Episode 5 | Frankfurt | AN IRON WILL Season 2

Introducing AN IRON WILL, a docuseries that delves deep into the mindset and drive of both professional and age-group triathletes as they push themselves beyond comfort zones, pain thresholds, and mental barriers in pursuit of their chance to compete for 2024 IRONMAN World Championship and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlons. The season also charts the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series™ with new insights and behind-the-scenes footage.

Episode 1 through 3 of Season 2 of AN IRON WILL was made available earlier this year, with the remaining episodes coming up this week on IRONMAN YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/ironmantriathlon

#ANIRONWILL #IRONMANtri #AnythingisPossible

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[Music] welcome to the Minova Iron Man European Championship Frankfurt Frankfurt’s nickname is Mine Hatton due to the mine river and impressive skyline playing off Manhattan New York This is the 13th event in the Iron Man Pro Series and the sixth Iron Man distance race It’s also the final Iron Man distance triathlon of the Iron Man Pro Series before the Vinfast Iron Man World Championships We have a really strong men’s field here today I am super excited to watch the action unfold today Running on 3 hours sleep and dream right now I’m feeling great Two time world champion Patrick Lang In Germany we say [ __ ] are everywhere Who is spreading those rumors We have Christian Blumenfeld and Sam Long sneaking onto the start line in the last couple of weeks and are both chasing their Kona qualifying spot Yo yo yo came all this way to get the bag No one is really going to feel sorry for you if you crash on the bike Oh we just see a crash Oh no Hogan Hog I am on Europe’s turf I think I’m over four racing in Europe I do believe that the best Iron Man athletes are based in Europe The level is just getting so high I’m still kind of pinching myself thinking I’m going to wake up tomorrow and it will all all be changed These roads can be very slippery when they’re wet The race here is kind of cursed for me I was sort of not panicking but like thinking [ __ ] I might lose this win [Music] Frankfurt Germany A city where medieval spires pierce the sky besides gleaming glass towers A place where Europe’s storied past meets the pulse of modern ambition This is more than a financial powerhouse It’s a cultural crossroads and a city of contrast and legacy In the heart of Germany beats the spirit of Iron Man Nowhere outside the United States has the sports roots run so deep From the trailblazing Thomas Hellwiggle to the thunderous force of Norman Stadler and Ferris Al Sultan From the brilliance of Sebastian Kinlay and Yan Fredino to the quiet dominance of Annie Hal And today the legacy lives on through Iron Man champions Patrick Langer and Laura Phillip carrying the torch for a nation that is proud of their Iron Man history Triathon in Europe in general is one of the celebrated sports and in Germany in particular with you know Norman Stadler Farasel Sultan being world champions in Kona that the country has just really embraced the sport as a whole and so when you go to race in Frankfurt or anywhere in Germany people just come out for it they come out of the woodworks the fans in Europe are just bonkers it’s uh something else as a German is there something that that we have so many Iron Man champs and we had very very good years Because of these great champs we really have role models there And triathlon is a sport if you try it once then I’m convinced that you won’t stop Then since 2003 the Minova Iron Man Frankfurt has stood as one of the most fiercely contested races on the circuit Home to the Iron Man European Championship for the past 20 years It’s more than a race It’s a tradition a citywide celebration where triathlon takes center stage I don’t think any American really understands why triathlon is so popular in Germany but it is They actually show the race in its entirety on live television in Frankfurt The sport the athletes themselves are are heroes in the German community and that is on great display in Frankfurt Frankfurt is a major metropolitan city and it shuts down for this race Every athlete ought to have the opportunity to experience it It’s hard first of all to travel that way in race The time difference messes with you So you have to really be calculated in your leadup and when you’re going to go in American athletes generally just tend to struggle when it comes to racing in Europe It’s an incredible field I mean it’s the European Championships and it always brings out the best quality Um I do believe that the best Iron Man athletes are based in Europe so it’s a lot easier for them to obviously get here to Frankfurt and being European Championships it’s always going to bring out the the cream of the crop Add to that the Iron Man Pro Series and it just sort of the perfect storm for one of the strongest fields of the year It’s got to be an A race because you are racing against athletes that are peaking for this event Racing basically you know it’s a championship race in the middle of the year So you got to have your AAME ready to go [Music] to quit Yeah Got to keep on moving no matter how hard it gets Yeah Better move out the way cuz I’m wait as hard as a brick But I’m knocked out He’s young he’s fearless and he’s fast In just his third year as a professional American Trevor Foley has already become a name that draws attention when race start lists are announced A new force rising With a bite leg that breaks the pack and a run that leads the