Three-time IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange put it best when the fields were announced for the forthcoming IRONMAN Texas on Saturday, 18 April, describing it as “Kona 2.0”.

For rarely – if ever – have such strong line-ups taken shape for an IRONMAN race outside the World Championships.

Here’s what’s in store…

Men’s Pro field

Kristian Blummenfelt comes to Texas as the defending champion and fresh off back-to-back IRONMAN 70.3 wins in Geelong and Oceanside.

An IRONMAN World Champion, IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion and Olympic gold medallist, Blummenfelt is already reinforcing his reputation as the best in the sport as he enters his fourth straight Pro Series event of the year.

Fellow IRONMAN World Champions Casper Stornes and Gustav Iden head to The Woodlands following solid starts in Oceanside.

Three-time IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange brings even more championship pedigree to the start line as he looks to win his third IRONMAN Texas title (following wins in 2016 and 2024).

Meanwhile, Belgium’s Marten Van Riel is looking to make his mark at full distance after excelling in the T100 in 2024.

Germany’s Jonas Schomburg has been one of the most visible animators of the early season. Regularly at the front of IRONMAN Pro Series races, Schomburg’s impressive second-place finish at Oceanside – just 24 seconds off the win – was his latest top effort.

Leading the American charge are Rudy Von Berg, the 2023 IRONMAN Texas Champion, and Sam Long, who narrowly missed out on a podium finish in Oceanside despite his gutsy performance against the stacked competition.

While Lionel Sanders returns for his first full-distance IRONMAN since he was forced to miss the majority of last season while suffering from the debilitating effects of RED-S, or Relative Energy Deficiency. He has already won at Dallas Little-Elm 70.3 this season and will be looking to test himself against a much stronger field when he returns to Texas.

Finally, one of the most intriguing names on the start is Belgium’s Jelle Geens. Stepping up in distance, two-time and reigning IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Geens will make his IRONMAN triathlon debut in Texas.

Women’s Pro field

Great Britain’s Kat Matthews arrives in Texas as the two-time and reigning IRONMAN Pro Series champion, three-time and reigning IRONMAN Texas champion, and the current leader in the 2026 standings, having already captured two Pro Series victories this season.

Reigning IRONMAN World Champion, Norway’s Solveig Løvseth, opened her season with a strong second place at 70.3 Oceanside behind Taylor Knibb, and the pair of them rejoin battle in Texas.

New Zealand’s Hannah Berry brings big-race consistency and extensive experience to the Lone Star State. The IRONMAN New Zealand triathlon runner-up and 2025 IRONMAN World Championship triathlon fourth-place finisher has quietly compiled solid results early in the season, keeping herself in contention as the series begins to take shape.

Austria’s Lisa Perterer will look to kick off her season-opening campaign in Texas, following a successful 2025. Spain’s Marta Sánchez has shown solid early-season form, finishing in sixth in Oceanside, and remains a serious podium threat if she can keep contact with the leaders before the run. Sweden’s Sara Svensk, who also holds a career as a medical doctor, will look to launch her season on a high note in Texas following a good late-season second-place result at the 2025 IRONMAN Cozumel triathlon.

American’s Jackie Hering and Danielle Lewis round out the top contenders, both with experience and recent success.

