IRONMAN New Zealand results 2025: Glory again for Phillips but McCauley hat-trick bid falls short

Mike Phillips claimed a glorious third IRONMAN New Zealand victory in Taupō on Saturday, but Jocelyn McCauley fell just short in her bid for a hat-trick of titles in 2025.

Phillips made it a hat-trick of wins in his country’s biggest pro event by holding off Joe Skipper and Jack Moody in the men’s pro race to add to his successes from 2019 and 2023.

In the women’s race McCauley could not quite follow suit on this Saturday, as she was passed by Aussie star Regan Hollioake on the run before eventually claiming second place.

Here is how the pro races played out on another terrific day of racing in Taupō.

Pro Men – Phillips completes the hat-trick

Benjamin Zorgnotti of Tahiti was first out of the water in 47:49, just a couple of seconds ahead of Kiwi Jack Moody with another home hope – two-time former champion Phillips – only 9 seconds off the lead in fourth place. Then it was Aussie Tim van Berkel in fifth ahead of Dutchman Pim van Diemen and France’s Arnaud Guilloux. Britain’s Skipper meanwhile was 13th and 3:30 back as he headed for T1.

The bike leg had a front pack of seven riders heading the way, comprising of van Diemen, Guilloux, Mikel Ugarte Ramos (ESP), Van Berkel, Moody, and Zorgnotti. This group had an advantage of more than three minutes on the chasers, led by Skipper, as the field passed the 80km mark.

Moving towards the 120km mark, that front pack of seven finally started to fragment as Moody and Guilloux dropped off the back. Now there were five men at the head of affairs – Phillips, Ramos, van Diemen, Zorgnotti and Van Berkel.

Into the final 60km on on the bike and while the front five were continuing to lead the way, Moody and Skipper were both starting to make significant inroads. Those inroads were slowed though when Phillips broke away from his four travelling companions to build a lead of 1:39 by the time the field arrived in T2. The chasers were headed by a three-man pack comprising of Van Berkel, Moody and van Diemen. Skipper meanwhile was 2:20 off the pace and just ahead of Zorgnotti.

It was now very much all to play for on the run with Phillips looking to grab a third victory in this race and the chasers trying to take him down. The Kiwi looked strong for the first 15k of the closing marathon, maintaining that gap of just under two minutes as Moody and Skipper struggled to cut into it.

But then as the halfway point approached Moody started to eat away at the deficit, and by 21km he was just 1:20 away. The lead Phillips held did dwindle to just over a minute at one stage, but the two-time champion would not be denied and began to pull away again as Moody’s surge faltered. The hat-trick for Mike was assured as they entered the closing stages.

When Phillips took the tape he was three minutes ahead of Skipper, who had made the pass on Moody in the latter stages to claim second place. The Kiwi completed the podium with Zorgnotti fourth and Van Berkel fifth.

Mike Phillips IRONMAN New Zealand 2025 Podium — Mike Phillips celebrates a third IRONMAN New Zealand victory in 2025 (Photo – Getty Images for IRONMAN).

Pro Women – Hollioake bursts McCauley bubble

Switzerland’s Alanis Siffert led the field out of the water, just ahead of Britain’s Fenella Langridge. The pair then had more than two minutes to spare over US star and two-time winner McCauley.

McCauley wasted no time in taking control of the race early on the bike leg, and she had passed Siffert and Langridge for the lead by the time they arrived at the 30km mark. By the time the field passed through 60km, Jocelyn led Australian Regan Hollioake and Swiss pair Nina Derron and Siffert by just over a minute, while Langridge had dropped to more than three minutes off the pace in fifth.

Derron and Hollioake were now just under two minutes down on McCauley at the 90km halfway stage of the bike, with Siffert more than three minutes back. Langridge meanwhile was dropping back fast – more than seven minutes adrift now.

The second half of the bike gave us more of the same with McCauley continuing to drive from the front, and she started to pile on the power in the final 50km, gradually increasing her lead. By T2 that advantage had grown to almost six minutes over Derron and Hollioake. Could she hang on for another victory here? We were about to find out.

McCauley fans must have been worried early on the run as Jocelyn’s lead began to diminish rapidly as Derron surged towards the front. Within 6km that advantage was down to 2:32, and by 11km it was just 27 seconds. This time, it would not be her day.

Derron made the pass soon afterwards to grab the lead from McCauley, but pretty soon there was a danger to the Swiss star as well – in the shape of Aussie ace Hollioake. She was pacing her effort perfectly and stormed through to take the lead approaching the halfway stage of the marathon.

The rest of the day was Regan gradually extending her advantage as a brilliant victory beckoned – by the line she had just over five minutes to spare on McCauley, who had retaken second place from Derron. The Swiss ace would claim the final spot on the podium. Gabrielle Lumkes of the US grabbed fourth place with former Aussie Rules star Kate Gillespie-Jones (AUS) fifth.

Langridge meanwhile would sadly end the day as a DNF as she began the road back after a frustrating 2024.