Search
shop

IRONMAN Kona 2024: Kristian Blummenfelt targets World Championship RECORD

Editor-In-Chief
Last updated -
STRENGTH. ENDURANCE. PERFORMANCE.

There is one triathlon summit Kristian Blummenfelt has yet to scale, and this Saturday (October 26) in Hawaii he bids to end the wait.

Kona 2024 sees the professional men return to the Big Island for the first time in two years to fight out the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship, with a stellar field set to line up.

Blummenfelt, third behind compatriot Gustav Iden in 2022, will likely start the favourite to top the podium this time, with his friend and rival still rebuilding from a 2023 beset by injury and personal tragedy.

It will not be a cakewalk though (when is Kona ever a cakewalk), with defending champion Sam Laidlow, two-time king Patrick Lange and giant Dane Magnus Ditlev among those also set to toe the line.

Blummenfelt has already shown he is Ironman-ready for this test – remember how he aced Frankfurt less than two weeks after racing the Mixed Relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics? A blistering 7:27:21 – topped off by a 2:32:29 marathon – shocked many, including the man himself.

Advertisement

Blummenfelt Kona prep

Since then Blummenfelt and Iden have been preparing for Kona in the familiar surroundings of Flagstaff, Arizona. And according to Kristian’s coach Olav Aleksander Bu, things are going well.

The Norwegians are always brutally honest about where they are at heading into a race, and always fiercely ambitious with their goals. This time is clearly no different, Blummenfelt is aiming not just to win…

Bu told TRI247: “Prep has been good. It helps that it is a couple of weeks later this year. Race day will have to show what he is capable of 🙂 The weather plays a big role, but a record is always a good target.”

The current Kona record remember was set just two short years ago, in the last Pro Men championship race on the Big Island. That was Iden with a spectacular 7:40:24.

gustav-iden-kristian-blummenfelt-kona-2022-run-3
Blummenfelt was beaten by Gustav Iden in Kona in 2022 (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for IRONMAN)

Once Kona is in the rear view mirror, all attention will turn to what Blummenfelt does from 2025 on. That ambitious plan to move to pro cycling and the Tour de France appears to be dead, so he is once again all in on triathlon.

What next for Blummenfelt in 2025?

If L.A. 2028 is confirmed as a future goal, the big question will be how ‘Big Blu’ approaches the four-year cycle heading once more towards the greatest show on earth.

As Bu told TRI247 recently, 10 months of short-course preparation and racing heading into Paris 2024 was ‘mission impossible’, so it is likely the 30-year-old from Bergen would transition back down in distance much earlier next time round.

Bu explained: “We’ll have to come back to this later, but if LA becomes realistic, it means transitioning earlier with more short-course racing. However, with the development we have seen around the tactics, involving dedicated domestiques, it has become a less interesting sport from an individual level, and more a “team” sport.”

We also asked Bu who he fears among the opposition this coming Saturday, and his response as ever was illuminating. The focus is 100 percent on elite preparation and performance from his own athletes, and absolutely nothing else.

“I don’t know, as I really don’t pay attention to what others do. I obviously know some of the household names, which have been on the podium the last few years, but not how they are performing and who is on the start line.”

Graham Shaw
Written by
Graham Shaw
Graham has been involved with TRI247 & RUN247 since the summer of 2021. Since then he has provided strategic direction for all news and is passionate about the growth of triathlon as a fan sport.
Discover more
Best triathlon swim courses – our top 10 triathlons for an epic start to race day
SunGod FORTY2s running sunglasses review
First look at the NEW SunGod FORTY2s running sunglasses – TRI247 Review
Gustav Iden aero position body rocket
How to get better at holding your time trial position – Expert tips from former PRO time trial cyclist Alex Dowsett
triathlon swimming open water
“Triathletes shouldn’t kick during the swim” and other triathlon swimming myths- BUSTED by an expert swim coach
Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 3 navigation and colour display
Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 3 GPS bike computer review
latest News
Alistair Brownlee Olympic Games Rio 2016
Olympic triathlon legend Alistair Brownlee remembers his life-changing first big goal
Lucy Charles-Barclay IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman 2025 Finish Line
Triathlon superstar Lucy Charles-Barclay reveals her race strategy after stunning IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman win
Sam Long IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman 2025 Finish Line
Sam Long says IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman win was a family affair as they inspired huge win
Olivia Mathias supertri London run 2024 photo credit Darren Wheeler supertri
British triathlon star Olivia Mathias is believing again after first WTCS podium put confidence struggles in the past
Cam Wurf bike IRONMAN South Africa 2023 photo credit IRONMAN South Africa
IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman: Pro cycling star Cam Wurf gets ANOTHER penalty as podium bid ruined by drafting call
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...