Today's IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong triathlon, the second stop of the 2026 Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series, delivered on its pre-race hype as both the men's and women's races served up nail-biting finishes that saw Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) bounce back from disappointment two weeks ago in Taupo to claim a statement victory in a new course best time, while Kat Matthews (GBR), having asserted control early and leading for much of the day, had to dig deep on the run to hold off a fast-finishing Grace Thek (AUS), who thrilled home crowds with a late charge on her home course.
With victory, Blummenfelt and Matthews claim $7,500 USD in prize money, 2,500 Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series points, and for Blummenfelt, qualification to the 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon in Nice, France (Matthews had previously qualified). There were six total slots on offer to professional athletes at this race.
In the men’s race, Blummenfelt blasted his way to victory in 3:30:25 – setting a new IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong course best time by more than three minutes with a blistering 1:06:39 run. Last year’s winner Jelle Geens (BEL) had to settle for second in 3:31:23, with Hayden Wilde (NZL) rounding out the podium in 3:31:51.
“I’m pretty stoked, it was a fun battle to get out on top of. It always brings more to the race when both Hayden and Jelle are turning up, two athletes I respect a lot, and it tastes even better when I'm able to grab the tape,” said Blummenfelt. “I’m very happy with how I felt on the run, it felt like I was flying there, quite the contrast to how it was two weeks ago in in Taupo. It brings a good momentum going into the next one in Oceanside in six days.
“It was on from the gun I would say, I think it was mainly Hayden who was putting the pressure on the bike, and they even got a gap there on the second lap and I was just hoping that I could have a solid run, but I didn't expect to be feeling that good on the run,” he said. “The plan is to travel tomorrow morning, and just try to hopefully, get in some easy training, maybe squeeze in one intense session in each discipline, maybe Wednesday or Thursday, just to flush things through, and then hopefully be good to go again for next week.”
The men wasted no time setting the pace in the swim, with Trent Thorpe (NZL) surging clear early on a cool, calm morning in Geelong as Josh Ferris (AUS), Jake Birtwhistle (AUS) and Pierre Le Corre (FRA) worked hard to stay attached while a powerful chase group featuring Geens, Wilde, and Blummenfelt kept the pressure on as the pace strung the field out. Thorpe exited first in 21:21 with Le Corre just five seconds adrift, while Geens led the marquee trio out of the water in fifth (22:13), with Wilde out in eighth (22:15), and Blummenfelt three seconds behind in ninth.
Foggy conditions greeted athletes early on the bike as Wilde hit the front quickly and continued to drive the front group alongside Birtwhistle, Geens, Ferris, Le Corre, Thorpe and Blummenfelt, with the pace already biting by 30km as Blummenfelt slipped 19 seconds back. Geens asserted himself at the front before Wilde began attacking after halfway, a move that fractured the race as Ferris and Blummenfelt lost contact, Le Corre withdrew and Thorpe succumbed to cramps. Wilde’s sustained pressure proved decisive late into the bike, opening a near 30-second gap by 80km before he powered into T2 first in 1:56:03, smashing the previous bike course best by almost two minutes, with Geens following 57 seconds later, Birtwhistle five seconds further back, and Blummenfelt limiting his losses to arrive fourth at 1:33 down.
Despite dropping his bike through T2, Wilde hit the run course first though it was Geens who gained early ground with a lightning-fast transition, immediately trimming the deficit as Wilde held a measured gap of around 45 seconds through the opening kilometres. Blummenfelt, meanwhile, launched into the run a man on a mission, rapidly cutting his deficit from 1:30 to under a minute within 5km before surging past Geens by 8km and closing to just 22 seconds off the lead. Blummenfelt caught Wilde at 10km and the pair ran shoulder-to-shoulder before Blummenfelt began to break clear, stretching the elastic with relentless pace as Geens hovered dangerously close behind. Geens moved into second around 15km, but Blummenfelt was already gone, opening a 55-second lead by 18km before storming home to take the tape in a run time of 1:06:39, more than a minute faster than the previous run course best. Geens claimed second 59 seconds back, with Wilde third a further 28 seconds behind, as all three dipped under the previous course-best overall time, Blummenfelt stopping the clock at 3:30:25 to rewrite the Geelong record books.
In the women’s race, Kat Matthews (GBR) once again lived up to her billing as pre-race favourite, securing yet another Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series race victory. Her winning time of 4:06:14 put her just 36 seconds clear of Australia’s Grace Thek – who earned her ninth IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong podium – with Tamara Jewett (CAN) rounding out the podium in 4:15:26.
