India Lee has ruled herself out of IRONMAN Texas this weekend – and will instead focus on IRONMAN Hamburg on 7 June which is again the women’s European Championship race.

An incredible field will still line up in Texas, headed by Lee’s frequent training partner and fellow Brit Kat Matthews who is looking for a fourth straight victory at The Woodlands.

Matthews’ two main rivals are reigning IRONMAN World Champion Solveig Løvseth and multiple 70.3 World Champion Taylor Knibb.

‘Start of this year has been a struggle’

Lee had been bib #11 on the start list of an incredibly deep field but she has now announced that the race will come too soon.

She had a busy campaign last year with 10 races, which included a victory at IRONMAN Les Sables, but has yet to race in 2026.

Writing on Instagram, she explained: “No Ironman Texas for me this weekend 💔.

“The start of this year has been a struggle. Multiple illnesses meant I lacked consistency in training blocks and we ran out of time to get to the start line ready for an Ironman.”

‘Excited about the new plan’

But Texas’ loss is Hamburg’s gain, with the German race traditionally one of the highlights of the calendar and last year it featured a terrific battle between home favourite Laura Philipp, Matthews and Løvseth, who would all go on to also fill the podium in Kona.

Lee added: “The good news is, after taking a step back to give my body and mind a chance to get healthy, I’m feeling good and am excited about the new plan… Hamburg, I’m coming for ya. 👀

“Always grateful to the people around me who give me support when I’m struggling and perspective to see the bigger picture. 🫶🏼”