Alanis Siffert (SUI) capped a breakthrough season by winning IRONMAN Florida in 8:07:37, running down Britain’s Holly Lawrence and pulling away to win by more than 16 minutes in Panama City Beach.
The Swiss athlete had already won Challenge Roth and taken bronze at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice. She chose to sit out Kona this year, and her victory in Florida, her first in an IRONMAN, gives her the option to race at the 2027 IRONMAN World Championship.
Siffert’s 2:45:03 marathon took her way inside Skye Moench’s (USA) previous Florida course best of 8:22:28.
Indeed it was one of the quickest times ever – 1:32 faster than Siffert’s winning time at Roth – on what was a record breaking day, with Magnus Ditlev setting a new world best in the men’s race.
Lawrence makes her move late on the bike
Siffert and Lawrence separated themselves from the field on the first of two swim laps. The Swiss athlete led by two seconds at halfway and less than a second at the swim exit, where she clocked 51:09. Megan McDonald (GBR) led the chasers out almost 3:47 later.
The front two traded the lead on the bike and were still only a second apart at 70.7 miles, by which point the chasers were more than 14 minutes back. Lawrence then opened the first sizeable gap between them, reaching 89.6 miles with a 51-second advantage. Her 4:24:07 bike split gave her a 1:55 cushion over Siffert at the dismount line.
Before the race, Lawrence had credited Matt Bottrill with helping her “regain my confidence on the bike these last few months” and making her “more aero than I’ve ever been”. She had put nearly 19 minutes into third-placed Laura Jansen (GER) by the end of the ride, with McDonald less than two seconds behind the German.
Siffert takes over inside the first five miles
Siffert made up most of the deficit in the first 2.3 miles of the marathon, cutting the gap to 22 seconds. By 4.3 miles she had passed Lawrence and was 28 seconds clear.
The gap grew to 2:15 at 6.9 miles and 8:58 at 15.3 miles. Siffert kept pulling away, taking the tape in 8:07:37.
Lawrence held second in 8:23:56 after a 3:02:48 marathon.
Jansen had put nearly two minutes into McDonald by 4.3 miles and went on to run 2:52:16 to finish third in 8:32:21. Three professional women’s slots for Kona 2027 were on offer in Florida.
IRONMAN Florida 2026 results – Pro women
| Position | Athlete | Nation | Swim | Bike | Run | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alanis Siffert | SUI | 51:09 | 4:25:57 | 2:45:03 | 8:07:37 |
| 2 | Holly Lawrence | GBR | 51:10 | 4:24:07 | 3:02:48 | 8:23:56 |
| 3 | Laura Jansen | GER | 54:57 | 4:38:48 | 2:52:16 | 8:32:21 |
