It’s race week and the excitement levels if not quite at max are certainly getting up there. The circus is in town, all the brands, all the IRONMAN crew, all the media, and of course all the athletes with family and friends.
Selfies on Ali’I Drive, bikes out on the Queen K, poke bowls being devoured. This is the IRONMAN World Championships, Kona, Hawaii.
For the second time the women take centre stage, the sole focus for this year’s race, the men having had their World Championship in Nice, France a month ago.
In 2022, IRONMAN split the racing, the women raced on Thursday, the men on Saturday, a fantastic move to give fair racing and coverage not just to the women, but both genders. Unfortunately the toll of two days was too much for the locals in Kona, and after just one year it was over.
At the time, shifting back to one single day didn’t seem right, and progress had been made with separating the genders. So, in a radical move, IRONMAN moved away from Kona, and in 2023 had two World Championships. The men raced in Nice, the women in Kona. It’s alternated since and so now in 2025 the women are back in Kona. Unfortunately for the last time as from 2026 the event will move back (wards) to a single day of racing, women and men together.
However that for now is next year’s problem, or at least for a few weeks time. For now, we celebrate everything that is women in Kona. The Wahine Warriors, to steal the phrase from a good friend who used to come and cover the female athletes.
Throughout Hawaiian history, women have played important and impactful roles as leaders, professionals, mothers, sisters, advisors, artists, writers, and as warriors. Too often, however, the role that women have played as warriors is overlooked.
So let us take a look at the women who will be lighting up the course on race day.
The three former champions
Laura Philipp (GER) is the defending World Champion, and will be wanting not just to go back to back, but take her first win in Hawaii too. The last time a champion took back to back wins was Daniela Ryf in 2018. Philipp lowered her own fastest IRONMAN record, at IRONMAN Hamburg, where herself and Kat Matthews put in impressive performances, and sub 2.40 marathon run splits!
It was great to see Philipp take the title in Nice last year. Prior to that I feel she was ready to win in 2021 at St. George, but succumbed to Covid, literally as she was about to travel out. She’d been there or thereabouts since, with some incredible races but wasn’t able to get that top spot until Nice. Now she’s won, rather than pressure to repeat, I think it will free her up to race, and be the ‘attacking’ champion, rather than the defensive one.
We also have the (defending) champion from the last time the women raced in Kona (2023), Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay.
She’s also riding high coming into the race off two great results at London T100 and Spain T100. Charles-Barclay is also one of the athletes who has raced Kona the most number of times, with her string of second places before finally getting the win in 2023. After not being able to race last year, and looking like she is very good form, she’ll be wanting to reclaim her crown.
The third previous IRONMAN World Champion on the start line is Chelsea Sodaro (USA). Sodaro has had a rough year, with some bad luck at the start and some niggles, which meant she only validated her spot in the last race of the qualifying period. (As a previous World Champion you have five years where you “just” need to validate through finishing an IRONMAN.) It wasn’t a particularly stand out performance, but it did get the job done, which arguably was what was needed.
However she’s had eight more weeks of training, so I think will be in a different place, and she knows how to win on this course. She also did come third at the World Championship in Nice last year, which we shouldn’t really forget.
Stats also highlight Matthews
Statistics show that a World Champion will have been on the podium of the World Championship in the year prior or won two to three years previously. The exceptions to this would be Chrissie Wellington in 2007 and Sodaro in 2022, both winning on debut. But if we follow the stats it does narrow it down to who would be a possibility this year.
It would means that Britain’s Kat Matthews would fall into this category, which if we look at her form, that’s no real surprise anyway.
For Matthews, it’s third time lucky in Kona. The first year she didn’t make the start, having been involved in a horrific cycling accident just weeks before the race. In 2023, she fell off the pace on the climb up to Hawi and subsequently dropped out of the race. However Matthews has finished second, twice, at the World Championships, in St. George (2021/2022) and then in Nice (2024).
However, Matthews has had two huge races already this year, with her performances at IRONMANs Texas and Hamburg, so can she back up with a third? I feel this was one of the downfalls of Kristian Blummenfelt in the men’s race. He’d had two big wins at Texas and Frankfurt, and didn’t therefore have the extra bit of energy when he needed it in Nice. Compared to his compatriots Casper Stornes and Gustav Iden who also both raced Texas and Frankfurt, but were lower down and looking back in hindsight, building more through the year.
