The first season of the IRONMAN Pro Series will go right down to the wire in New Zealand this weekend as triathlon’s superstars bid for that massive $200k bonus prize.
With just one race to go – the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand – the battle for both Pro women and men is still right in the melting pot with all that cash still to be handed out.
The recent showdown at IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia changed the men’s standings in a big way, with IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange losing his grip on top spot.
Here is the latest as we now count down to the decider in New Zealand (Pro Women race on Saturday and Pro Men on Sunday).
Pro Series Standings – Women
The latest standings after Western Australia look like this, with Lotte Wilms now fourth after her podium there:
| Pos | Athlete | Total Points | Races Scored | IRONMAN Races Scored | 70.3 Races Scored |
| 1 | Jackie Hering (USA) | 18,093 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | Kat Matthews (GBR) | 17,836 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | Maja Stage Nielsen (DNK) | 15,999 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Lotte Wilms (NLD) | 15,703 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 5 | Danielle Lewis (USA) | 15,416 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
In terms of who wins that $200k bonus though, Britain’s Kat Matthews is very much in the box seat heading to Taupo, with our expert John Levison explaining: “Unless she doesn’t finish the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo on December 14, it is pretty much done.
“In simple terms, there are no full-distance races left (the big points), and Kat has her three, earning 5000, 5000 and 5515. Kat’s score total score is from only 4 races, so anything she earns at the 70.3 World Champs, she will add all of that score.
“For the leader (Hering), she can only improve by scoring more points in a 70.3 than she has already. e.g. If she were to win the 70.3 World Champs she would get 3000. Her lowest score is 2297, so she could ‘add’ 703 points and her maximum possible score is 18796.
“Kat currently has 17,836, so would need 961 to move past the absolute maximum that Herring could even possibly get, and anything within approximately 34 minutes of the winner in Taupo ticks that.”
There is a scenario where Wilms can still top the standings – but it is a highly unlikely one. Kat would need to DNF in Taupo or be 34 mins behind the winner, with that winner being Wilms and Hering being c.11mins behind.
Pro Series Standings – Men
| Pos | Athlete | Total Points | Races Scored | IRONMAN Races Scored | 70.3 Races Scored |
| 1 | Gregory Barnaby (ITA) | 19,060 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | Patrick Lange (DEU) | 18,623 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | Kristian Høgenhaug (DNK) | 18,472 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Matt Hanson (USA) | 17,853 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 5 | Bradley Weiss (ZAF) | 17,350 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
The headline news from Busselton was Italian star Barnaby overtaking Kona king Lange for top spot. The German remember had already called it a season after Hawaii, comfortable in the knowledge he could miss that top bonus prize because of his decision. Kristian Høgenhaug meanwhile is third in the standings.
We have ourselves a very complicated picture heading to New Zealand with three potential winners all lining up – Barnaby, Høgenhaug and US star Matthew Marquardt. So what are the various scenarios?
- Barnaby can win the series by winning the race or finishing ahead of Marquardt and Høgenhaug. As long as Barnaby is within 4mins 50 seconds of Høgenhaug and ahead of Marquardt he wins the title. If he DNF’s he still wins the title if Høgenhaug finishes over 3mins 52 behind the winner and Marquardt finishes 8mins 44 seconds behind the winner
- If Høgenhaug wins the race he needs both Barnaby and Marquardt to finish at least 4mins 51 seconds behind him to win the series. Høgenhaug can still win the series by finishing within 3mins 51 seconds of the winner and beating Barnaby and Marquardt by 4mins 51 seconds.
- Going into the race, despite being in 8th place in the current standings, it is simplest for Marquandt – just win the race and be 1 second ahead of Barnaby and he wins the series. As long as he finishes ahead of Barnaby and Høgenhaug and within 8mins 42 seconds of the winner he takes the title. If Høgenhaug wins the race, Marquardt can take title by being within 4mins and 50 seconds of Høgenhaug and ahead of Barnaby.
How do the rankings work?
In this year’s brand new series, the points awarded at each race are determined by the event distance and winner’s finishing time. For the first placed athlete, a middle distance win is worth 2,500 points and a full distance race worth 5,000 points. Except that is for the IRONMAN World Championship (6,000 points) and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship (3,000).
At IRONMAN Texas for example, Kat Matthews earned the maximum 5,000 points, with each athlete behind her receiving a score based on the system that awards points for their individual finish time relative to the event winner.
For every second an athlete finishes behind first place, their tally diminishes by one point. In Texas for example, Penny Slater received 4,866 points after finishing 134 seconds (+2:14) behind Matthews.
IM Pro Series Bonus Pool Payouts for 2024
This is how much those ranking points are worth at the end of 2024
| Overall Points Rank | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| First | $ 200,000 | $ 200,000 |
| Second | $ 130,000 | $ 130,000 |
| Third | $ 85,000 | $ 85,000 |
| Fourth | $ 70,000 | $ 70,000 |
| Fifth | $ 50,000 | $ 50,000 |
| Sixth | $ 40,000 | $ 40,000 |
| Seventh | $ 30,000 | $ 30,000 |
| Eighth | $ 20,000 | $ 20,000 |
| Ninth | $ 15,000 | $ 15,000 |
| Tenth | $ 10,000 | $ 10,000 |
| TOTAL TOP 10 | $ 650,000 | $ 650,000 |
| 11-50 equal payments | $ 200,000 ($5,000 each) | $ 200,000 ($5,000 each) |
| Grand Total Bonus Pool | $ 1,700,000 |
