IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun women's results 2026: Philipp wins again as Perterer pays the penalty

Laura Philipp made it two wins in quick succession with a dominant success at IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun in the scenic Austrian Alps.

The German star endured an injury-hit first half of the season but has more than made up for it since, though her appearance on the start list for this race did raise eyebrows given it came just 15 days after her victory at IRONMAN Kalmar.

That event had been something of a one-woman show and it was much the same here, especially after Lisa Perterer – the one athlete who was able to challenge Philipp – was hit with a two-minute penalty on the bike.

The pair were together when Perterer had to stop at the penalty tent 63km into the bike course, but that was effectively the last they saw of each other.

Philipp began the half marathon just over two minutes ahead and extended that advantage to more than five minutes by the finish as she claimed her fourth victory at 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun.

And there was plenty more significance attached to the result. This was the final ‘regular season’ race of the IRONMAN Pro Series, putting Philipp in a great position in that battle, while her performance also suggested she could be a major player at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice in a fortnight’s time.

Swim – Philipp right at the front

The picture-postcard surroundings of Zell am See-Kaprun provided the backdrop for a true Alpine adventure on one of the most spectacular courses on the IRONMAN roster.

The race began with a single-loop, out-and-back 1.9km swim in the crystal-clear waters of Lake Zell – and Philipp could hardly have asked for a better start.

Swimming has traditionally been the least strong discipline of the German’s formidable all-round game, but this was an outstanding performance.

Rani Škrabanja (NED) was first out of the water in 26:28, just a couple of seconds ahead of home favourite Perterer.

Luisa Iogna Prat (ITA) was only a few seconds further back alongside Philipp, before a gap of almost half a minute to the next group, led by Britain’s India Lee.

That meant Philipp had immediately put herself in the perfect position to take control of the race.

Bike – penalty changes the picture

By the time they emerged from transition it was Philipp who was in front, while the leading quartet had been joined by Leana Bissig (SUI), who produced the fastest T1 of the contenders.

But it didn’t take long for the two pre-race favourites to assert themselves.

Philipp and Perterer were already clear after 21km, just before the start of the course’s major climb. They were more than a minute ahead of Bissig in third and exactly two minutes clear of Lee in fourth.

Then came the first major twist.

News filtered through that Perterer had been shown a blue card and handed a two-minute drafting penalty, which she would have to serve later on the bike course.

And things briefly went from bad to worse for the Austrian when she appeared to drop her chain on the climb.

Perterer was forced to stop and put it back on, costing her around 30 seconds as well as all her momentum.

But what happened next underlined her strength on the bike.

She bridged all the way back to Philipp and, by the 35km checkpoint at the top of the main climb, Perterer was actually back in front by a couple of seconds.

Bissig, meanwhile, was now almost three minutes adrift in third.

The remaining 55km was predominantly downhill and flat, effectively turning the journey back to T2 into a time trial, and Philipp and Perterer continued to dominate.

By halfway through the bike they were more than four-and-a-half minutes ahead of the rest.

Just as in the men’s race, it increasingly appeared to be a two-athlete battle for victory, with the lead changing hands between them.

But there was one crucial difference: Perterer still had that two-minute penalty hanging over her.

The penalty tent came at the 63km point and the Austrian arrived there fractionally ahead of Philipp.

She remained comfortably in second when she emerged, but the complexion of the race had completely changed.

At 72km Philipp’s advantage was 1:53 and by T2 that had stretched slightly to 2:13.

Bissig was now more than seven minutes behind in third, leaving Philipp and Perterer isolated at the front heading onto the run.

Run – Philipp drives home advantage

The final discipline brought the athletes back to Lake Zell for a flat, crushed-gravel 21.1km run.

And it quickly became clear that the Austrian wasn’t going to claw back the time she had lost.

Philipp added another handful of seconds to her advantage inside the opening 3km and that very much set the tone for what followed.

By halfway the gap had moved beyond three minutes and the outcome was increasingly beyond doubt.

Philipp was able to control the remainder of the race and crossed the line in 4:13:22 to complete another emphatic victory, just 15 days after winning the full-distance IRONMAN Kalmar.

Perterer took a clear second, 5:15 behind the winner.

There was considerably more drama in the fight for the final place on the podium, with Bissig, Lee, Anastacia Damm Nielsen (DEN) and Sarah Schönfelder (GER) all in contention deep into the half marathon.

In the end it was Lee who proved strongest, taking third, 13:29 behind Philipp.

But there was never any such uncertainty at the front.

A fourth Zell am See-Kaprun victory, another dominant performance just two weeks after an IRONMAN win and a superb swim to boot made this quite a statement from Philipp.

And with the 70.3 World Championship now just a fortnight away, she heads to Nice with considerable momentum even though Kona remains her prime target.