However if anyone on the women’s side can back up again with another huge performance, it would be Kat Matthews. But also, is Kona too big a goal for her? Does she want it too much? She’s vocal about wanting a world title, and this world title, and I respect that, and of course it’s the view that many of the women have. But I wonder, after her last (two) attempts in Kona, and four World Championship second places, if she is putting to much on herself to do something special and with that take the win. However, again, if there is any athlete who can handle and manage that, then I’d put my money on Kat.
Knibb the other main contender
Kat was also second, twice, at the 2024 and 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Taupo and Lahti – both times behind Taylor Knibb.
So, onto Taylor. The Amercian has also not shied away from the fact that she wants to win in Kona. Whilst racing over the WTCS series, Kona was how she came into the sport, watching her parents race. Her mum (Leslie Knibb) is also racing this year, as she did in 2023 too.
Knibb finished fourth on debut in 2023, just not having quite enough on the run to stay ahead of the other women. Knibb also finished second to Matthews in Texas, and behind Charles-Barclay at the London T100. Those races would only have help drive Knibb, showing her what she needs to do to be first over the line in Kona. She’s a student of the sport, and meticulous in preparation for herself and studying the other athletes.
I would imagine Knibb may want to try and swim with Charles-Barclay. She has done this over the shorter T100 distance but can she stick with her for the 3.8km? If she does the pair could be a dangerous and powerful duo on the bike working together. I feel Knibb may want to get away on the bike, giving herself a buffer onto the run over the other women, who on paper have quicker marathon performances.
How the race could play out
With Charles-Barclay’s current form I think she’ll push the swim hard and hope she’s on her own, off the front, similar to when she won in 2023. I don’t think she’ll be worried if Knibb is with her, as they could work together on the bike and I think Charles-Barclay will back herself on the run over Knibb.
Then the question will be, how far back (or not) are the gaps to Sodaro, Matthews and Philipp and if they are solo or in packs and how they then pace/race the bike.
Then there are the rookies, in fact there are 20 rookies on the start line for Kona and a few that I think are worth a mention. Well all the women are worth a mention to be honest, but there are a few who could have a pretty significant impact on the race.
Lisa Perterer (AUT) and Solveig Lovseth (NOR), both raced at the Olympics in Paris 2024 and then moved up to the middle and full distance this year. Perterer got everyone’s attention coming second at the Singapore T100, as a wild card. Then came third at IRONMAN Texas behind Kat Matthews and Taylor Knibb. She was also second at Lake Placid.
Lovseth had the fastest time (globally) in a debut IRONMAN coming third at Hamburg in that ridiculously fast race. The whole podium, Philipps, Matthews and Lovseth, broke the previous IRONMAN record. Lovseth then went on to win Lake Placid. Both these athletes are solid across the board. They race hard and love to race, and I think if they race smart, then they will be up there at the pointy end.
I could go on and list a whole host of other women to watch, there are many that are worth a mention, however I’ll just put two more names out there – Hannah Berry from New Zealand and India Lee (GBR). Berry earned a T100 contract off her results in 2024, and has been consistently performing over that shorter distance against specialist short course athletes.
I would say I think her strength is in the full distance. Berry is another who I think if she just plays the patient, solid strong game all day long she’ll be running up near the front end of the race come the finish.
Lee, after a DNF at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice last year, stated she would just stick to the middle and T100 distance. However the lure of the long course and Kona couldn’t keep her away, wining IRONMAN Las Sables convincingly and securing her Kona slot. A strong swim and biker, but Lee can also put together a solid run too, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see her up there.
Here for the women’s race
The IRONMAN World Championship, and especially in Kona, does funny things to people.
Athletes who go all in for the win, risking it and possibly the podium, prepared to go boom or bust. Favourites crumble, underdogs rise, what goes into the Energy Lab (on the run) doesn’t necessarily come out.
There will always be an athlete (or two), that just have a magic day, and surprise everyone. That day where everything just clicks and flows.
But for most Kona is a battle of attrition, a strength of mind, and playing the patience game. If you are still riding strong, by the time you come back past the airport (10km to go on the bike), then you are doing well, and then if you are still running as you come out of the Energy Lab, then you are likely to be passing athletes all the way back along the Queen K to the finish.
Whatever happens, we are in for a fantastic day of racing. We are all here for the women’s race and everyone will be watching women’s sport on Saturday!
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