A beautiful morning greeted athletes at IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea, with the streets lined by the passionate Welsh crowds, creating an electric atmosphere for race day. The challenging course and world-class field delivered competitive, dynamic and fast racing, with Harry Palmer (GBR) and Lizzie Rayner (GBR) ultimately claiming the 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea titles and maximum Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series points.
As temperatures continued to soar across Europe this weekend, the decision was made for the race to be non-wetsuit. That added another element to race day, with athletes adapting their race strategies accordingly. Even so, the pace remained exceptionally high, with both the men's and women's professional fields finishing just seconds shy of the previous swim course bests.
Female Race Recap
In the women's race, India Lee (GBR) led the front of the all GBR swim pack comprised of alongside Kate Curran (GBR), Jasmine Holmes (GBR), Lizzie Rayner, Steph Clutterbuck (GBR) and Megan Macdonald (GBR). Lee continued to set the pace through T1 and was first out onto the bike course, looking determined to take the win.
Lee remained in control for most of the bike leg, but around 10km before T2 she crashed and her chain came off, allowing Rayner, who had been steadily closing the gap, to move into the race lead. Rayner continued that lead into T2, closely followed by Lee and Rebecca Anderbury (GBR).
Rayner dominated the run consequently taking home the win in a time of 4:23:56 for her first IRONMAN Pro Series victory. With Anne-Sophie Pierre (FRA) chasing her down and taking second place. In the last 5km of the run, Marta Lagownik (POL) overtook Anderbury, which resulted in a third place podium finish for her.
Lizzie Rayner on her win: “I can't really comprehend actually. Its feels amazing. All week I was like, I want to win. I want to win this race, and I wanted to break the curse of Swansea that I'd put on myself and oh it was really really hard that last like maybe 6k I was cramping really bad... the run course is super hard because it is just that long straight, you get to see your competitors at every turn.
Men’s Race Recap
In the men's race, Olympian and short-distance specialist Pierre Le Corre (FRA) led the swim from start to finish as the field quickly stretched into single file. Close behind were Kieran Lindars (GBR), Mika Noodt (DEU), Ollie Turner (JEY) and Malachi Cashmore (GBR), while a second pack containing Palmer and Simon Viain (FRA) followed not far behind. Cashmore was first through transition and onto the bike course.
Noodt led the bike course most of the way, but the battle at the front remained highly dynamic, with constant changes among the top five professionals. Midway into the bike Noodt had an unfortunate crash which ended his race early. Palmer, Lindars, and Josh Lewis (GGY) were the first athletes into T2. Lindars was first onto the HOKA run course, with Palmer close behind in pursuit.
Ultimately for the men’s race, Palmer took the victory after leading throughout the run, crossing the line in a time of 3:50:21. Lindars secured second place with another impressive performance, just two weeks after racing at the Mainova IRONMAN Frankfurt European Championship. Joran Driesen (BEL) produced a strong late charge on the run, overtaking Simon Viain (FRA) to claim the final podium position.
Harry Palmer on his third consecutive win: “Early on the run, even up to maybe 10k, I thought maybe a top five would be a challenge because I knew, as Kieran just mentioned, like they were really really quick chases from behind. I wasn't feeling so good. I was in a pretty negative place mentally, just with like not feeling so good. Back was pretty locked up, but I just yeah, just kept patient and knew that it knew that it could come”
He goes on to talk about the Welsh crowds: “The support is incredible. I've never raced anywhere like it. It's so good, and I guess you know living relatively close to here, I know what the roads are like. I train on roads like this all the time, so it allows me to navigate the course pretty well, and yeah, mainly it is the support. I don't know what it is about the Welsh support, but they just bring it to another level. It is absolutely incredible.”
Top Five Female Professional Results
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Pro Series Points (unofficial)
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Top Five Male Professional Results
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Pro Series Points (unofficial)
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Experience Oman IRONMAN?Pro Series Standings?
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: www.ironman.com/proseries/about-ironman-pro-series.
After Kieran Lindars (GBR) performance today, he has climbed eight places in the Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series.
Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five?Female (After Ten Events)?????
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Total IRONMAN Pro Series Points (Max Top 5 events)?
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Total Eligible Races Scored?
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Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored?
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Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored?
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Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five?Male (After Ten Events)?????
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Total IRONMAN Pro Series Points (Max Top 5 events)?
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Total Eligible Races Scored?
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Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored?
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Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored?
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Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR)
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Next Events Coming Up
The Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series moves across the pond to New York’s stunning Adirondack Mountains with the iconic Athletic Brewing IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon on July 19.