Three-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Taylor Knibb is putting herself in the conversation of being the middle-distance GOAT. And long-distance glory is also very much part of her grand plan for 2025.
The American boasts 10 successive wins in the 70.3 and T100 formats and will be one of the favourites to win the T100 Triathlon World Tour again in 2025.
However, Knibb’s ultimate goal for 2025 is to finish on the top step of the podium at the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona in October. The Holy Grail for so many triathletes.
Knibb is preparing for Kona 2025
Knibb spoke on IRONMAN’s Pre-Season A Fighting Chance series (watch the full episode at the foot of this article) to discuss her plans for the upcoming year – with a key focus on the full distance and a second trip to the Big Island.
The US phenom finished fourth in the 2023 IRONMAN World Championship as Great Britain’s Lucy-Charles Barclay romped to victory. That race, so far, has been her lone Ironman distance appearance, and this time round she is gearing her training around her Kona target.
“What I did well before I fell apart in Kona in 2023 was I really stuck to my plan, and it was like the fastest way I’m going to get to the finish line is sticking to my plan. I know that it’s also going to be important this year.”
She admitted though that the psychological challenge a full-distance triathlon brings is something she must get her head around in order to succeed.
“One thing I have learned about IRONMAN training is that I need to do some re-framing in my mind, that some people will probably make fun of. When I go through a training session or a race there is always a flip point – so I count up (the distance), then I start to count down.
“The thing about an IRONMAN is, when you’re 21km into a marathon you can’t just flip that into ‘oh, just 21km left’. You have to stay present and keeping counting up I guess because with even with 3km left it felt impossible.
“The lesson is a lot of the tools that I have won’t be appropriate or relevant – so I’m going to need to learn new tools because it’s a new distance. Yes it’s swim, bike, run but it’s kind of a different sport.”
IM Texas the stepping stone to Kona
To qualify for the big dance on the Big Island, Knibb must earn her spot for Hawaii in October. She has pinpointed April 26 on her calendar with a trip to IRONMAN Texas.
When asked whether she has visualised winning the biggest full-distance prize in the sport, the 27-year-old superstar re-iterated that success in Kona was the reason she got into swim, bike, run.
“I probably should [visualise winning Kona], I want to win Kona, but who doesn’t?
“Last year was an Olympic year and a lot of people talk about Olympic dreams – that wasn’t my dream growing up……it was Kona. So it’s like yeah, cool, I’m at the Olympics and with all these people, but Kona is special to me, that’s why I am in the sport.”
“But I don’t visualise it yet, I’ve got to work on that.”
