reproduced, rebroadcast, or otherwise distributed or used in any form without express written consent of World Triathon Corporation. [Music] Sorry. [Music] [Music] [Music]