Episode 150: Kona Chaos, World Champions and One of the Wildest IRONMAN Races Ever

Send us Fan Mail This week on Another Triathlon Podcast, Jenna-Caer (@jennacaer), Josh (@joshmvernon) and Fede (@fedemultisport) are back to break down an absolutely wild IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. Jenna-Caer is fresh off the Big Island with the on-the-ground perspective, pro interviews and race-week aftermath, while Josh and Fede dig into everything they saw from the broadcast. From brutal humidity and rough water to drafting penalties, mechanicals, massive comebacks, heartbreaking DNFs and two completely unpredictable races, this was Kona at its best. Vincent Luis capped his career by winning the IRONMAN World Championship in his first and final Kona. Gustav Iden came charging through after a three-minute penalty, while Matthew Marquardt completed a surprise podium. On the women’s side, Taylor Knibb survived another brutal Kona marathon to finally take her first IRONMAN World Championship, while Laura Philipp and Julie Derron ran their way onto the podium after enormous deficits. And then there was Solveig Løvseth, who looked set to win before collapsing within sight of the finish. Highlights • Fede’s Chicago Marathon recap • Jenna-Caer’s full Kona race-week experience • Thank God I’m Not Racing and the Kona after-party scene • Rain, humidity and why the conditions were so deceptive • A choppy swim and seasickness across the field • The men’s swim group failing to create the expected break • Magnus Ditlev taking control of the bike • Drafting penalties for Gustav Iden and Matthew Marquardt • Magnus losing part of his front-end setup • Sam Laidlow’s race ending because of iliac artery issues • Patrick Lange’s emotional final Kona and volunteering after his DNF • Vincent Luis winning Kona and immediately retiring • Gustav Iden nearly running down the win • Matthew Marquardt’s breakthrough podium • Sam Long cutting the sleeves off his race suit mid-marathon • Huge IRONMAN Pro Series shakeups • Lucy Charles-Barclay leading the women’s swim • Taylor Knibb catching Lucy early on the bike • Solveig Løvseth charging into the lead • The shocking final kilometres as Solveig collapsed • Taylor Knibb changing her mindset and taking the win • Laura Philipp overcoming an eight-minute swim deficit • Julie Derron running back onto the podium • Kat Matthews helping Paula Findlay through a brutal Kona debut • Record numbers of DNFs • IRONMAN’s new quad-box broadcast and upgraded production • The Banquet of Champions and Kona after-party • Early thoughts on the 2027 World Championship Men’s Top 10 Vincent Luis Gustav Iden Matthew Marquardt Gregory Barnaby Pierre Le Corre Sam Long Jonas Schomburg Kristian Blummenfelt Youri Keulen Menno Koolhaas Women’s Top 10 Taylor Knibb Laura Philipp Julie Derron Kat Matthews Imogen Simmonds Lisa Perterer Hannah Berry Solveig Løvseth Sophie Pierre Grace Thek IRONMAN Pro Series Kona completely blew apart the season standings. On the men’s side, Gustav Iden came away with the $200,000 overall series title after entering race week believing he had almost no chance. Jonas Schomburg jumped into second, while Kristian Blummenfelt fell to third. On the women’s side, Laura Philipp retained the overall title, Solveig Løvseth held onto second thanks to finishing Kona, and the rest of the top 10 saw major movement. Ending the Pro Series in Kona felt like exactly the right move, with championship racing, season-long standings and huge prize money all decided together. Broadcast Breakdown IRONMAN also took a major step forward with its World Championship broadcast. The new quad-box coverage allowed fans to follow multiple sections of both races at the same time, while the main feed did a much better job moving between the men’s and women’s battles. Huggo’s on the Rocks. And when that closed, the party moved across the street for karaoke and more race-week stories. It remains one of the best parts of Kona. You can race on the same course as the best athletes in the world, watch them receive their World Championship trophies, and then end up at the same bar celebrating the week together. Quickfire Q&A Performance of the weekend? Vincent Luis winning his first Kona and immediately retiring. Biggest comeback? Laura Philipp swimming more than eight minutes down and still finishing second. Wildest finish? Solveig Løvseth collapsing inside the final kilometre while leading the World Championship. Best run? Gustav Iden flying through the men’s field despite a three-minute penalty. Biggest surprise podium? Matthew Marquardt finishing third in the world. Best sportsmanship moment? Patrick Lange volunteering after his DNF and Kat Matthews stopping to encourage Paula Findlay. Most Kona thing imaginable? World champions, age groupers and everyone in between ending up at the same after-party telling war stories. Follow the show 📸 @anothertriathlonpodcast Host, Jenna-Caer Seefried, @jennacaer Josh, @joshmvernon Fede, @fedemultisport Presented by @maunaapparel Support the show Stay connected with us! Follow us on social media - @anothertriathlonpodcast with hosts Jenna-Caer, Fede and Josh to keep up with the latest. And if you have any burning questions for the coaches, feel free to shoot them over to [email protected]   https://www.instagram.com/anothertriathlonpodcast/