Kevin Mackinnon

With a total distance of 320 miles (515 km), the Ultraman World Championship takes long-distance racing to the next level. The first race took place in 1983 on The event includes three days of racing. Day one features a 6.2 mile (10 km) open water swim followed by a 90 mile (145 km) bike. Day two includes 171.4 miles (275 km) of cycling. The final day consists of a double marathon – 56.4 miles (84 km).

Peter Boncelet finished fourth in the men’s 65-69 age group in the duathlon. Photo: Clash Endurance

I am finally here in Taupo for the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand. (It’s been a bit of a journey – Canada to Western Australia to Canada to Daytona Beach, Florida to Taupo – but I made it and this place is hopping, so I am really glad I will be here to cover the racing.) We’ll have lots more coverage for you over the next few days, but I figured I would get things started with some interesting facts for the weekend’s racing:

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For the women competing at last weekend’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, being near the front after the swim proved to be an important component of a podium finish. Both eventual champ and third-place finishers Taylor Knibb and Imogen Simmonds were just 10 and 12 seconds behind the lead at the end of the swim. After the race Kat Matthews identified a good swim as being an important part of her runner-up finish. (Granted, Matthews was still 43 seconds behind, but that put her close enough to the front to be able to ride with Imogen Simmonds in second and third spot for much of the ride.)

So what was the top brand worn by the 10 fastest men’s swimmers at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand? How about a four-way tie. If pressed, we’d have to put Blueseventy at the top of that list, with the first- and fourth-fastest swimmers on the day, followed by Orca (two and eight), Sailfish (five and nine) then Huub (seven and 10). Here’s how the count broke down:

It’s our final athlete of the year article, as we debate the merits for the men’s Short Course Athlete of the Year.

He’s one of a select few who have won at the highest levels of draft-legal racing and also an IRONMAN. Throw in the fact that he also won an IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, and the list of his peers becomes even more exclusive. Consider that he was still winning pro races at 45, and you see why Andy Potts retires from competitive triathlon racing with legendary status.

Yes, I know it’s getting late into January to still be doing “look back” stories. I promise – we’ll be done soon! 2024 was an incredible year for the sport of triathlon, and a year I got to experience a bunch of new events. Considering I’ve been in the sport for almost 40 years and covering it for over 30, that says a lot.

With over 1,500 routes and a riding experience that uses course footage and augmented reality to create a realistic cycling experience, the ROUVY indoor training platform has been growing dramatically over the last few years. Today the Czech-based company and IRONMAN have announced a five-year partnership that sees ROUVY acquire FulGaz from IRONMAN and become “the Official Digital Sports Platform of the global IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon Series.” IRONMAN had previously purchased FulGaz in 2021.