Ironman Cozumel named Latin American Pro Championship

After Ironman Mar del Plata dropped its pro race, Ironman had to find a new event to host the Ironman Latin American Pro Championship. The championship will now take place at Ironman Cozumel on November 24 and appears to be attracting a stacked field of pros looking for their share of the US$100,000 prize purse and early qualification for next year’s Ironman World Championship.

Included in the field is Canada’s Angela Naeth, who has already nailed her Kona slot for next year with her recent win at Ironman Chattanooga. With three men’s and three women’s spots up for grabs (in addition to the prize purse), Naeth will face some tough competition. Germany has two strong women set to compete – defending champion Svenja Thoes and Laura Philipp, who is coming off a brilliant fourth-place finish in her Kona debut. Others to watch for in the field include American Lisa Roberts, second to Naeth in Chattanooga, Australian Carrie Lester, American Sarah Piampiano and super-mom Michelle Vesterby, who took fifth at Ironman Copenhagen just 12 weeks after giving birth to her son Markus.

The men’s field for Cozumel is simply stacked. Austria’s Michael Weiss returns as the defending champion, but he won’t likely arrive as the favourite. The start list includes numerous big names, including 2014 Ironman world champion (third this year) Sebastian Kienle, his countryman Andreas Raelert, Americans Chris Leiferman and Matt Hanson, Sweden’s Patrik Nilsson, France’s Antony Costes and Bermuda’s Tyler Butterfield.

Cozumel is an island off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula renowned as one of the world’s premier diving destinations. The spectacular swim course takes place over the reefs of Cozumel National Park at Chankanaab Park Beach in waters teeming with tropical fish. The three-loop bike course is dead flat, but can feature some stiff winds as it follows the coastline, while the three-loop run course is typically lined with excited spectators who cheer the athletes through the final leg of the race.

Women’s field (as of Oct. 24, 2019)

It should be noted Ironman announced in a release today that Svenja Thoes and Laura Philipp would be competing in the race, even though their names don’t appear on the current registration list.

Men’s field (as of Oct. 24)