Danish triathlete Maja Stage Nielsen has called time on her professional career after more than a decade of competing at the highest level of the sport.
The 38-year-old, who won the Apfelland Triathlon in 2023 and claimed a string of runner-up finishes at such IRONMAN races as Hamburg (2024), Texas (2023), Cozumel (2019), Lanzarote (2019) and Mallorca (2016), announced her retirement this week.
Posting on Instagram, she admitted that she simply had ‘no race mode’ left and that she was ‘done being the athlete showing up just to be there’.
‘It’s time for me to admit I’m done racing’
Her last podium appearance was at IRONMAN 70.3 Westfriesland last season, but that second-place finish was the only top-three achievement in her final 13 races, and she ended with a DNF at IRONMAN New Zealand in the opening race of the 2026 campaign.
In announcing her retirement, she said: “Well, that’s it… It is time for me to admit that I’m done racing triathlon. I have known it for a while. Many of you probably had guessed it too.
“I just wasn’t brave enough to say it out loud. Because it’s kinda hard for me to accept that I don’t want to race anymore. Sport is equally tough and rewarding! And being an athlete is all I have ever known. It has challenged me, shaped me, and given me more than I ever dreamed of.
“I have learnt to love swimming, I love biking, I love running and I (still) love to do it all day every day – except on race day! I have absolutely no “race mode” left… and I’m done being the athlete showing up just to be there. I have done that too many times already. It has never been who I am, and it’s not who I want to be(come).”
‘I have no idea what comes next
Since withdrawing after the bike leg in New Zealand, she demonstrated that her athletic ability remained intact by finishing 17th woman overall at the Copenhagen Marathon in 2:44:04, but she admits that life after triathlon is still uncertain as she looks to fill the void of her career.
“It’s no secret that I’ve always loved the process more than the result. The training, the daily routines, the small improvements – that’s what I think is fun and what truly made me happy,” she added. “BUT this new process is probably the scariest I’ve ever started.
“I have no idea what comes next. I only know I still have dreams and goals to chase. I know sport will always be part of my life. I know I need to find a job, and I know it’s time to get started!
“To EVERYONE who has been a part of this journey. Thank you for believing in me, supporting me, challenging me, and sharing so many unforgettable moments with me – the highs and the lows!
“This isn’t a goodbye to sport. It isn’t a goodbye to you. It’s only a goodbye to professional triathlon racing for me. 🫶🏼”