best chasing shadows Trevor just doesn’t race He attacks 5 weeks ago he conquered the iconic Iron Man Lake Classic course Now he sets his sights across the Atlantic Frankfurt What does walk 330 in the marathon proving ground where the cream always rises to the top Feeling great Feeling okay It’s what 4 4 5:00 in the afternoon Not tired at all which might be a problem in about 3 hours but nothing uh melatonin can’t fix [Music] I’ve got three pretty much perfect scores in the series now Um and you know you only need two more to wrap up a a good payday [Music] This is my third full season as like a full-time um professional triathlete I ran you know track cross country starting in sixth grade all the way like super competitively through co like 20 mid 2020 I was fortunate enough to run um D1 at you know the University of Florida one of the best track and field programs like in the world And then kind of during CO I went back home to like the Tampa Bay Florida area and uh had a great great job there I was a valet driver at like a super fancy condo in downtown Tampa and yeah with a run background chasing nice cars getting good tips I was working 70 plus hours a week and run 100 miles a week cuz I had nothing else to do I’d you know go on Instagram or on uh YouTube or just Google and I started getting this thing like these popups for uh triathlon So I started seeing people like Lion Sanders and Sam Lawn um with like their YouTube channels and then I kind of started pulling up results and like they were good Like those guys obviously are great but then I was looking at like you know the other results right Like the top eight top 10 I was like oh like it’s not that fast I think I could do that Like running 115 off a bike I think I can do that I’ve never like ridden a bike or swam in my life before I’m like “Ah I could do that.” I like my little stitch song though This is my feelood song I play that song when I’m nervous [Music] I I ended up doing like this sprint distance draft legal race in in March of 2021 and won that race Qualified for my pro card Look at that thing Look at the girth on it Good lord And yeah I just I dabbled in one 70.3 in September of 2021 It was Augusta 70.3 Um first second triathlon ever First 70.3 Um actually kind of nice and I ended up getting fifth I ran 109 Um I was right off the podium How are the nerves My nerves come and go Um like I said when I’m exercising my nerves completely disappear and I I get super confident and I’m like I’m going to win the race I’m just freaking bipolar I think I’m just I’m ready to win now Like let’s go And then I enter the pro meeting or I sit down in the Airbnb and I’m like “Oh wow You’re going to you’re you’re lucky to get top 50.” I was fortunate enough to get the Kona slot in Placid So I think on a normal year I would probably just shut it down after that Do a few local 70s 70.3s and then get ready for the like the big dance and then topo uh in December But now we have this great opportunity to make to make money and chase points and yeah just show your worth over the full distance [Music] I had a pretty good time I guess a classic 755 236 marathon on a hard run course I you know I still think I have more to give than that performance But again I’m only you know 28 days removed from that performance I’m still pretty tired in a foreign country blah blah blah all the excuses But um yeah I I’m here for points No Chipotle Germany Do you read comments Yeah read the comments cuz 99% of them are so good You know what I mean Like they’re so good Like paragraphs like you’re amazing so inspirational like so like such good stuff And then you just see you’re a dumbass your seat’s too low your run form’s trash your nutrition’s bad And it’s like okay I’m racing to like just be in the mix just to be in the thick of it to get a good you know 4,500 4,600 point score not to like you know make a big 400 watt move on the bike and then be walking miles 20 through 26 You know that’s not really what I came to do Carbs boy If I have a special day like I did in Places where I feel good swim bike run nail the nutrition stay upright on the bike uh I think I could be rivaling for the for the win just with my run pedigree Call me Nerves are really starting to to kick in Um it’s going to be real in 12 hours I’m going to have to go do this thing for for real We’re going to be good All chill vibes I mean yeah it’s all good Got to go back home to beautiful Boulder Colorado in like two days three days So get out of the great state of Europe What is a kilometer I don’t freaking know Iron Man Frankfurt marks the 13th stop on the inaugural Iron Man Pro Series and the field is absolutely stacked 85 of the world’s best have arrived in this triathlon mecca led by local hero and twotime Iron Man world champion at the time Patrick Langer But the biggest wild card Christian Bloomfeld the Olympic and Iron Man world champion returns to long course racing just weeks after a tough finish in Paris hungry for redemption and a path back to Kona Frankfurt always draws a very strong field You have usually the best German athletes or European athletes certainly German So we had Patrick Langa on the start line It’s great to be back in Frankfurt because the race where I definitely have some unfinished business My best position was third and I definitely want to win this race because it’s a state where I grew up So I’m looking forward for a lick time home crowd love We had the American favorites like Sam Long and Trevor Foley who were targeting the Pro Series and really starting to race well There’s multiple ways to look at this race There’s a plethora of reasons