“I'm really happy, really satisfied with the back-to-back wins, it’s the perfect way to kick off a year. After New Zealand two weeks ago I actually felt better than I thought I would, but this race felt harder than I had hoped it would,” said Matthews. “I think I had quite a good swim start, I really like the running in to the water, the traditional start, running, dive, dolphin dive, so I feel like I got myself in a good spot and then I felt comfortable straight away actually. I was sort of aware of what's going on and I felt good, I felt really good in the swim, so really happy with that dynamic. I think the gap was just over a minute, maybe less than two, to Sophia, which is really good.
“And then the bike I just felt really good, had really good legs. I got a bit tired, a bit lonely near the end and then on the run I really struggled. Five to 10k was a bit low, I was thinking, goodness, is this me done? But then I was able to rally, so I sort of took that confidence in the last couple of ks and I was like, yeah, I can run, it's fine,” she said. “The fans were great, there's actually quite a few people out on the bike course, obviously a few locals maybe, but on the run, it's just wonderful. I've done some training down the far end of the course so, I just felt really happy down there, lots of people cheering. To be honest, it's the competitors, I feel like everyone was my mate out there, cheering me on.”
Sophia Green (GBR) drove the women’s swim from the front, committing early and earning clear water as she exited first in 23:13 to open a decisive early gap. Matthews positioned herself well from the outset, sitting near the front and exiting in fourth, 1:29 down, while Steph Clutterbuck (GBR) was second out at +43 seconds but again struggled with dizziness through transition – an ongoing struggle caused by her Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Behind Matthews, Grace Thek (AUS) and Milan Agnew (AUS) were closely matched at 24:48, Penny Slater (AUS) delivered a strong swim to emerge +1:39 back on the leader, and Tamara Jewett (CAN) exited the swim +2:58, keeping herself well within touch as the women headed onto the bike.
Green set the early tempo on the bike with Matthews immediately committing to a solo chase, while a group containing Slater, Thek, Agnew, Clutterbuck and Gabrielle Lumkes (USA) hovered more than a minute back. Matthews made her move decisively at 25km, catching and passing Green as she adjusted a bottle, before the pair rode together to the turnaround, with Thek just over two minutes adrift in third and Slater sixth at 2:18 down. From there Matthews steadily asserted control, opening a 1:33 gap by 70km and leaving the chase pack more than four minutes in arrears as the kilometres ticked down. Matthews rode into T2 first in 2:14:09, shaving three seconds off the bike course best, with Green following 2:20 later and a five-strong chase group – Thek, Slater, Clutterbuck, Agnew and Lumkes – arriving together nearly 4:30 down as the race headed onto the run.
Matthews hit the run with a commanding buffer, holding a 3:39 lead over Thek after 6km as the Australian moved past Green into second, but the toll of winning ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand two weeks earlier began to show as the kilometres ticked by. After halfway, Matthews’ pace dipped and Thek steadily closed, cutting the deficit to under two minutes by 14km as Slater surged into third. The gap continued to shrink to less than 1:30 by 16km, before Matthews found another gear late, rallying over the final kilometres to keep Thek at bay as the Australian began to run out of road. Matthews broke the tape in 4:06:14, just 36 seconds clear of Thek, while Jewett once again carved through the field to claim the final podium spot 9:12 back, with Slater holding strong for fourth.
At the IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong triathlon professional athletes were competing for a maximum of 2,500 Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series points, a total event pro prize purse of $50,000 USD, and three qualifying slots per gender to the 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon in Nice, France.
Top Five Female Professional Results – IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong
| Place |
Name (Country) |
Swim |
Bike |
Run |
Total Time |
Pro Series Points (unofficial) |
Event Prize Money USD |
| 1 |
Kat Matthews (GBR) |
00:24:43 |
02:14:09 |
01:22:29 |
04:06:15 |
2,500 |
$7,500 |
| 2 |
Grace Thek (AUS) |
00:24:48 |
02:18:17 |
01:19:01 |
04:06:50 |
2,464 |
$5,000 |
| 3 |
Tamara Jewett (CAN) |
00:26:12 |
02:24:22 |
01:19:55 |
04:15:26 |
1,948 |
$3,750 |
| 4 |
Penny Slater (AUS) |
00:24:53 |
02:18:26 |
01:28:09 |
04:16:35 |
1,879 |
$3,000 |
| 5 |
Skye Wallace (AUS) |
00:26:20 |
02:21:32 |
01:25:18 |
04:17:57 |
1,798 |
$2,000 |
Top Five Male Professional Results – IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong
| Place |
Name (Country) |
Swim |
Bike |
Run |
Total Time |
Pro Series Points (unofficial) |
Event Prize Money USD |
| 1 |
Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) |
00:22:18 |
01:57:29 |
01:06:39 |
03:30:25 |
2,500 |
$7,500 |
| 2 |
Jelle Geens (BEL) |
00:22:13 |
01:57:03 |
01:08:30 |
03:31:24 |
2,441 |
$5,000 |
| 3 |
Hayden Wilde (NZL) |
00:22:15 |
01:56:03 |
01:09:44 |
03:31:52 |
2,413 |
$3,750 |
| 4 |
Jake Birtwhistle (AUS) |
00:22:13 |
01:57:29 |
01:11:17 |
03:34:29 |
2,256 |
$3,000 |
| 5 |
Kurt McDonald (AUS) |
00:22:11 |
01:57:37 |
01:14:32 |
03:38:19 |
2,026 |
$2,000 |
- Kristian Blummenfelt secured a new IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong course best time of 3:30:24 by almost three minutes. All three men on the podium in Geelong dipped under the previous course best set by Jelle Geens in 2025.
