Kristian Blummenfelt produced another masterclass less than a week on from his brilliant victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong in Australia as he made light of the long-haul travel to power to the win at 70.3 Oceanside in California.
The Norwegian legend has taken his running to another level this season and six days on from a 1:06:39 half marathon at Geelong, he clocked a 1:07:01 here as he powered through the field to settle the issue in style.
Jonas Schomburg (GER) lost nothing in defeat as he took second after animating the race, while reigning IRONMAN World Champion Casper Stornes (NOR) paced it perfectly for third in what was his first race of the season after an Achilles issue.
Sam Long (USA) was a fine fourth having battled for the lead for much of the day with Schomburg.
Swim – Dubrick sets the pace
The single loop 1.9km saltwater swim was relatively sheltered in Oceanside Harbour but there was a tiny bit of chop for a super-strong field to contend with.
Marc Dubrick (USA) led it out early, with Schomburg on his feet and the two would swap the lead on more than one occasion.
Dubrick was out first in 22:24, two seconds ahead of Schomburg, then Brock Hoel (CAN), Josh Lewis (GBR) and Henry Räppo (EST) were all within 10 seconds.
Of the big names in behind, Stornes was sixth, Rudy Von Berg (USA) was at +23s in 17th, a spot ahead of Blummenfelt. Cam Wurf (AUS) produced a great swim to sit at +30s but then there was a gap of around a minute to the next pack, with Gustav Iden (NOR) part of that at +1:39. Long meanwhile was 33rd at +2:01.
Bike – Record display from the Big Unit
It was Schomburg who was out of transition first and quickly powered clear – and by 25 miles in he was 40 seconds ahead of Lewis and Long who had sliced through the field as he moved up from 33rd to third.
Iden was another flying on the bike course in what were ideal conditions and he was now up to fourth at +1:10, Ben Kanute (USA) was with him, Wurf was there too as was Stornes and there just a handful of seconds back to Blummenfelt
Long soon passed Lewis and then closed on Schomburg up front and he’d jumped past him by the 48-mile point and the two would ride pretty much together from then onwards.
They were 1:38 ahead of Jan Stratmann (GER), Blummenfelt, Wurf, Iden, Stornes, Kanute, Jonas Hoffmann (GER), Lewis, Sam Appleton (AUS), Dubrick, Jackson Laundry (CAN), Räppo and Antonio Benito (ESP). The last-named had battled back well after a mechanical but all the good work was then undone by a two-minute drafting penalty.
Long first off the bike in 2:02:04 – knocking nearly three minutes off Lionel Sanders’ 2015 course record of 2:04:46 to underline the merit of his display.
Schomburg was still with him and the pair had around two minutes in hand of Wurf in third, with only 40 seconds covering the next 12, with Von Berg now in that pack too.
Run – All about ‘Big Blu’
So game on starting the run – especially as Blummenfelt was only two minutes back and coming into this on the back of that 1:06 half marathon at 70.3 Geelong a week ago.
He looked to be the big mover early on but Long and Schomburg were also going well up front and five miles in to the 13.1-mile run they were still 1:33 ahead of Blummenfelt who was now up to third and had put daylight between himself and Kanute in fourth.
And the incredible Norwegian continued to pour on the pace as he closed inexorably on the front two, making the pass of Long at the 10-mile point before locking his sights on Schomburg.
The inevitable happened not long after and Blummenfelt barely looked round as he set sail for home, crossing the line in 3:40:08 after a 107:01 half marathon, which included a fair bit of celebrating in the finish straight.
Schomburg was 24 seconds back, and Stornes overhauled Long in the closing stages for the final spot on the podium.
Jason West (USA) charged his way up to fifth and it’s worth noting that Sam Appleton in 10th clocked 3:44:59, exactly the same time as the previous course record!
IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside results 2026
Saturday 28 March, 2026 – Oceanside, California
Pro Men
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kristian Blummenfelt | NOR | 22:49 | 2:05:41 | 1:07:01 | 3:40:08 |
| 2 | Jonas Schomburg | GER | 22:26 | 2:04:12 | 1:09:38 | 3:40:32 |
| 3 | Casper Stornes | NOR | 22:37 | 2:05:39 | 1:08:35 | 3:41:58 |
| 4 | Sam Long | USA | 24:25 | 2:02:04 | 1:11:25 | 3:42:09 |
| 5 | Jason West | USA | 22:43 | 2:07:14 | 1:08:36 | 3:43:17 |
| 6 | Jonas Hoffmann | GER | 24:00 | 2:04:46 | 1:10:19 | 3:43:48 |
| 7 | Jackson Laundry | CAN | 24:07 | 2:04:15 | 1:11:13 | 3:44:19 |
| 8 | Ben Kanute | USA | 22:41 | 2:05:48 | 1:11:45 | 3:44:33 |
| 9 | Marc Dubrick | USA | 22:24 | 2:06:27 | 1:11:12 | 3:44:47 |
| 10 | Sam Appleton | AUS | 22:41 | 2:05:58 | 1:11:31 | 3:44:59 |