All 90 guys are racing Um some for points some for money some for Kona I’m racing for points That’s the reason I’m here is cuz I’m you know going after the Iron Man Pro series There’s some serious guys here And I think if you’re really racing to win you have to take a lot of big risks potentially But for me I’m I’m trying to get the spot It still takes a solid race but it’s more like just try and get the best race out of myself rather than having to be as focused on what other people are doing It’s a huge field and there’s probably 15 to 20 guys who have a legitimate shot at being on the podium You know that’s been the wrinkle to the Pro Series is every race that you do is a a priority race It’s all championship level racing Then we had some other younger European athletes like Gregory Barnaby who’s targeted the pro series and using this as really a good stepping stone first to qualify for Kona but secondly as another good point score I actually think it’s one of my favorite run courses uh on the circuit at the moment because it’s running along the the river and the support from the German crowds here is insane Also throw into that mix Christian Blumenthal coming off the Olympics a late entrance into that race Obviously an athlete that is one of the superstars of our sport Coming off a little bit rusty from the short course training and the preparation So it will be a long day on Sunday Aware that I’m coming in a little bit unprepared in terms of the volume and the time on the TT bike So it’s going to be a day of getting a feel for it on Sunday and then the obviously the big goal is to be back in fighting for the win in Kona There was so many names on the start list just a lot of alpha dogs He’s not your typical age group triathlete He’s a father of three a part-time magazine editor a former Olympian and now the fastest amateur triathlete the world has ever seen At Iron Man Hamburg Lars Viker shattered expectations crossing the line in an astonishing 7 hours 50 minutes and 42 seconds A new amateur world record set on home soil At 37 this two-time Olympic rower has traded oes for arrow bars chasing excellence in a whole new arena But for Lars this isn’t just about times or titles It’s about passion balance and proving that greatness can come from the most unexpected places Anything is possible means to me that a former lightweight rower can switch to an Iron Man and be Yeah the fastest age grouper at the moment [Music] I’ve never believed in it uh to race that fast And now I Yeah with a goal of um being under 9 hours I am now under 8 hours [Music] It was a kind of thing I wanted to do when I uh yeah k my high performance career as an rower and um had some fun on longer distances So a really good friend of mine um take part at the Iron Man Surich and also finished his rowing career and told me he was racing the Iron Man and long distance racings Less than 1% in the world are doing this sport So it’s uh really something special and I think a lot of people um do it for their own journey to look how they can um yeah handle the training also the racing and uh the community it’s the whole triathlon community is a yeah really nice one and they they’re supporting each other Iron Man Frankwood It’s an iconic event because it has a long history and it was yeah one of the biggest iron man raised in Germany The finish line is iconic with the um yeah finished at the Roma Yeah 22 years of a really long um history So that’s a special thing Most of my time I train uh during yeah the evening around as 7 to 8:00 p.m And when the kids are in the bed I have um I can open my pink cave and go for it [Music] Being part in a competition against each other It’s something I really like And also during a long distance race like the Iron Man uh when you see the guys swimming so fast and um being out 10 minutes in front of you and you’re trying to catch them over the next 7 hours or something like that it’s really nice and I love this part of the living Nice [Music] Trevor Foley the young superstar Will he be tired I know he seems a little nervous coming over to race in Europe never having traveled this far to race triathon Race morning I woke up and I just wasn’t amped you know I wasn’t I was just kind of dreading it Like walking to the start this morning I was like I really have to go do this Like this is going to be a grind you know It’s it’s going to be a lot of work And that’s just kind of kind of how I felt mentally Welcome to the Minova Iron Man European Championship Frankfurt The lucky winner will not just take home the Iron Man European title and prize money They will also bank 5,000 points towards the Pro Series Race morning breaks under a heavy sky The wind stirs The air hums with tension Dark clouds of adversity have gathered on the horizon and within But they’ve trained for this for pain for pressure for the unpredictable Across the transition area 4,000 athletes pros and age group hoopers alike make final adjustments Bike checks nutrition dialed minds locked in This is Iron Man And when the storm comes they don’t run from it They race into it Everybody seemed pretty tense and wanted to get that like start right So everyone was Yeah pretty focus on the start I think it’s going to be interesting Like there’s over 80 men starting So that swim start is going to be chaos The swim is it’s a remote swim start So you’re bust out to the swim start in the morning and so you expect it to be a little quieter like maybe one or two supporters for for the athletes but it’s like the finish line There are so many supporters out there It’s going to be a great day Looks like it’s a little bit rainy