This is a preview of the race – click here to read about sensational wins for Kristian Blummenfelt and Marjolaine Pierré.
The IRONMAN Pro Series continues in the spectacular surroundings of the south of France this Sunday at 70.3 Aix-en-Provence, where nearly 100 professional triathletes will compete for a $50,000 prize purse.
Also on offer are 2,500 Pro Series points and three qualifying spots per gender for the 2025 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain.
Heading a stellar start list on the men’s side are 2021 IRONMAN World Champion Kristian Blummenfelt and 2022 IRONMAN World Champion Gustav Iden.
But defending champion Ruben Zepuntke will not be giving up his crown without a fight, while Frenchman Leon Chevalier will be eager to impress on home soil.
Austria’s Lisa Perterer has showcased exemplary form so far in 2025 and will be in with a chance of victory in the women’s PRO race, as will Spain’s Marta Sanchez. Nikki Bartlett and Lizzie Rayner fly the flag for Great Britain.
In our preview piece ahead of the race, you can find all the information you need, including start times, streaming information and how to watch the race live.
Start time and how to watch live
The pro races start at 7:00 a.m. CEST Sunday May 18 which is 6:00 BST and 01:00 a.m. ET, with the broadcast launching 30 minutes beforehand.
The race will be broadcast live and for free across multiple platforms for viewers around the world including proseries.ironman.com, Outside TV for US and Canada viewers, DAZN, iQIYI, L’Equipe Live, and YouTube among others.
And we’ve embedded the YouTube livestream below so you don’t have to leave this page.
And as always, the ever reliable IRONMAN Tracker is the perfect data addition to support your viewing.
Pro Men’s race
It’s hard to look beyond the Norwegian Hype Train.
Kristian Blummenfelt looked in supreme shape at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside before a flat tyre ended his hopes of victory, but backed that up with a sublime display at IRONMAN Texas over the full distance.
Things are a little different for Gustav Iden, who continues to battle back to fitness following injury issues over the past few years. The 29-year-old recorded an encouraging third-place finish at Oceanside before finding the distance too much in Texas, slumping to 11th.
Defending champion Ruben Zepuntke will be up against it following his lone career victory as a professional here last year. He’ll be joined by runner-up Simon Vlain of France on the start line. France’s Leon Chevalier is likely the best hope for a home success.
Pro Women’s race
T100 Wildcard Lisa Perterer has certainly put her name on people’s lips with her early season form. The Austrian finished second behind Kate Waugh at T100 Singapore before backing that performance up at IRONMAN Texas where she finished third.
Chief home hope looks to be Marjolaine Pierré. She had a mixed 2024 but the undoubted highlight was an impressive fourth place at the IRONMAN World Championship on home roads in Nice.
Marta Sanchez has also shown some form this term finishing second at IRONMAN South Africa. A disappointing 11th in Singapore – almost 13 minutes behind Perterer – showcases some cause for concern, but her career resumé over the middle-distance cannot be ignored.
The Spaniard has two 70.3 victories in addition to four domestic wins over the distance. She ended the 2024 season with a sixth-place finish at the IRONMAN World Championship before wins at IRONMAN Barcelona and IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia.
One to watch could be Britain’s Lizzie Rayner who recorded a third-place finish at IRONMAN 70.3 Valencia on April 27 – defeating some big names like India Lee and Ruth Astle.
Aix-en-Provence course
The race begins with a swim in the magnificent Lac des Peyrolles, then takes on the Sainte-Victoire for a bike ride featuring both flat and hilly sections. The three-loop run finishes in front of the famous La Rotonde fountain.
The ROKA swim course is in the form of a rectangle, measures 1.9 km (1.2 miles) and is located at Lac de Peyrolles, 20 km (12.5 miles) from Aix-en-Provence.
The ZOOT bike course will take athletes back to Aix-en-Provence for a 90 km (56 mile) route via the magnificent scenery of Provence, with the technical roads of Mont Sainte-Victoire.
The 21.1 km (13.1 mile) HOKA run in three loops will take athletes through the heart of Aix-en-Provence, through the city’s parks and around the La Rotonde fountain, before finishing on the Cours Mirabeau.
IRONMAN Pro Series 2025
This is the seventh stop on an 18-race schedule at 17 locations which will venture to Australasia, Europe, North America and Africa. The Series has an end-of-year bonus pool totalling $1.7m, that is on top of the prize money awarded for each race.
Winners of full-distance events will be allocated a maximum of 5000 points for winning, with 2,500 awarded in 70.3 races.
Points for all remaining professional finishers will diminish based on the time deficit to first place at a rate of 1 point per 1 second to the first place finish time. There is no points minimum, or “floor”. Points will accumulate throughout the season.
The male and female pro with the most points at the end of the Pro Series will be crowned IRONMAN Pro Series Champions. A competitor’s best five events will determine their points total.
A cool $200,000 is on offer for the series winner on both the men’s and women’s side, with second earning €130,000 and third receiving $85,000. The cumulative payout for the 2025 season is €2,450,000.
