Rarely does a race fulfill everything it promises in the previous one. And even less, it surpasses it. What happened in IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong this morning - Spanish time - fits into that exceptional category: three of the best triathletes of the moment face to face, a development with ups and downs and script changes and an outcome at height.
The starting photograph was difficult to improve: Jelle Geens arrived as the reigning IRONMAN 70.3 world champion. Kristian Blummenfelt, runner-up, was looking to reclaim himself after an irregular start to the season. And Hayden Wilde, dominator of the T100 circuit, completed a poster that turned the event into more than just a March race.
Although, perhaps a priori, the big favorite was Wilde, who finally took the win was Kristian Blummenfelt, taking the revenge of Marbella against Jelle Geens who was second.
The third, finally, was Hayden Wilde. And all in less than a minute and a half.
Three champions, one race
From the first moment, the script responded as expected: the swim left the three in the main group, without decisive differences, in a race that was stretched from the beginning by the pace of specialists like Trent Thorpe.
With hardly any differences in the water - the three left in less than five seconds - cycling did begin to draw hierarchies, fulfilling the expected script: Wilde took the lead, took charge and hardened the test.
Geens replied, solid, while Blummenfelt, more uncomfortable, seemed to always go to the limit, giving up ground at times and forced to resist so as not to lose the race ahead of time.
"It was a fun battle, it always adds more when there are Hayden and Jelle, two athletes I respect a lot, and it tastes even better when you get to take the tape," Blummenfelt would later explain.
A half marathon for history
Wilde completed the segment in a circuit-record 1:56:03, with Geens less than a minute behind and Blummenfelt a minute and a half behind. Everything seemed under control for the New Zealander.
But from behind they had not said their last word: Blummenfelt took the impetus from his best exhibitions and went running at a devilish pace: in just five kilometers he had reduced the disadvantage with his head to less than a minute, and before the equator of the half marathon he had already reached his two rivals.
For several kilometers we lived a shoulder-to-shoulder duel between Wilde and Blummenfelt. Until the Norwegian gave a new change and printed a rhythm that was impossible for Hayden to follow, which was even surpassed by Geens.
“I felt myself flying in the foot race, a huge contrast to two weeks ago in Taupō,” recognized a Blummenfelt who, let's remember, suffered the unspeakable in his debut this year, vomiting throughout the entire marathon segment of IRONMAN New Zealand.
“I was hoping to make a good run on foot, but I wasn't going to feel so good.” Its average pace, around 3:05 min/km at key moments, alone explains the magnitude of the performance.
The result was overwhelming: victory in 3:30:25, a new circuit record by more than three minutes and a half marathon of 1:06:39 that destroyed the race. Geens was second with 3:31:24 and Wilde third with 3:31:52. All three, below the previous best record of the test.
IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong
| Pos. | Sportsperson | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | 🇳🇴Kristian Blummenfelt | 3:30:24 |
| #2 | 🇧🇪Jelle Geens | 3:31:23 |
| #3 | 🇳🇿Hayden Wilde | 3:31:51 |
| #4 | 🇦🇺Jake Birtwhistle | 3:24:28 |
| #5 | 🇦🇺Kurt McDonald | 3:38:18 |
Matthews resists and confirms his dominance
The women's race maintained the competitive level, albeit with a different script. Kat Matthews again imposed her consistency to take the victory in 4:06:14, adding her second consecutive victory in the Pro Series after the one achieved in New Zealand.
Everything indicates that the Briton will walk the same trails this 2026: that of being the most reliable on the circuit. A lot of history has to be twisted so that at the end of the season he does not take the large check of the IRONMAN Pro Series.
The Briton built her lead from cycling, where she took control solo and made it to T2 with a clear margin.
However, the race on foot was more demanding than expected. The Australian Grace Thek progressively closed the gap to less than a minute and a half in the final kilometres.
"The foot race was hard on me, between five and ten I thought I could fall apart, but I managed to react," Matthews explained. “Over the last few miles I regained confidence and was able to keep up.” His ability to resist was enough to hold the lead until the finish line.
Thek made a remarkable comeback to finish second at just 36 seconds, while Tamara Jewett completed the podium after a solid progression. E
on a day marked by the Blummenfelt exhibition, the Briton confirmed that there is also a clear reference in the women's category at the start of the season.