Kristian Blummenfelt has been busy looking on the bright side after his 2025 season opener fell a little flat at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside.
The 31-year-old Norwegian superstar, a former IRONMAN and 70.3 World Champion, had been hoping to get off to a winning start after a frustrating 2024 campaign , which saw him finish just 12th when trying to defend his Olympic title at Paris 2024 and then 35th at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona.
But those plans were scuppered, not just by a flat front tyre after he’d moved into the lead on the bike but also by a big delay to get a new wheel to him.
As he said in the latest video on his YouTube channel, which is embedded below: “I went from being in the lead to 14 minutes down.”
Many would call it a day at that point – but not ‘Big Blu’.
Fear of missing out
And asked why not, he explained: “It was a little bit because it was part of the training plan – I wanted to have this three-and-a-half, four hours as part of the training.
“And also if the rest of the guys are doing the race and I’m calling it a day then I’m missing a 21k of running intervals.
“So worse case, I’d have had to come back to the hotel, put on my running shoes and then do a 21k interval session in the evening just to get the stimuli from the race.
“It’s a little bit easier to push when you have a bib number on!”
And push he did, as a run course record 1:07:19 half marathon took him from 55th to 15th and provided plenty of encouraging signs.
He added: “I was pleased with how the running legs were feeling coming off the bike. And it’s not the fastest running course either so I was pleased even though I was 15th overall.”
Full focus on Texas
Of course we were denied a run showdown with ever-popular Lionel Sanders who came through for an impressive fourth Oceanside win.
But it’s another foe that Blummenfelt is relishing taking on in his next race at IRONMAN Texas at the end of the month.
That’s reigning IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange, one of the few men who up to now has been quicker than ‘Big Blu’ over the marathon distance.
Blummenfelt explained: “It’s great to have Patrick Lange there. Even though he didn’t race well at Oceanside, he’s often shining when it comes to full distance.
“He will be a tough guy to beat and it will be good to see where I am compared to him.”
However since Blummenfelt’s comments, Lange has revealed he’s facing a race against time to be fit to defend his IRONMAN Texas crown.
Meanwhile, in terms of Blummenfelt’s overall IRONMAN Pro Series ambitions, the Norwegian is pretty relaxed about missing out on a top result at Oceanside.
He explained: “I think you can always find another 70.3 race. It would have been way worse if it had happened in an IRONMAN and I would have had to add in another full distance race.
“So Texas is, in my mind, way more crucial, and we’re heading there now and will make that our base in the build-up to the race.”