- Kat Matthews made it two from two 2026 Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series race wins in the space of a fortnight.
- Grace Thek earnt her ninth podium in Geelong – continuing her run of consecutive podiums since 2018.
- New Zealand’s Trent Thorpe was the first man out of the water in 21:21 but withdrew from the race at the halfway point on the bike, leaving Kurt McDonald with the fastest official swim time of 22:11.
- Former swimmer Sophia Green was the fastest woman on the water, exiting the swim first in 23:13.
- Both bike course bests fell in Geelong as Hayden Wilde rode 1:56:03 and Kat Matthews 2:14:09.
- Kristian Blummenfelt was the fastest runner of the day, posting a new IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong run course best of 1:06:39, while Thek posted the fastest women’s run of the day in 1:19:01 – just two seconds shy of her 2025 record.
- Matthews’ back-to-back victories mean the British athlete takes a commanding lead in the 2026 Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series with a maximum points haul of 7,500 from her trip Down Under.
- Blummenfelt meanwhile bounces back from disappointment in Taupo two weeks ago to lead the men’s Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series table after two races with 6,642 points.
The Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series is a year-long performance-based triathlon race series with professional triathletes being able to earn points at 16 races globally. Open to approximately 1,000 eligible professional triathletes worldwide, the Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series ushers in a new era of IRONMAN racing where Every Second Matters with every second behind the race winner equating to a point earned or lost. For any athlete, only their top five event results count towards their overall Pro Series points and standing, of which a maximum of three IRONMAN results can be counted. How it works can be found here.???
Blummenfelt and Matthews walked away with the maximum Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series points available for an IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon of 2,500. Athletes finishing behind the race winner saw their points diminish by one with every second that ticked off behind the race winner.
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Overall Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five Female (After Two Events)???
|
|
|
Total IRONMAN Pro Series Points (Max Top 5 events)
|
Total Eligible Races Scored
|
Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored
|
Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
1
|
|
|
Tamara Jewett (CAN)
|
6,203
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
Hannah Berry (NZL)
|
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
|
|
Gabrielle Lumkes (USA)
|
4,592
|
2
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
4,338
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
Overall Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five Male (After Two Events)???
|
|
|
Total IRONMAN Pro Series Points (Max Top 5 events)
|
Total Eligible Races Scored
|
Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored
|
Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored
|
|
|
Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR)
|
|
2
|
|
1
|
|
|
Trevor Foley (USA)
|
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
|
|
|
4,898
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
1
|
|
|
Matt Hanson (USA)
|
4,765
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
Full Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series standings can be found at ironman.com/proseries.
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Overall Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series Event Prize Money
In addition to the Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series’ $1.7 million year-end bonus prize pool, there is an event pro prize purse payout of $2.4 million USD, distributed across Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series events. With the first race complete, a total of $175,000 USD has been earned by professional athletes so far – leaving nearly $2.2 million USD to be claimed at the remaining events.
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Top Five Female Prize Money Earned (After Two Events)???
|
|
|
IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong Prize Money?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lotte Wilms (NLD)
|
|
|
|
|
Danielle Lewis (USA)
|
|
|
Top Five Male Prize Money Earned (After Two Events)???
|
|
|
IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong Prize Money??
|
|
|
|
Trevor Foley (USA)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR)
|
$7,500
|
|
|
|
Matt Hanson (USA)
|
|
|
|
|
Jack Moody (NZL)
|
|
|
? Next Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series Events Coming Up
The 2026 Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series racing continues thick and fast, as next up the Series heads Stateside with the Athletic Brewing IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside triathlon on Saturday 28 March and the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas North American Championship on Saturday 18 April.
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For more information on the IRONMAN Pro Series, visit ironman.com/proseries.