Few fields outside of World Championship level will showcase the depth of talent on show when the world’s best triathletes line up at IRONMAN Frankfurt on Sunday (June 29).
A trio of full-distance world champions – Kristian Blummenfelt, Patrick Lange and Gustav Iden – are set to clash along with perennial podium finisher Magnus Ditlev, pro cycling star Cam Wurf and a host of other potential challengers.
‘Big Blu’ and Iden will be joined on the start line in Germany by their “Norwegian Hype Train” teammate Casper Stornes, with further Nordic talents also eager to impress in the form of Daniel Bækkegård and Kristian Høgenhaug.
Throw in the very capable American duo of Rudy Von Berg and Ben Kanute, local favourite Jonas Schomburg, talented Brit Kieran Lindars and Italy’s Gregory Barnaby and this really is quite the collection of swim/bike/run talent.
There is no doubt this will be one of the most competitive fields of the season as the 11th race of the 2025 IRONMAN Pro Series takes centre stage. Here is all you need to know ahead of race day in Germany.
Start times and how to watch live
IRONMAN Frankfurt 2025 will take place on Sunday June 29. The professional race begins at 06:20 local time, which corresponds to 05:20 in the UK, 00:20 on the US East Coast and 21:120 on the West Coast on Saturday June 28.
This event is the fifth full-distance IRONMAN triathlon on the Pro Series calendar for 2025 and the first to feature a men-only pro field. The women’s European Championship equivalent – won in brilliant fashion by Laura Philipp – took place on June 1 in Hamburg.
As with all IRONMAN Pro Series events this season, the race will be broadcast live and free globally via the official website at ProSeries.IRONMAN.com with further coverage on DAZN, L’Equipe Live, Outside TV, ESPN, Disney+ and YouTube depending on your region.
We will embed the live stream right here so you can watch the big race without leaving TRI247.
Start list – who is racing at IRONMAN Frankfurt
It really is a who’s who of triathlon’s biggest stars, with defending champion Blummenfelt donning the number one bib for the Frankfurt race.
The 2021 IRONMAN World Championship winner has been in formidable form recently with four race victories out of six race starts – beginning with his IRONMAN Frankfurt success in August last year.
He went on to claim victory at Challenge Samarkland in September before wins at IRONMAN Texas and IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-en-Provence so far in 2025.
Big Blu dominated in Texas, winning by over eight minutes from Spaniard Antonio Benito Lopez, before just outlasting compatriot Stornes in France.
He’ll be tested by 2024 IRONMAN World Champion Lange who produced a performance for the ages in Hawaii in October last year – his scintillating run earning him the crown over Ditlev and Von Berg after a brutal race.
The 2025 season hasn’t gone swimmingly for the 38-year-old so far with just one race to date – a P17 finish at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside. He was then forced to pull out of IRONMAN Texas due to inflammation in his adductor tendon.
Denmark’s Ditlev is certainly a major contender – his record over his last seven full-distance races is exemplary with four victories, six podiums and seven top-five finishes.
The Dane has beaten Lange in four of his last five 140.6-mile outings – that World Championship defeat in October being the outlier – and he is 1-1 vs Blummenfelt.
The final member of the IRONMAN World Championship-winning trio is 2022 winner Iden, who continues to fight his way back to the top after injuries ruined his 2024 season. His goal will likely be to improve on his P13 exploits at IRONMAN Texas – with progress at this stage more important than winning.
In terms of the IRONMAN Pro Series, Blummenfelt will be eyeing big points to return to the top of the standings. The Norwegian is currently fifth (9,312 from three races), under 2,000 points of New Zealand’s Ben Hamilton (11,072 from four races) who tops the listings.
Australian Wurf (9,365 from four races) is just ahead of Big Blu in fourth, with German Schomburg (9,203 from three races) residing in sixth – the home talent very much a threat to Blummenfelt in his search for IRONMAN Pro Series glory.
Stornes (8,298 from three races), New Zealand’s Braden Currie (8,069 from three races), Iden (7,729 from three races) and Kanute (7,643 from three races) will also be targeting considerable points hauls to boost their standings.
Prize Money: What’s on the line?
The prize purse on offer this weekend is $87,500 – with the winner collecting a $28,000 share of that total.
Athletes will also earn points toward the IRONMAN Pro Series Championship, with 5,000 being awarded to the winner and there are also five World Championship qualifying slots available to be won for Nice on September 14.
Remember also that whoever tops the Pro Series standings at the end of 2025 will pocket a $200,000 bonus as part of an additional $1.7million prize pool.
IRONMAN Frankfurt course
IRONMAN Frankfurt opens with two-lap swim with a short Aussie exit. The swim takes place in Langener Waldsee hidden within Frankfurt’s city Forrest.
The bike leg consists of a two-loop 180km course, beginning in the Forrest before heading through the city centre and North East towards the Altenstadt, Rodenbach and Stammheim before heading back to the city. The course is rolling in nature with a mix of flat passages and challenging hills.
The marathon finale takes place on the banks of the River Maine on a four-loop course. Noted as one of the most spectator-dense course runs in the IRONMAN portfolio, the course is flat and fast encouraging quick times.
Previous winners
- 2024: Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) – 7:27:21
- 2023: Pro Women Only
- 2022: Denis Chevrot (FRA) – 7:52:53
- 2021: Patrick Nilsson (SWE) – 7:59:20
- 2020: No Race
- 2019: Jan Frodeno (GER) – 7:56:02
- 2018: Jan Frodeno (GER) – 8:00:58
- 2017: Sebastian Kienle (GER) – 7:41:42
- 2016: Sebastian Kienle (GER) – 7:52:43
- 2015: Jan Frodeno (GER) – 7:49:48
