Set against the breathtaking scenery of Lake Zell and the Austrian Alps, the 2026 IRONMAN® 70.3® Zell am See-Kaprun triathlon delivered dramatic racing as Germany's Laura Philipp and Lasse Nygaard Priester emerged victorious at the final Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series™ event before World Championship season. With valuable Pro Series points on the line, the professional fields battled across one of the circuit's most iconic and demanding courses, featuring a crystal-clear lake swim, a challenging mountain bike course, and a fast lakeside run that ultimately crowned two deserving champions.
Women’s Race
The crystal-clear waters of Lake Zell provided a picture-perfect backdrop for the start of the race, with ideal conditions and a wetsuit-legal swim for all athletes.
Austria's Lisa Perterer wasted little time establishing herself at the front of the field, joined by short-course specialist Rani Skrabanja (NED), while India's Lee (GBR) settled into third. In the closing stages of the swim, Skrabanja moved past Perterer to record the fastest swim split of the day in 26:28, with the Austrian just two seconds behind. Laura Philipp (DEU) also produced one of the strongest swims of her season, emerging only six seconds off the lead group.
Once onto the bike, Philipp quickly moved to the front. Perterer initially responded and briefly reclaimed the lead before receiving a blue card and later suffering a dropped chain on the course's signature climb, allowing Philipp to surge clear once again.
Undeterred, Perterer fought her way back and regained the lead before the descent, looking to build a cushion before serving her penalty. By the halfway point of the bike, Perterer and Philipp had opened a gap of nearly five minutes over the chasing athletes, led by Leana Bissig (SUI) and Rebecca Anderbury (GBR), who had charged from 16th out of the swim into contention.
Philipp entered T2 first after recording a blistering bike split of just over 2:21, putting herself firmly in control of the race. Perterer followed roughly two minutes later, while the battle for the final podium positions remained wide open behind them.
Once onto the HOKA run course, Philipp quickly stamped her authority on the race. The reigning IRONMAN World Champion settled into a smooth rhythm around the scenic two-loop course along the shores of Lake Zell, steadily extending her advantage with every kilometer. Behind her, Perterer worked hard to limit the damage and hold off the charging India Lee, who was producing one of the fastest runs of the day.
As the race progressed, Philipp's lead continued to grow, turning the final kilometers into a victory celebration. She crossed the line comfortably ahead of Perterer to take the win, while Lee's strong run secured third place and completed the podium. “I felt good. It was a beautiful day,” said Philip after her commanding win.
“I was surprised by myself being in the front pack of the swim. My plan was to swim good, ride hard, and see how I felt on the run, because there was a question mark on how I would feel two week after an IRONMAN. The nice thing about after you just race and IRONMAN is that the half feels so much shorter, and take half as long, so I just kept reminding myself that and it really helped.
Men’s Race
In the men's race, a large lead group separated itself from the rest of the field during the second half of the swim. Local Austrian star Tjebbe Kaindl led the field out of the water, heading a group that included many of the pre-race favorites such as Jan Stratmann (DEU), Wilhelm Hirsch (DEU), Kieran Lindars (GBR), Jelle Geens (BEL), Trevor Foley (USA), and Fabian Kraft (DEU). The pace at the front was relentless, with 22 athletes exiting the water within one minute of each other, setting up a closely contested battle on the bike.
As expected, reigning IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Jelle Geens used his strength on the bike to move to the front. The course's iconic 13-kilometre climb quickly proved decisive, with Geens, Valdemar Solok (DEN), and Lasse Nygaard Priester (DEU) establishing themselves at the head of the race.
By the summit, Solok had dropped back while Priester attacked on the descent to move ahead of Geens and take control of proceedings. At the halfway point of the bike course, Priester and Geens had reduced the lead battle to a two-man contest, while Kaindl, Solok, and Kraft formed the chase group further behind.
Priester rode into T2 first after recording a rapid 2:05:28 bike split, with Geens arriving alongside him. The pair headed onto the HOKA run course virtually shoulder to shoulder, setting the stage for a thrilling half marathon through Zell am See.
What followed was a tactical battle between two of the sport's strongest runners. Geens briefly stayed glued to Priester's shoulder during the opening kilometers, but the German gradually began to increase the tempo. As the race entered the second loop, Priester created a decisive gap, forcing Geens into chase mode.
Roared on by the home crowd, Priester continued to press the pace and never allowed the Belgian back into contention. Behind them, Kaindl delighted local spectators with a determined run that kept him firmly in podium position while holding off multiple challengers.
Priester crossed the finish line to claim his first career Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series victory, capping off an aggressive and perfectly executed race from start to finish. Geens finished second, while Kaindl completed the podium in front of his home fans.
When asked how he thought his race went, Priester shared, “Almost perfect. I made into the front pack of the swim, good transitions, and felt pretty controlled the whole race. I was ready for a run with him (Jelle), had to really push it. I’m quite happy with how the run went. I’m looking forward to next two important weeks, but right now I am just happy with my first Pro Series win. This year is going quite well and it was really important to win in this race.”