down at the start this morning It’s a huge field I think it’s the biggest field that we’ve had in um Iron Man Pro Racing 80 plus athletes So yeah it’s going to be a great day Everybody around our we want the energy [Applause] As the prot triathletes prepare for the swim start on the beach there’s a shared intensity in the air A quiet electricity that hums through the crowd The journey to this start line is no small feat Months of training sacrifice and relentless belief Standing here means more than readiness It means they belong [Music] And they’re off at the 2024 MOVA Iron Man European Championship Frankfurt This field was big 80 plus men on that start line Mass was chaos from the beginning Willie Hirs Christian Hogenhog Braden Curry up front there All of the favorites Christian Blumenfelt was was right there too The stage was set It was a pretty chaotic start to that swim and didn’t feel that great but I struggled a little bit more than yeah what I hoped having 85 top motivated male athlete in this little starting box Even to lose like 5 m in the start phase of the swim your whole race could be ruined I just went wide in the swim cuz it got a bit chaotic and I just thought swim wide Might have to swim a bit longer but you know I’ll stay out of trouble They’re coming back to the shore now They’ll do that Aussie exit and hop back in the water We’ll see as they hop up and we should get some time splits and a better look at the front of this men’s pack We saw a tightly bunched group after the that first lap of the swim with some of our relatively weaker swimmers still in contention Sam Long not that far back after the first lap but after that second lap man things really had spread out and and we were starting to see a very different race dynamic develop I swim fine Like I’m I’m starting to swim now with solid second third pack guys that I haven’t swam with prior to this season So that’s good You know got to take the positives But it just felt like a grind People behind do whatever they want to do like you don’t want to lose lose those feet Um our two leading swimmers are out the water Willie Hirs and Andrea Salvisburg Meadow Cool House Christianel back there in that pack That I believe is Bre Curry right there in the light blue cap While it was 2 minutes to the front back of that pack was 40 seconds behind the lead of the pack Organized chaos coming out of transition here I came out the water There wasn’t too many people ahead of me uh got on the bike and I was like “Oh that’s Christian Blumenfeld I must be doing all right.” Among the chaos of churning arms and crashing waves Germany’s own Patrick Langanger emerges and 6 minutes a drift from the leaders He knows the clock is ticking The margin is thin and if he wants to claw his way back into contention it will take a fearless ride and a fighter’s mindset for the multiple world champion The chase begins now Patrick Lang he’s always a favorite when he steps on any start line He’s never won Frankfurt before So this was a big goal of his to try and win I man Frankfurt in his home country This was another stepping stone for him All system seemed to be go for him for this race In Germany Patrick Langanger isn’t just a triathlete He’s a sports icon In 2017 he shocked the world in Kona storming back from a brutal deficit and passing Lionel Sanders at mile 23 on the run to win his first Iron Man World Championship In that moment he earned his place among the German legends at triathlon A year later he did it again Another victory on triathlon’s grandest stage And this time he shared it with the world in a way no one saw coming Dropping to one knee at the finish line to propose to his then girlfriend Julia with millions watching Two world titles countless battles But Patrick Langanger isn’t done He’s pursuing more than podiums now He’s chasing legacy Following in the footsteps of Fredino Stadler and Hely Patrick still has unfinished business and he’s out to prove he is one of the greatest Iron Man athletes of all time [Music] [Music] Perfect [Music] I grew up in a small city called Bad Vong Um it’s right in the center of Germany actually Two sisters Um mom and dad used to be a driving instructor happy childhood Been outdoors performance in school just went down pretty dramatically and um yeah it was it was just hard to focus [Music] Some point went to the doctor and he said like I have this uh ADHDs My mom was on a on a crossroad either putting me on bad pills or uh going to sports club I cannot throw I cannot sprint I cannot jump But um yeah uh when they told me like go just run for a kilometer I immediately broke the the club record My dad used to be a marathon runner I went to Berlin Marathon and just had amazing like um marathon experiences watching him on the sidelines I met a triathlete who happens to be like five or six times um an amateur athlete in in Kona and he told me how crazy the energy is and uh how much he loved this race and I thought this triathon thing really sounds appealing So uh yeah I I gave it a shot in in the local races and uh straight fall in love with it Meeting uh with Ferrisil Sultan back in 2015 I guess definitely was a a big game changer for me Um we trained together had really good time and uh we were always joking that um he might coach me when he retires [Music] Yeah really got me um to commit [Music] No So Patrick can you just let me know what we’re going to do now Yeah we are nothing Drinking coffee talking [ __ ] Um no Uh we are going to have some uh interview scenes now for the German television because they’re broadcasting Kona and um yeah so we have some some snippets of interview and