IRONMAN Hamburg 2025: Date, start time and how to watch women's European Championship showdown live

All eyes turn toward Hamburg this weekend as the German city hosts one of the highlights in the IRONMAN Pro Series calendar – the women’s IRONMAN European Championship.

World Champion Laura Philipp headlines the field of 29 elite triathletes which also includes Kat Matthews, the runner-up to her in Nice last year, defending champion Jackie Hering, Anne Reischmann and Sara Svensk.

The race starts with a 3.8km swim in the Alster before transitioning to a 180km bike course through the urban city centre and the Vier-und Marschlande area and finishes with a marathon along the Inner and Outer Alster. The finishing line will then await competitors at Jungfernstieg.

Here is all you need to know ahead of what promises to be a thrilling Sunday morning of action on the banks of the Elbe River.

Start times and how to watch live

IRONMAN Hamburg will take place on Sunday June 1. The professional race begins at 06:15 local time, which corresponds to 05:15 in the UK, 00:15 on the East Coast and 21:15 on the West Coast on Saturday May 31.

This event is the third full-distance IRONMAN triathlon in the Pro Series and the first to feature a women-only pro field with the men’s European Championship equivalent taking place on June 29 in Frankfurt.

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.

And the live embed is below so you don’t have to leave this page.

The IRONMAN Tracker app is also available to support viewing.

Pro Women

With a field of 29 professional athletes, the start list in Hamburg is bursting with enough quality to ensure this is not simply a two-woman race between Laura Philipp and Kat Matthews.

Kat Matthews vs Laura Philipp — Who will come out on top between Matthews and Philipp?

The pair have history against each other – including that epic IMWC battle in Nice last year – and will no doubt create much of the race-day excitement as two giants of the sport prepare to once again go head-to-head.

Germany’s Philipp started her season off in the best possible way with a sixth victory on the bounce at IRONMAN 70.3 Kraichgau – adding to her titles won there in 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

However, while she will be much fancied for victory at Hamburg, there is enough quality in the chasing pack to certainly leave her looking over her shoulder, with Matthews keen to go one better than when they met in the World Championships in Nice last year.

The former British Army Physio, who also finished second in the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand, has also started this year in fine form, with a third straight victory in the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN in Texas last month.

And she has unfinished business here in Hamburg having been disqualified 12 months ago for overtaking in the no overtaking zone.

But who are the other potential challengers?

Last year’s Hamburg winner, American Jackie Hering, wears the #1 bib and her two races this year – 70.3 Oceanside and 70.3 St. George – have seen her finish second and third respectively, meaning she cannot be ruled out of another podium finish in what is only her fourth full-distance race.

Jackie Hering won the 2024 IRONMAN European Championship in Hamburg. — Jackie Hering won in Hamburg last year [Photo Credit – IRONMAN]

Another German looking for victory on home soil will be Anne Reischmann who started 2025 with victory at the ISUZU IRONMAN in South Africa but could only place fifth in the more recent IRONMAN 70.3 Venice-Jesolo.

That race was won by Norway’s Solveig Løvseth who will wear the #8 bib in Hamburg on what is her IRONMAN debut.

France’s Marjolaine Pierre is another winner this year having crossed the line first at RONMAN 70.3 Aix-en-Provence.

Swedish star Sara Svensk will also be an athlete worth keeping an eye on having finished 2024 strongly with second place at IRONMAN Barcelona.

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 Kona on October 11.