Top Five Female Professional Results
| Pos |
Name |
Swim |
Bike |
Run |
Total Time |
Pro Series Points (unofficial) |
Prize Money |
| 1 |
Laura Philipp (DEU) |
26:34 |
2:21:32 |
1:20:48 |
4:13:22 |
2,500 |
$7,500 |
| 2 |
Lisa Perterer (AUT) |
26:30 |
2:23:41 |
1:23:58 |
4:18:38 |
2,184 |
$5,000 |
| 3 |
India Lee (GBR) |
26:54 |
2:31:38 |
1:23:41 |
4:26:52 |
1,690 |
$3,750 |
| 4 |
Anastacia Damm Nielsen (DNK) |
28:47 |
2:29:21 |
1:26:28 |
4:29:10 |
1,552 |
$3,000 |
| 5 |
Leana Bissig (CHE) |
26:58 |
2:28:29 |
1:29:47 |
4:29:31 |
1,531 |
$2,000 |
Top Five Male Professional Results
| Pos |
Name |
Swim |
Bike |
Run |
Total Time |
Pro Series Points (unofficial) |
Prize Money |
| 1 |
Lasse Nygaard Priester (DEU) |
23:22 |
2:05:28 |
1:10:58 |
3:43:29 |
2,500 |
$7,500 |
| 2 |
Jelle Geens (BEL) |
23:26 |
2:05:30 |
1:13:27 |
3:45:59 |
2,350 |
$5,000 |
| 3 |
Tjebbe Kaindl (AUT) |
23:07 |
2:08:59 |
1:12:26 |
3:48:22 |
2,207 |
$3,750 |
| 4 |
Gregor Payet (LUX) |
23:47 |
2:07:37 |
1:14:20 |
3:49:35 |
2,134 |
$3,000 |
| 5 |
Trevor Foley (AUT) |
24:28 |
2:06:51 |
1:14:22 |
3:49:57 |
2,112 |
$2,000 |
Full results for the 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun triathlon can be found at www.ironman.com/races/im703-zell-am-see/results.
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
Following today's race, Laura Philipp (DEU) made one of the biggest moves in the women's Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series standings, climbing five places into the overall lead with 14,663 points after securing victory in Zell am See-Kaprun while Lisa Perterer (AUT) jumped five places into sixth position. On the men's side, Jonas Hoffmann (DEU) and Kieran Lindars (GBR) both surged eight positions in the standings to fourth and fifth overall, respectively, strengthening their positions heading into the final two Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series events of the season, the Precision Fuel & Hydration IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France and the IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i.
Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five female (After 14 Events)
| Rank???? |
Name (Country)? |
Total IRONMAN Pro Series Points (Max Top 5 events) |
Total Eligible Races Scored |
Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored |
Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored |
| 1???? |
Laura Philipp (DEU) |
14,663 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
| 2??? |
Katrine Christensen (DNK) |
13,156 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
| 3 |
Grace Thek (USA) |
12,996 |
5 |
2 |
3 |
| 4 |
Marta Sanchez (ESP) |
12,444 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
| 5 |
Solveig Løvseth (NOR) |
12,385 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five Male (After 14 Events)
| Rank |
Name (Country) |
Total IRONMAN Pro Series Points (Max Top 5 events) |
Total Eligible Races Scored |
Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored |
Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored |
| 1 |
Matt Hanson (USA) |
16,744 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
| 2 |
Trevor Foley (USA) |
16,689 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
| 3 |
Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) |
14,142 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
| 4 |
Jonas Hoffmann (DEU) |
13,385 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
| 5 |
Kieran Lindars (GBR) |
13,289 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
IRONMAN Hall of Fame Announcement
During the closing moments of today's broadcast, IRONMAN surprised and officially notified Karen Smyers (USA) and Craig Alexander (AUS) that they will be inducted into the IRONMAN Hall of Fame as the Class of 2026. Smyers was honored for her 1995 IRONMAN World Championship victory and a career defined by remarkable resilience, versatility, and success across all distances of triathlon, while Alexander, who was serving as a co-host of the broadcast, was recognized for a legendary career that included three IRONMAN World Championship titles and two IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship crowns. The pair will be formally inducted during a special ceremony held during race week at the 2026 IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai?i.
See a reply of the two inductees’ surprise here: IRONMAN Hall of Fame | 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun
Next Events Coming Up
In just two weeks, the best triathletes in the world will convene in Nice, France for the 2026 Precision & Fuel IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon, which offers a points premium of 500, meaning the total points up for grabs is 3,000.
A free replay of the 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun triathlon is available to international audiences via www.ironman.com/proseries or IRONMAN’s YouTube Page, and on Outside+ for those watching from the United States and Canada.
For more information on the IRONMAN Pro Series, visit www.ironman.com/proseries