some training shots uh so running and cycling to do Kona changed my life It got me into into the media the media gets you the sponsoring contracts Um and the sponsor sponsor contracts uh makes you be able to to focus on uh what you love the most you know uh living your dream I knew nothing literally nothing about triathlon I had to like Google the sport when he told me what he did Um and looking back at it I’m very happy I didn’t know who he was because I I don’t think I would have like dated him Um cuz I was always a bit like oh well professional athletes they must be like super self-centered and like probably not people that are very easy to live with And um I have to say about Patrick he’s definitely not the stereotype of a professional athlete Like the picture I had in my mind he he proved it wrong The Julia is is the center Uh she’s my wife She she works the management the mental help She travels with me to the races etc I’m working with a with a coach who is a sport scientist I’m working with a nutritionist the swim coach the physio Every one of my sponsor I see as a part of a team You have to to to build your team around this excellence Obviously he has to be disciplined but he he very much cares about the people around him like what they feel like It’s not just about him and his training and like his recovery and he’s like he’s a proper human not just an athlete It’s like you’re not swimming with triathletes You’re swimming with swimmers Yes Is that correct That’s correct Give us a little V little insight into the vibe in this swim squad And they’re pretty young Our our training group is um between 15 16 um swimmers most times semi or full professional swimmers Patrick is the oldest but I always tell him uh to do to act and to swim like the food like the youngest In his mind he he’s a kid and that’s the reason why why he’s so good the the level is just it’s just really high and for me it’s it’s just great to see uh here and there little uh technique tricks for example um just helps to up my swim game as well When I met him the first uh thing is always yeah trylet just can do three sports but not one one sports 100% So Patrick showed us the other way and yeah when he was riding with the uh with the TT bike or with the triathlon bike he was pushing always a lot of wats and then we were impressed uh of his power Yeah I think we grow together um when we mix the tactic from triathlon to road racing to travel racing and to try something different not always thinking in the in the same way He’s one of the best at I’ve ever seen I’ve never seen such a talent in aerobic capacity especially in this age I’d say Patrick have not a a lot of people uh in his inner circle but the people who are in this inner circle he trust them 100% and you can also then trust him 100% He has been working and training since he turned 16 and then he really entered the world stage when he was I think it was 31 So this is a very very long period of time where you work in the silence without a lot of attention He’s now in the age where people are starting to say well you’re now getting old like how long do you still want to do it I think that does motivate him and seeing how far he can push it I run Frankfurt for me is unfinished business is my home race and I want to perform well there Everyone will be there family friends Um it’s going to be epic I think I can give the the young generation still a good run for the money You know what it takes to be a world champion What’s the secret source There is no secret source There’s only hard work dedication for decades and um yeah just um a clear determination uh and and a vision what you want to achieve I think pretty simple The Iron Man swim is the great equalizer 2.4 miles every athlete must face no matter their background age or ability Different journeys different paces Some chase the cutoff Others like Lars Viker chase the podium But everyone shares one common goal Reach the finish line before the clock strikes 17 hours [Music] L biker exits the water in 10243 Not his fastest split but strong enough to keep him in striking distance All systems go In just 4 minutes and 13 seconds he’s through T1 Now comes his weapon the bike I know that I’m not the fastest swimmer so I really love to um yeah chase the other guys And there are a lot of fast swimmers Uh and uh chasing them down and try to catch the front peg They are just waiting that I overtook them and then they know they can’t go with me That’s that’s the game German pro Willie Hirs sets a pace early on the bike holding a narrow lead over a hard charging pack of 10 including heavy hitter Christian Blumenfeld Just 2 minutes back Christian Hogenhau rides with urgency He knows this course rewards the bold and on Frankfurt’s fast technical roads hesitation is not an option After a one-minute penalty in T1 Braden Curry and Trevor Foley are on the back foot A heavy rain begins to fall and with it race plans unravel Tactics are tossed aside Every athlete faces a choice Play it safe or take the risks that just might lead to glory One move could launch you onto the podium or land you in the medical tent On days like this fortune just doesn’t favor the bold it tests them When I heard that we had a 2-minute gap to the front I just started Yeah pushing until I I hit the front rode uh to to a guy in the front here and rode a bit with him We took some 5 minutes turns and then after one of my turns he he wasn’t really there anymore And uh yeah so from there on it was basically um yeah solo ride on the bike but I yeah just had the incredible good legs We saw Christian Hoganhog make quick work at the start of