Start lists in full

MEN’S PROFESSIONAL FIELD
Bib Number	First Name	Last Name	Country Represented
M1	Kristian	Blummenfelt	Norway
M2	Casper	Stornes	Norway
M3	Patrick	Lange	Germany
M4	Gustav	Iden	Norway
M5	Marten	Van Riel	Belgium
M6	Jonas	Schomburg	Germany
M7	Antonio	Benito Lopez	Spain
M8	Rudy	Von Berg	United States
M9	Nick	Thompson	Australia
M10	Jelle	Geens	Belgium
M11	Matt	Hanson	United States
M12	Kristian	Høgenhaug	Denmark
M13	Mike	Phillips	New Zealand
M14	Magnus	Ditlev	Denmark
M15	Sam	Long	United States
M16	Matt	Kerr	New Zealand
M17	Lionel	Sanders	Canada
M18	Mathias	Lyngsø Petersen	Denmark
M19	Leon	Chevalier	France
M20	Leonard	Arnold	Germany
M21	Jonas	Hoffmann	Germany
M22	Paul	Schuster	Germany
M23	Jason	West	United States
M24	Vincent	Luis	France
M25	Kacper	Stepniak	Poland
M26	Andy	Krueger	United States
M27	Jackson	Laundry	Canada
M28	Ben	Kanute	United States
M29	Jan	Stratmann	Germany
M30	Robert	Kallin	Sweden
M31	Kieran	Lindars	United Kingdom
M32	Marius	Bjerkeset	Norway
M33	Zack	Cooper	United Kingdom
M34	Cameron	Wurf	Australia
M35	Filipe	Azevedo	Portugal
M36	Matthew	Collins	United Kingdom
M38	Cameron	Main	United Kingdom
M39	Andrea	Salvisberg	Sweden
M40	Arnaud	Guilloux	France
M41	Nicholas	Chase	United States
M42	Luke	Jones	United States
M43	Ognjen	Stojanovic	Serbia
M44	Connor	Weaver	United States
M45	Tomasz	Szala	Poland
M46	Tom	Vaelen	Belgium
M47	Emil	Holm	Denmark
M48	John	Killeen	United States
M49	Federico	Scarabino	Uruguay
M50	Brock	Hoel	Canada
M51	Mathieu	Merland	France
M52	David	Reynolds	United States
M53	Lukas	Stahl	Germany
M54	Elliot	Bach	United States
M55	Samuel	Böttinger	Germany
M56	Romain	Rezsohazy	Belgium
M57	Jamie	Hayes	United States
M58	Pamphiel	Pareyn	Belgium
M59	Simon	Shi	United States
M60	Almog	Elazary	Israel
M61	Brad	Bischoff	United States
M62	Dries	Matthys	Belgium
M63	Mitch	Wismans	Netherlands
M64	Adam	Feigh	United States
M65	Ole-bernard	Fuskevåg	Norway
M66	Matt	Jackson	United States
M67	Michael	Arishita	United States
M68	Scott	Steenberg	Denmark
M69	Albert	Askengren	Sweden
M70	Jan	Kepinski	Poland
M71	Robert	Wilkowiecki	Poland
M72	Matthew	Richard	United States
M73	Connor	Readman	United States
M74	Jason	Pohl	Canada
M75	Strahinja	Trakic	Serbia
M76	Alex	Ion	Romania
M77	Levente	Lukacs	Hungary
M78	Cory	Mayfield	United States
M79	Mark	Saroni	United States
M80	Jason	Quinn	United States
M81	Julian	Becker	Germany
M82	Fraser	Minnican	United Kingdom

WOMEN’S PROFESSIONAL FIELD
Bib Number	First Name	Last Name	Country Represented
F1	Kat	Matthews	United Kingdom
F2	Solveig	Løvseth	Norway
F3	Taylor	Knibb	United States
F4	Hannah	Berry	New Zealand
F5	Lisa	Perterer	Austria
F6	Sara	Svensk	Sweden
F7	Marta	Sanchez	Spain
F8	Jackie	Hering	United States
F9	Danielle	Lewis	United States
F10	Grace	Thek	Australia
F11	India	Lee	United Kingdom
F12	Jana	Uderstadt	Germany
F13	Lottie	Lucas	United Arab Emirates
F14	Kate	Curran	United Kingdom
F15	Rachel	Zilinskas	United States
F16	Gabrielle	Lumkes	United States
F17	Johanna	Ahrens	Germany
F18	Annamarie	Strehlow	United States
F19	Joanna	Ryter	Switzerland
F20	Olivia	Dietzel	United States
F21	Leslie	Homol	United States
F22	Sarah	Karpinski	United States
F23	Margarita	Ryan	United States
F24	Katie	Remond	Australia
F26	Carolyn	Olsen	United States
F27	Rebecca	Kawaoka	United States