IRONMAN Texas results 2025: Kristian Blummenfelt is BACK with a sensational win and an incredible time

Kristian Blummenfelt roared back to his very best triathlon form with a spectacular victory at IRONMAN Texas on Saturday.

The Norwegian former Olympic champion, IRONMAN World Champion and IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion had suffered a miserable 2024. His Olympic title defence in Paris resulted in a 12th-place finish and he followed that with 35th at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona.

Blummenfelt had labelled 2025 ‘comeback season’ and after a false start caused by a flat tyre at IRONMAN 70. 3 Oceanside, he made good on that promise here. He was effortless and relentless with a terrific performance.

Kristian Blummenfelt IRONMAN Frankfurt celebration 2024 Photo credit: Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images for IRONMAN — [Photo credit: Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images for IRONMAN]

Swim – Salvisberg leads big front pack

The race had lost a little lustre before the start with the withdrawals due to illness and injury of Canadian superstar Lionel Sanders and reigning IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange. But it was still a high-class field which entered the water.

When they exited just over 48 minutes later, we had a front pack which comprised of more than 20 athletes, led by Swiss star Andrea Salvisberg. He was just ahead of US pair Ben Kanute and Thomas Gordon, with Germany’s Wilhelm Hirsch next.

Blummenfelt, looking to atone for that misery at Oceanside earlier this month, was in sixth position and just eight seconds off the lead while fellow Norwegian great Gustav Iden was down in 14th, 19 seconds behind Salvisberg.

Rudy Von Berg, the biggest hope for a home win, came out of the water in 10th and 23 seconds behind the leader, while another Norwegian star Casper Stornes was just behind him.

Another exciting young American talent Matthew Marquardt was 17th but still only 23 seconds off the pace.

Bike – Wurf bridges up as Iden falls flat

Rising British star Kieran Lindars was swiftly through transition and out onto the bike course, and he was soon at the front of the race, followed by Hirsch and Salvisberg. Then it was Kanute and another British athlete Andrew Horsfall-Turner making up the top five.

It was not long though before the big guns started to take over at the head of affairs, with Von Berg and Blummenfelt moving up to keep tabs on new leader Kristian Hogenhaug (DEN).

As the field moved through the 30-mile mark Blummenfelt had moved into the lead but it was close up front with only 25 seconds separating the first 15 pro men. Kristian led from Kanute and Hogenhaug, with Iden in fifth and Von Berg in seventh.

It was still close at the front as the field reached the halfway stage of the bike leg, with leader Blummenfelt and Lindars in 14th separated by just 18 seconds. That huge pack also contained Iden, Stornes, Kanute, Spaniard Antonio Benito Lopez, Dane Daniel Baekkegard and Von Berg among others. It was shaping up to be a fascinating race.

The first real change in race dynamic came thanks to Aussie Nick Thompson blasting to the front of that big pack and injecting fresh pace into proceedings. Sweden’s Robert Kallin and another Australian in the shape of Cam Wurf had also pushed themselves right into contention at the front. A front pack of five – completed by Iden and Hogenhaug – was separated by just 10 seconds. Blummenfelt headed the chasers a further 33 seconds away. The race was on.

Disaster struck for the luckless Iden with about 30 miles remaining on the bike, when he was forced to stop for mechanical assistance with a flat front tyre. Mercifully, the support team was on hand swiftly and the Norwegian would only lose c. 30 seconds for the replacement wheel to be fitted. Not quite an F1 pitstop, but not bad at all. Gustav was just under a minute off the lead held by Kallin at the next checkpoint through 83 miles.

Through 100 miles and we now had a group of six at the front, headed by Wurf, Kallin and Hogenhaug. The front pack was completed by Thompson, Benito Lopez and Blummenfelt. Von Berg meanwhile was about to bridge up and join them.

Hogenhaug, who had earlier experienced mechnical issues with his bottle cage, spent the final few miles of the bike with way bigger problems courtesy of a loose bolt severely compromising his base bar.

Wurf and Thompson upped the pace again as the field headed towards T2 and the pair had 27 seconds to spare over Kallin as the leaders arrived there. Then it was Benito Lopez, Von Berg and Blummenfelt all in close attendance.

It was all to play for heading through transition on the back of some blistering bike times. Wurf was the fastest of all with a smoking 3:53:32 split.

Run – Blummenfelt for the win

The Aussies Wurf and Thompson did not have it all their own way for long on the run, as Benito Lopez and Blummenfelt quickly came through to take it up at the front. It was very early but right now it was the speedy Spaniard vs the Norwegian great for the win.

The battle up front did not last too long, as Blummenfelt started to inject pace that Benito Lopez just could not live with. By the 7-mile mark the Norwegian – who had clocked a 1:07 half-marathon at Oceanside earlier this month – led by a minute and was looking hot favourite to register his first victory at IRONMAN Texas. Von Berg meanwhile had passed Thompson to move up into third.

By the 11-mile mark Blummenfelt led Benito Lopez by 1:11 with Von Berg 4:32 away in third. Thompson was hanging tough in fourth, just behind ‘The Bison’.

Kristian was looking really smooth as he dealt with the heat of the lunchtime Texas sun, and went through the half-marathon in 1:15. He was on course for victory, and in a very fast time. His lead over Benito Lopez had now grown to more than 2 minutes, while Stornes was creeping up to battle Von Berg for third.

Blummenfelt was relentless out front and his advantage had ballooned to 3:49 with just under 10 miles remaining. The major battle now was for the minor podium spots and those all-important Nice World Championship slots. Benito Lopez had an advantage of more than the third-placed Von Berg, and Baekkegard was now the threat to ‘The Bison’ as he surged up to fourth.

The rest had zero answer to Blummenfelt and his rampage in the lunchtime Texas sun, he was blowing them all away. With just under four miles remaining he now led by 7:41, with Von Berg 9:07 away in third. Baekkegard was 47 seconds behind Rudy in fourth.

Kristian showed no signs of letting up and he took the tape in style with a sensational course record time of 7:24:20 – topped off by a 2:34:03 marathon. Benito Lopez held on to second spot to cap a brilliant day for the Spaniard while Von Berg claimed the final spot on the podium.