the bike and get away and he was on a man on a mission just hammering away well over 350 watt average for 178 km bike ride is pretty damn good [Applause] I think we’ve seen the dynamic play out in men’s racing for quite a few years now that there is a pack tactic Iron Man is not a solo race particularly at the top level of the sport You have to know not only how to pace yourself individually to cover the distance but you have to manage yourself in that pack dynamic Guys attacking off the front Do I go Do I stay Do I sit in There’s a gap opening Do I try to pass And of course with Race Ranger making those decisions is a lot more complicated now The more you’re able to leverage the power of the pack the better you’re able to run We had a main massive main pack with the runners We had Patrick Langanger in there We had Bradley Vice in there We had Matt Hansen in there In the latter stages of the bike the Christian Blumenthal pack moved away And I believe Barnaby was in that group So it was a distinct second pack And then Langanger the Langanger group was around 9 minutes back I came in here with very limited of preparation as last week we finished with the Paris Olympics Realistically tried to ride as normal for as long as possible until like my legs will sort of slowly die I did suffer the last 50k on the bike I was like that’s Christian Blumenfeld This must be a good group I haven’t done too many of these races so sometimes the dynamic is a little bit lost with me So I just thought well he’s going to be here to perform He doesn’t ever really come not to perform If I can just stay with him that will kind of take me to the front If you have to overtake 30 men also pushing as soon as you as you reach the front of the group you’re you’re done I mean this is it would take a massive effort to to go there We were we were kind of stuck I definitely lost some time there Conditions were hard actually at the first lap It was a lot a lot of like slowing down and uh and pushing high watts instead of being like consistent So that made it a bit hard The level is just getting so high So I know I need to try and get my level higher as well on the bike Anytime weather is involved it just throws a little bit of a spanner in the wrench like there’s more chance of flat tires Obviously you have to be maybe a little bit more cautious on corners You can’t be as aggressive on the bike as you would like to be Some athletes don’t care and they just go at it Complete disregard to their body The road surface was very slippery some places I think and I went down in a 90° corner Uh took it very conservatively and then the bike just uh disappeared under me Lied a bit on the ground felt a little bit sorry for myself and then went out checked if the bike was okay and how I was You just have to get back on the bike and then just keep going because uh yeah no one is really going to feel sorry for you if you crash on the bike and um then as you move along you kind of do a body check and see like if everything is okay but then at least you’re on the go I actually pushed very high power just after the crash but I think it was because of all the adrenaline So I thought okay maybe it’s okay Obviously the weather was was a big part of of how that race played out on the day We saw quite a few of our athletes uh go down on slip roads The unbelievable thing is that Christian Hogenhag was one of them I don’t think he was a-ok okay after that but mind over matter just got back up and got the job done Christian Hogenhog is having the race of his life against all expectations He charges towards T2 with a commanding lead as he hits the run course He’s nearly 3 minutes clear of a stacked chase group Christian Blumenfeld Kieran Linders Gregory Barnaby and Menow Coolhouse And looming further back Patrick Langer 12 minutes down but dangerous as ever The Iron Man European Champions title six Kona slots and 5,000 Iron Man Pro Series points are up for grabs Athletes like Patrick Langanger down 11 12 minutes off the bike pretty significant But had Hoganhow overcooked himself that’s not an insurmountable lead We’ve seen leads like that evaporate before And Matt Hansen as well at just over 12 minutes down I don’t think they were out of the race by any means but I think what we saw are the guys that did take the chances on the bike back it up with really strong runs Tried to keep it going and then out onto the run also felt uh good Actually it’s not the position I really wanted to be That was actually one of the goals not to be alone because the quality of the field If you’re out there alone and you work against 20 other guys then you fail a lot of the time Sometimes I felt like an amateur especially when when Blumenfeld went past me I said a couple of words to him in Danish and he said to me in Norwegian just follow me But yeah I was never going to do that When they talked about like maybe like 2:30 like on the press conference 2 days before the race I was more like thinking I’m probably going to be like 250 and and feeling awful I was more prepared to suffer at a slower pace and just sort of crawling in So I was quite surprised when I started running out of T2 that the legs was like feeling so good and like the shoes were feeling like quite bouncy and like the stride was there and even when I start suffering I still felt like on the flat section I had decent pace I knew that I was going well and with the weather being so bad none of my tracking equipment worked So kind of was using Christian to I knew that I was going to lose time from him So I thought well if I can kind of keep him in my ey line like this will get me set up