“Whoever wants to win the race will probably have to break the world record.”

That was the view of five time IRONMAN World Champion Daniela Ryf as she looked ahead to Sunday’s mouthwatering women’s race at Challenge Roth.

All the Kona champions from 2015 onwards – Ryf, Anne Haug and Chelsea Sodaro – will line up.

As will Laura Phillip, who has come closer than any of them to beating Chrissie Wellington’s fastest-ever full-distance time, with her 8:18:20 in Hamburg last year just seven seconds away.

‘I’ll need to have the perfect day’

So no wonder Swiss star Ryf feels the record is not just under threat but more than likely to be broken.

“The focus for me will be to beat the ladies sat next to me,” said Ryf at Thursday’s press conference – with the panel completed by Brit Fenella Langridge, who was third on her Roth debut in 2021 and second last year after leading for much of the way.

“I’m in the shape I need to be but will need to have the perfect day,” added Ryf.

And in common with the four women sat alongside her, she relished the fact that the best were racing the best and taking each other to new heights.

It’s about going beyond yourself – getting the very best out of yourself is a wonderful feeling that I can’t even describe.

Best bring best out of each other

That was very much echoed by Haug, who is looking for a third straight and said: “I think whoever wins this almost has to break the world record.”

And we chatted to reigning Kona champ Sodaro to get her perspective on what is both a stellar race and vintage time for women’s racing, with all the big guns more than happy to square up to each other.

That in-depth interview will appear shortly but she told us: “Of course there can only be one winner on Sunday, but I think that there can be more than just one really phenomenal performance.”