11 Athletes Go Under the Course Record in Ironman 70.3 Oceanside’s Most Competitive Edition Yet

What a race in Oceanside!

While the women’s race delivered the familiar dominance of powerhouse Taylor Knibb (who we love seeing shine like this in her opening races of the year!), the men’s race was a nail-biter right to the finish line.

For much of the day, it looked like fan favourite “Yo Yo Yo” Sam Long might pull off an incredible and unexpected win against a stacked field that included the Norwegian trio of Kristian Blummenfelt, Casper Stornes, and Gustav Iden. But Blummenfelt, much like in Geelong, executed with patience, running his way to the front and taking the tape.

Both Knibb and Blummenfelt set course records and secured back-to-back wins, reminding the sport exactly what world-class form looks like early in the season.

Men’s Race

Marc Dubrick led out of the water, but with a front pack of 21 men, the race was immediately wide open. Jonas Schomburg exited second, Casper Stornes in sixth, and Kristian Blummenfelt in 17th, while Sam Long exited in 32nd place, two minutes down.

Schomburg was first onto the bike, but by kilometre 40, Long had already made his presence known, riding his way into third and earning the title of “big mover” from commentators. With the new 20m draft rule in play, the bike dynamics offered a clear opportunity for Long to fully leverage his strength – and he did just that.

Pre-race, Long had noted in his A Fighting Chance video that it would likely take a course record to win in Oceanside, calling it the most stacked field the race has ever seen. With three of the top four finishers from last year’s Ironman 70.3 World Championships on the start line, he knew exactly what it would take.

Between kilometres 70 and 80, Long surged into the lead and entered T2 first, setting a new bike course record of 2:02:04. Schomburg followed four seconds back, with Cameron Wurf (+1:57), Ben Kanute (+2:03), Jackson Laundry (+2:03), Blummenfelt (+2:05), Stornes (+2:09), and Iden (+2:11) all part of a tightly packed chase.

Out onto the run, Long and Schomburg traded the lead at times, but Long controlled much of it. With just 7km to go, he remained at the front, looking poised to finally claim his first Oceanside win – and deliver the race of his life.

But as the kilometres ticked down, the pressure mounted. Blummenfelt, who had started the run 2:24 back, was steadily closing the gap. By the 17km mark, Long began to fade, Schomburg moved into the lead, and Blummenfelt had surged into second, just 13 seconds behind and closing fast.

The decisive move came in kilometre 18. Blummenfelt made the pass and never looked back, securing the win with authority. He set a new run course record of 1:07:01 and stopped the clock at 3:40:08 for a new overall course record.

Schomburg held on for second, 23 seconds back, while Stornes delivered a remarkable run to claim third, 1:49 down. Long, after a bold and relentless effort, finished fourth.

Of note, nine men eclipsed the previous course record. With depth this strong and execution this sharp, Oceanside delivered the fastest and most competitive edition in its history.

Women’s Race

Vittoria Lopes led a front pack of six women out of the water, with American favourite Taylor Knibb exiting just five seconds back in third, well-positioned to take control of the race. Further behind, Norway’s Solveig Lovseth sat 2:50 down in tenth, while defending champion Paula Findlay exited in 16th, approximately four minutes back – an uncharacteristic position that hinted something might be off. (Findlay would go on to DNF early on the bike.)

Once onto the bike, Knibb’s dominance quickly became apparent, steadily extending her lead across the course. Behind her, Lovseth began to work her way through the field, moving into second position by T2 despite losing time to Knibb over the ride.

Knibb entered T2 alone, having set a new bike course record of 2:15:27. From there, she remained untouchable, ultimately taking the win in 4:01:39 and tying the record for most Oceanside victories with three to her name, alongside legend Mirinda Carfrae.

Lovseth held strong for second, finishing 1:54 back and also dipping under the previous course record, while Audrey Merle rounded out the podium in third, 8:54 back.