IRONMAN Frankfurt announces STACKED start list as Blummenfelt and Lange head all-star cast

IRONMAN Frankfurt will play host to an all-star triathlon cast on Sunday June 29 with an elite start list announced for the annual men’s European Championship showpiece.

Three IRONMAN World Champions, the full 2024 IRONMAN World Championship podium and last year’s IRONMAN Frankfurt European Championship podium will all assemble to battle for a piece of the $87,500 prize purse, a maximum of 5,000 points in the IRONMAN Pro Series standings and the title of IRONMAN European Champion. The race will also offer five qualifying slots to the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France.  

‘Big Blu’ heads stellar field

Wearing bib number one will be defending IRONMAN European Champion Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) who last year set a course best time (07:27:21) just two weeks after competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Blummenfelt will head for Germany fresh off victories at both IRONMAN Texas and IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-en-Provence.

Three-time and reigning IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange (GER) is also hoping to make his return to racing after an injury following his season opener at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside. Lange has unfinished business in Frankfurt with a win here the one major accolade missing from his trophy cabinet. Lange has raced the event four times, finishing eighth last year with his best position being third back in 2018.

2022 IRONMAN World Champion and two-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Gustav Iden (NOR) will also continue his season in Frankfurt, and the newest threat on the ‘Norwegian Hype Train’, Casper Stornes, will also be toeing the line following a major confidence boost in Aix-en-Provence just a few weeks ago. He finished second in France, just half a minute behind training partner Blummenfelt. 

Magnus Ditlev (DEN), last year’s IRONMAN World Championship runner-up, will also be top of many people’s race favourites. Ditlev already has one regional title to his bow, after being crowned the IRONMAN African Champion in Nelson Mandela Bay in March.

Cameron Wurf (AUS) and Jonas Schomburg (DEU) will both be chasing IRONMAN Pro Series points to maintain their high rankings – they are currently first and third respectively in the 2025 standings. Last year’s Pro Series winner Gregory Barnaby (ITA) is also set to line up.

Other fascinating entries include last year’s Frankfurt second Kieran Lindars (GBR) and Rudy Von Berg (USA), who has had a strong start to the season with third place at IRONMAN Texas and second at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside. 

Paul Schuster, Jonas Hoffman, Leonad Arnold and Finn Große-freese make up a strong local German contingent.

IRONMAN Frankfurt start list

The full start list (as always, subject to change) is as follows: