Back-to-back 70.3 World Champion Jelle Geens has revealed that he will step up to long distance this season, with the ultimate aim of winning the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona.

The brilliant Belgian has seen off arguably the two biggest names in the sport in the last two editions of the 70.3 Worlds.

He beat the reigning T100 champ Hayden Wilde to the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 title on the Kiwi’s home turf in Taupo and then outsprinted 2021 Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway to defend his crown in Marbella late last year.

Geens started this campaign ranked #2 in the world, with only Wilde ahead of him, but until now he’s raced exclusively at short course and middle distance.

All that will change in 2026 though as he outlined in his latest YouTube video, which is embedded below.

‘I shouldn’t wait any longer’

It starts with a clear message: “The goal for 2026 is simple: Kona. Qualify and try to win.

“I’ve done triathlon for a long time and I’m 32 now and felt that this was the year to try and go for Kona for the first time. Obviously my big goal going into long-distance is winning it but I know that I might need a few attempts to really nail it.

“It would be great if I can win it on my first try but I’m also realistic in knowing it’s a special distance.

“I’m now at that age where I shouldn’t wait any longer. So Kona is the big goal from this year onwards.”

‘I’ve never run a marathon’

Geens has taken the step up from Olympic distance to middle distance in his stride so few will underestimate the threat he potentially poses over a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run.

But he pointed out: “I’ve never raced any IRONMANs before, I’ve never run a marathon and I think I’ve only done one 180km ride and that was on a gravel trip with Marten Van Riel so lots of new things to come for me. It’s exciting but it’s definitely also scary.

“But I did Olympic distance for a long time and I’m back-to-back 70.3 World Champion now so I feel like it’s the right time to step up and try to give IRONMAN a go.

“I must say if you’d asked me five years ago I’d have said I would never do an IRONMAN but it’s sort of grown on me each year and is a great challenge.

“I feel like 10 years ago it was more about survival whereas nowadays you are racing every other competitor rather than just being in a race against yourself – and that really excites me.”

Trial run

And fans won’t have to wait long to see him at full distance, with his debut coming at IRONMAN Texas on April 18.

He explained the rationale behind that by saying: “My 2026 race calendar has two big parts, where part one is qualifying for Kona and part two is the 70.3 World Champs in Nice, backed up with the IRONMAN World Champs in Kona.

“So I’m going to start my season the same as last year at IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong. I won there last year, it’s a great event and it’s a two-hour flight from where we now live on the Gold Coast. It seems like it’s going to be a stacked start list with the Norwegians racing it and maybe potentially Hayden Wilde so it will be a hard and tough first race, but it’s one that suits me.

“I also want to do the Geelong and Texas double as there’s four weeks between the two which is the exact same between Nice [70.3 Worlds] and Kona. The flights are about the same too so it will be good to do a bit of a trial run on how to attack this.

“And what also really attracts me is that a lot of the best in the world will also race there in Texas – I get motivated by that and it’s good to see where I’m at racing against Kristian, Gustav [Iden], Casper [Stornes, the Norwegian one-two-three from the 2025 IMWC] or whoever shows up on the day.

“I could choose to go to IRONMAN South Africa the same weekend but for me it doesn’t really give me the same motivation or drive.

“So hopefully I qualify for Kona at Texas and then I can do the plan as scheduled, which is T100 San Francisco on 6th June. I was second behind Rico Bogen there last year and really enjoy what’s a cool race – the bike course is just phenomenal, going up a lot of steep, punchy climbs.

“I’ll stay in America for IRONMAN 70.3 Happy Valley the following week, which is also part of the Pro Series.

“Then come home to Australia and really focus on the next part of the season which will be the most important part.”

Geens revealed that if all goes to plan then he will probably have a long block of training after that US trip and not race again until the 70.3 Worlds in Nice.

He added: “It would be great to be the first-ever male to win the 70.3 World Championship three times in a row. Taylor Knibb and Daniella Ryf have done it for the women so it would be really cool to be in that illustrious company.

“But I didn’t want to just focus on that this year, I really wanted to give Kona a crack too. I really believe I have the capability and the talent to do it so now I’ve just got to nail it.”