IRONMAN World Championship Nice France MPRO Start List

The stage is set for a seismic showdown in Nice, France as the world’s best professional and amateur male triathletes are set to assemble for the men’s 2025 IRONMAN World Championship® triathlon on Sunday, 14 September. The star-studded pro list includes former IRONMAN® World Champions, past world championship podium finishers, IRONMAN Pro Series contenders, and a host of rising stars all set to toe the line on the Côte d’Azur. In all, the iconic IRONMAN World Championship triathlon will bring together nearly 60 of the world’s top professional male triathletes to compete for the coveted title of IRONMAN World Champion, 6,000 IRONMAN Pro Series points, as well as a piece of the $375,000 USD professional prize purse, with the winner taking home $125,000 USD.

The 2025 men’s start list features four former IRONMAN World Champions, including defending and three-time champion Patrick Lange (DEU), who will wear bib number one. Lange claimed his third title in Kona last year and returns to Nice – where he finished second in 2023 – aiming to further bolster his legacy. The German hasn’t reached his peak so far this year, but who would discount the man made for the biggest stages out of a fourth title?

Sam Laidlow (FRA) won his IRONMAN World Championship crown in Nice two years ago – that victory on home soil made the Frenchman the youngest ever winner of an IRONMAN World Championship triathlon. After an injury plagued start to the year, Laidlow is now finding form at the perfect time and comes into this IRONMAN World Championship race off the back of a victory at the inaugural IRONMAN Leeds triathlon last month.

The new Norwegian method has been on full display so far this season, with 2021 IRONMAN World Champion Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) arguably the best and most consistent male athlete this year, scoring wins at the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas North American Championship, Mainova IRONMAN Frankfurt European Championship, and IRONMAN® 70.3® Aix-en-Provence triathlons. Chasing a perfect IRONMAN Pro Series score, Blummenfelt currently sits third in the standings and a win in Nice would set him on course to become the first athlete to win both the IRONMAN World Championship and IRONMAN Pro Series titles in the same year. Nordic compatriot and 2022 IRONMAN World Champion Gustav Iden (NOR) has had a quietly successful season to date, working his way back to full form after a couple years of injury, with a strong fourth place finish at the Mainova IRONMAN Frankfurt European Championship triathlon in June, laying down an ominous marker to his competitors. 

Also returning to the IRONMAN World Championship start line are last year’s podium finishers Magnus Ditlev (DNK) and Rudy Von Berg (USA). Ditlev holds the IRONMAN African Championship title after his early season win in Gqeberha, South Africa, while Von Berg has had a typically consistent season, with two podium finishes already to his name. Last year’s IRONMAN World Championship fourth place finisher Léon Chevalier also returns with everything to race for. The Frenchman will be hoping to move up to the podium places at the World Championship for the first time, while also securing major points to maintain his lead atop the IRONMAN Pro Series leaderboard.

The IRONMAN Pro Series adds another layer of intrigue to the IRONMAN World Championship, with 17 of the top 20 men in the overall standings – including nine of the top 10 – lining up in Nice. Strong challengers who currently sit within the top 10 in the IRONMAN Pro Series standings are Matthew Marquardt (USA), who secured his first and second IRONMAN triathlon victories in Cairns and Lake Placid this year; Kristian Høgenhaug (DNK), last year’s IRONMAN Pro Series third place finisher with two IRONMAN triathlon second place finishes to his name in 2025; Cameron Wurf (AUS), who finished seventh in Kona last year; and the third member of the Norwegian contingent Casper Stornes, who has picked up two podium finishes in his last two races.

Adding to the mix are two Olympians transitioning to long course triathlon post-Paris in the shape of Marten Van Riel (BEL) and Jonas Schomburg (DEU) each of whom have the ability to podium in Nice. Though currently nursing an ankle injury and a questionable status to race, Van Riel has been explosive over the middle distance over the past year and made an instant impact upon his IRONMAN triathlon debut in Cozumel, leading the majority of the bike until an unfortunate crash. Chasing IRONMAN World Championship qualification, the Belgian re-focused on the ISUZU IRONMAN South Africa African Championship in March, finishing second behind the Danish powerhouse Ditlev. German Schomburg has been equally impressive, finishing third in that race in South Africa. Sam Long (USA) is another wildcard. Winner of last year’s IRONMAN Chattanooga triathlon, the fan-favourite American boasts one of the best bike-run combinations in the sport and will race just his second IRONMAN World Championship triathlon.

Beginning with the Mediterranean Sea swim, athletes taking part in the Men’s 2025 IRONMAN World Championship triathlon in Nice will enter the water in the Baie des Anges for a 3.8km ROKA swim, following a double rectangular out and back course in the water, before embarking on one of the most iconic bike courses in all of the triathlon world. The 180km ZOOT bike course is technical and challenging but rewarding in its beauty, with athletes taking in rooftop villages on the ascent before they cruise down the “Route de Thorenc” and through the “Clues de Gréolières” on the descent, famous for its stunning feature film backdrop scenery. The flat, four lap 42.2km HOKA run course will take runners up and down the glitzy Promenade des Anglais, giving them the opportunity to soak up the Mediterranean Sea views and famous Chaises Bleues on one side, and the luxury hotels and casinos on the other, while gaining encouragement from the deep crowds lining the course. Further details of the course can be found here.
 
A full list of professional men’s field listed below*:
 

*Subject to change
 
A Front Row Seat to the Competition
Live race day coverage of the men’s 2025 IRONMAN World Championship triathlon will be broadcast for free across multiple platforms for global viewers including proseries.ironman.com, DAZN, and YouTube, as well as L’Équipe in France, Outside TV in the U.S. and Canada, ZDF in Germany, ESPN (within Disney+) in Latin America and the Caribbean, and iQIYI in China, among others. Live race day coverage will begin at 5:15am CEST. 

Fans can also follow the @ironmantri social channels for a behind the scenes view of what it takes to have a chance at world-title glory. The ‘A Fighting Chance’ IRONMAN series will drop three new pre-race episodes featuring eight athletes, with Episode 1 on Monday, Sept. 8, Episode 2 on Wednesday, Sept. 10, and Episode 3 on Friday, Sept. 12, giving audiences a glimpse of what it takes to prepare for race day, as well as the staging behind such an iconic event. Find live race-day coverage of the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship triathlon in Nice globally via proseries.ironman.com.   

The Men's 2025 IRONMAN World Championship Pre-Race Professional Athlete Press Conference will also be livestreamed to viewers around the world for free from 11 a.m. CEST on Friday, Sept 12. Viewers can watch via proseries.ironman.com.