For the first time since 2016, one nation swept the top three spots at the men's Ironman World Championships. Gustav Iden, riding his Giant Trinity Advanced SL, finished second behind winner Casper Stornes while Kristian Blummenfelt finished third riding a CADEX Tri frameset. Both Iden and Blummenfelt wore Giant's new Rivet Mips helmet.
All three podium finishers broke the eight-hour barrier in what was believed to be the most competitive men’s field in Ironman World Championship history—a field that included four returning world champions and 11 world championship podium finishers.
Like Blummenfelt in 2021 and Iden in 2022, Stornes took the sport’s most prestigious title in his world championship debut, breaking the tape with a time of 7:51:36 on the strength of a record-setting 2:29:25 marathon.
Stornes, Iden, and Blummenfelt finished the 112-mile bike leg together and embarked on the 26.2-mile run as a trio, chasing down three leaders who held a tenuous 20-second lead. The stage was set for a run battle among the titans of the sport. The Norwegians went clear by the halfway point, the trio running shoulder to shoulder.
Stornes went on to clock a sub-2:30 marathon, the first in an Ironman World Championship and only the third ever in an Ironman distance triathlon. Iden crossed the line with a time of 7:54:13, while Blummenfelt, who was slowed by cramping brought on by the intense Mediterranean heat and humidity, finished in 7:56:13. All three men made history on a course where no athlete had ever finished under eight hours.
Stornes credited the Giant and CADEX athletes for his victory, saying, “They [Iden and Blummenfelt] have pushed me to the line for so many years. They are the best mates that I can share the podium with.”
In the men’s Ironman Pro Series season standings, Blummenfelt’s third-place finish saw him return to the top of the list with 20,015 points, while Stornes moved into second place with 19,067 points, and Iden moved into third place with 18,101 points.
