This is a preview of the 2021 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship – you can access full race reports and result on how Gustav Iden and Lucy Charles-Barclay claimed the top steps on their respective podiums.
The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship 2021 lands in St. George, Utah today as the world’s finest half-distance triathletes take centre stage and you can follow it all live on TRI247.
How to watch IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds live!
Thanks to IRONMAN again making live streaming of the 70.3 World Championship available via its Facebook Watch facility, you can watch the race live without leaving TRI247.com. Just click on the video embed directly below.
2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship Professional Race CoverageTop professional triathletes from around the world will vie for the 70.3 World Championship title in the shadows of the stunning red rock canyons in St. George, Utah at the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission.
Posted by IRONMAN now on Thursday, 16 September 2021
Who is racing in St George?
With the postponement to February 2022 of the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, St. George has now become the ‘A’ race for many endurance athletes this year, with all eyes on the big showdown on September 18.
Several athletes have already experienced the course this year – Lionel Sanders and Daniela Ryf earned victories there back in May. Canadian Sanders of course enjoyed that epic duel with American Sam Long before finally claiming his win.
There are certainly some enthralling storylines for triathlon fans to get their teeth into heading into the event – now the first of two consecutive years where St George will host the event (2022 is also locked in).
Olympic and World Triathlon Championship Series champion Kristian Blummenfelt is set to compete in his first middle-distance race for almost two years. Will his speed translate to making history by winning all three an a single season?
The aforementioned Ryf meanwhile is targeting her sixth 70.3 world title as she bids to put the miserable memory of that Collins Cup defeat by Taylor Knibb behind her (Ryf raced despite waking up unwell on race day in Slovakia).
Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images for IRONMAN
Knibb meanwhile is set to take up the slot she earned by finishing second behind Emma Pallant-Browne in Boulder recently?
Can British superstar Lucy Charles-Barclay finally make it to the top of the World Championship mountain after four second-place finishes in the past – one at 70.3 and three at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona?
On the men’s side can Gustav Iden – who was in imperious form at the Collins Cup last month – defend the crown he won so brilliantly in Nice in 2019? Or will his compatriot Blummenfelt continue to carry all before him in 2021?
Young guns George Goodwin, Magnus Ditlev, Daniel Bakkegard and Kyle Smith are among the men who carry the hopes of the ‘next generation’ while Sanders, Javier Gómez, Michael Raelert, Tim Reed and co. provide formidable veteran opposition.
Photo by Alexander Koerner/Getty Images for IRONMAN
Here is all you need to know ahead of a mouthwatering Saturday in St George.
Date and start time for IM 70.3 Worlds
Unlike previous years, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship will see both the men’s and women’s pro races take place on the same day – Saturday September 18, 2021.
The pro men’s race will be the first to get under way at 0700 local time or 0500 on the East Coast of the United States (1400 UK/1500 CET) with the women’s pro race beginning 10 minutes later at 0710 local time/0510 Eastern (1410 UK/1500 CET).
Age-group racing will then begin at 0725 local time.
IM 70.3 World Championship Previews
We have a ton of preview content on TRI247 ahead of the action in St George:
- Expert panel: Women’s Picks
- Expert panel: Men’s Picks
- John Levison: Men’s Analysis
- John Levison: Women’s Analysis
- Men’s start list and bib numbers
- Women’s start list and bib numbers
The course: St. George, Utah
As those who took on IRONMAN 70.3 St George earlier in 2021 already know, the course is a challenging route which will require peak performance to contend at the front end of the field.
A 1.9km swim in the Sand Hollow Reservoir starts the competitors off – a single-loop course finishes adjacent to the start line with T1 awaiting the field on the shore.
A technical bike course, 90.1km in length, takes the competitors around the south end of Sand Hollow Reservoir before turning north, then west towards the more technical part of the course.
The final 30km of the bike starts with a relatively steep climb of some 1000 feet over 10km before dropping back down on the final 20km of the bike into T2.
The 21.1km run takes the athletes on a two-loop course with two 500-foot climbs and descents to test the legs in the final stages.
IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds prize money
The prize purse for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in 2021 stands at a total of $350,000 with the winners taking home a cool $50,000 each for their efforts.
The prize purse will pay 15-deep and is an increase of $100,000 on the 2019 race held in Nice, France.
The prize breakdown is as follows:
- $50,000
- $25,000
- $18,000
- $12,000
- $10,000
- $8,500
- $8,000
- $7,500
- $7,000
- $6,500
- $6,000
- $5,500
- $4,500
- $3,500
- $3,000
Recent IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship winners
PRO Women
- 2020 – Postponed
- 2019 – Daniela Ryf (SUI)
- 2018 – Daniela Ryf (SUI)
- 2017 – Daniela Ryf (SUI)
- 2016 – Holly Lawrence (GBR)
- 2015 – Daniela Ryf (SUI)
- 2014 – Daniela Ryf (SUI)
- 2013 – Melissa Hauschildt (AUS)
- 2012 – Leandra Cave (GBR)
- 2011 – Melissa Rollison (AUS)
PRO Men
- 2020 – Postponed
- 2019 – Gustav Iden (NOR)
- 2018 – Jan Frodeno (GER)
- 2017 – Javier Gómez (ESP)
- 2016 – Tim Reed (AUS)
- 2015 – Jan Frodeno (GER)
- 2014 – Javier Gómez (ESP)
- 2013 – Sebastian Kienle (GER)
- 2012 – Sebastian Kienle (GER)
- 2011 – Craig Alexander (AUS)