for the first lap of okay this is about the pace I should be running and I kind of just held the gap Yeah Go off the bike and finally had my back my van legs that I’ve missed for a few bases now tried to go behind the Christian and Kan but yeah it was slightly a bit too fast a pace for me so I had to keep my pace and uh yeah it was a good run Actually I thought that if the race went as I thought it would then the corner slot wouldn’t be a problem It’s not something I would have to worry about But then suddenly like early in the run it was something I had to like really worry about because uh all of the guys that were running very very fast they didn’t have a slot and all the guys that had a corner slot they were like far behind So it it turned out uh yeah a lot different And then you’re running really scared I think if you don’t give it 110% and you miss out on the corner slot you’ll regret it for for a long time You can’t really give in to any of your like uh bad thoughts As the leaders leave and head out on the 26.2 mile run Trevor Foley’s day is ending in disappointment What’s happened Tired reckon After four successful races over the past 3 months trying to add Iron Man Frankfurt to the mix was just too much to ask He admits total exhaustion and without his partner Sophie who is usually there as his biggest race day cheerleader the will to carry on has evaporated I’m pretty sad right now I was feeling fine with my decision I mean I’m still fine with my decision I was just I’m still really tired from four good races within 90 days and I kind of ran out of gas and rolled the dice to come here and you know the last 3 weeks following I’ve just been exhausted and you know tried gave it a shot but yeah I just feeling feeling sad now um but tired I’m I’m exhausted This race was a little bit different for you Not quite solo but no Sophie Yeah Is that harder for you this week Yeah Yeah it was Yeah Um Yeah Yeah It was hard not having her Um especially on you know on the bike and out of the swim cuz when I see her you know I just feel pretty calm front of you I love you Let’s go Gives me like another reason to like keep going Maybe I would have started a laugh or two of the run knowing she would have been there She would have wanted me to try I was pretty lonely and sad tired She just quit But yeah it was pretty hard Sorry Okay Breathe I sort of felt for him in that you know he his hand was forced to go and race in Frankfurt and he sort of has never even left you know American soil I don’t believe you know racing in Europe against you know the best Europeans It’s a tough call and so I think overall it’s going to be a good step for him to have experienced that and done that He got his butt absolutely kicked but I think he is definitely one to watch for the future uh he will learn from this and he will take these lessons forward and I’m excited to see what he does at 25 As if the Iron Man Frankfurt 112 mile bike course isn’t challenging enough the weather has added a few more degrees of difficulty At the pointy end of the amateur race Lars Vikart has made his mark on the bike After pushing big watts and passing over 50 athletes Lars is leading the race in his 35 to 39 age group I played all my cards uh for for the bike part and um overtook a lot of people reached the front pack There were some other age groupers with a really high level of um bike performance We raced also as yeah as a pros with some race dynamics some attacks on on on the uphills So a lot of people know that I’m from a background of high performance sport but um yeah it’s also a kind of pressure on my shoulders when when they see that I’m there L lays down the fastest bike split in his division stamping an incredible 4114 as he crosses the timing mat That’s just 14 minutes off the fastest pro Christian Hoganhow A master class on two wheels Now only one challenge remains for Lars Run a solid marathon [Applause] Running to redeem himself after Olympic heartbreak in Paris Christian Blumenfeld is back in form that made him an Iron Man world champion He storms through the first lap of the run building his lead with purpose and power sending a 100,000 spectators lining the mine river into Fre Now charging ahead on a blistering 2-hour 30 marathon pace Bloomfeld isn’t just running fast He’s running with something to prove Keeping with the theme of nothing happened the way it was supposed to in Frankfurt we saw Christian Bumfeld in a really good spot about 5 minutes down off of the bike Again people questioned how are his run legs going to be not over 10k not over 20k but over the course of a full marathon has he done the volume to be able to hold on And I think we knew very very quickly that yes he had The Terminator Christian Blumenthal gets off the bike and just annihilates the first half of the marathon Gets into the lead real quick 114 through the half marathon on track for sub 230 for most of that marathon which is basically unheard of It was a crazy race It It was so difficult to make a prediction Honestly when I thought about Christian I I I thought maybe Paris was it it was really a disappointing thing for him and that he maybe would not be ready for a fight like this but he proved us wrong During the second lap he backed off the pace a little bit and then we started to see some of the nutritional issues Uh but for a guy to be able to run that quickly while projectile vomiting is I think he ought to put it on his resume That’s that’s a skill So even the nutrition is something I haven’t really been practicing Uh I was like taking a lot of carbs in But then on the third lap I think just everything came up So then I was I think I had like 2 and 1/2 minutes gap down to second and then I was sort of not panicking but like thinking [ __ ] this might I might lose this win Christian Lelt said it best after Kona It hurts more to lose He would rather you know bury himself than give up because he knows that that you know knowing that you gave up or messed up and didn’t finish is much more painful than any pain you’re going to go through in a race He will find a way And I admire that in an athlete Basically leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding what their limits are The Iron Man European Championship in Frankfurt concludes in the Rumberg Frankfurt’s most historic square Each year thousands of spectators gather here to cheer on athletes as they complete their grueling journey making it one of the most celebrated finish line in the Iron Man circuit Well I thought that after 160k I realized that I might be able to run for a podium Uh if my legs are good but it was a little bit of like a gamble I was still like thinking okay just go out a little bit aggressively and then if I have to walk off the 21k then I’ve at least get some experience for Kona Feeling quite pleased now And this is another special unique one of the longest narrowest finish lines Yeah look at the access It’s like six or seven deep You get through an Iron Man the finish lines are magical You just want to soak up the atmosphere soak up the excitement And here we have welcome home our 2024 Mino Iron Man European Champion Frankfurt Christian Bloomingfeld Yeah take the win So quite pleased with that And also uh yeah it’s good to be back with long distance So Christian going from gold medalist in Tokyo getting on the podium in Kona and then deciding he wanted to move back to Olympic distance racing for Paris to then turn around two weeks later and race in Frankfurt Germany and win in unbelievable fashion running a 232 marathon There is no start line that is safe from Mr Christian Bloom I think that’s a pain face I think that’s realization of what he’s about to achieve Second place at the Manova Iron Man European Championship here in Frankfurt Congratulations Kieran Big smile from Gregory Barnaby as he made that turn onto the red carpet Amazing race today for Gregory Christian went a 727 and Kieran 732 Gregory 733 Great performances by our podium today [Music] [Music] I want to be a um yeah good motivation for the younger guys especially for the kids to show them that it’s um good to work for something and um also with my uh children at home they’re maybe the biggest fans watching at the ticker uh that’s something yeah which drives me on leave everything on the raceourse I have on this day So um let’s maybe try to empty the tank totally 25 minutes after Sam Long finishes the age group ace L Viker enters the shoot after a spectacular day Strong steady and relentless from start to finish His final time 81617 just shy of his personal best but still one of the fastest amateur performances of the year It places him second overall among the age groupers and secures him a commanding win in a highly competitive 35 to 39 age group And with it Lars earns a chance to accept one of the most coveted prizes in triathlon a Kona slot When I reach the finish line it’s something so all the pressure all the um mental thing to keep going is come to an end and you know okay you have finished the whole day and maybe it went like you planned or also uh it wasn’t how you planned but you can yeah breathe really deep and can uh be happy to to um finish the whole thing and maybe looking forward for a new adventure or something like that [Music] Through 13 events in the inaugural Iron Man Pro Series American Matt Hansen is still on top after his 14th place finish in Frankfurt boosted his total to 16,730 points Jackson Laundry putting scores from five races on the board remains in second place while Patrick Langanger’s eighth place finish elevates him all the way to third in the standings Strong efforts of Gregory Barnaby and Christian Hogenhog in Frankfurt help vault them into the top 10 There are lots of athletes still in the mix with several races to go including the World Championship Somehow it’s it’s the race here is kind of cursed for me And uh the curse continued really leaves me a little bit with a head scratch I definitely especially what happened in in the swim I probably lost the race uh in the first 20 m We need to find out how to do it better for Kona because we see the races getting so fast uh so tight Third place now in the in the pro series and definitely you know I can I still uh bring in one iron man more um and this will be the one with the biggest points Yeah right now I don’t even want to race Kona Um guys feel like bag of [ __ ] But uh I don’t know I just need to go home and rest and just become a better athlete just better swimmer better biker better runner Just get better Pretty simple I think Iron Man Frankfurt’s the first time we looked at Gregory Barnaby as a real contender for the Pro Series I think based on his results he catapulted up a significant number of spots Look at how much he just moved up and he still has room for full championship points for both of his races upcoming And I think people started to think that he was a real contender for the Iron Man Pro Series Next stop the French Riviera Nice France where the world’s best female triathletes take on the Iron Man World Championship Drama and action from the Mediterranean to the mountains The course brutal the competition world class This race is anything but a piece of cake but maybe just enough to earn a slice This is good [Music] [Music]