How did they do it? Thoughts from the top five at the Ironman World Championship Nice
"Women's sport is in a good place."

A first world championship title for one. A second runner-up finish for another. A former winner re-orders her life and makes the podium. A hometown hero gets fourth. And the fifth-place finisher is still waiting to wake up from an excellent dream. The dramatic day of racing made for an entertaining post-race press conference – here’s what the women had to say.
1st Laura Philipp (GER) – 53:16/ 5:02:25/ 2:44:59 – 8:45:15. (Fastest bike and run splits)

Philipp said she was pleased with her swim, acknowledging that she had time to make up.
“I had to be patient and do my own thing,” she said. “It’s a matter of believing that you’re actually catching up. I tried to focus on my own game plan and when I started the big climb I was starting to catch some of the women. I know Kat would have a similar game plan on the bike.”
Philipp said she was happy to finally catch up to Marjolaine Pierre, the race leader, saying that she was hoping Pierre, who lives in Nice, would have some insights on how to best ride the course. Â
“The bike was so much fun – it’s so much fun to climb, then have the time trial part (the plateau at the top of the mountain), then have the descent where we could play cat and mouse with Kat,” Philipp said after the race. “Coming off the bike with an amazing runner like Kat is tough. My legs were tired from the run.”
After running the first 10 km with Matthews, Philipp decided it was time to push ahead.Â
“I got a little bit annoyed at one point – I thought if I want to run at my own pace, I need to try and make a move,” she said. “Surprisingly that played out – it allowed me to run at my own rhythm.”
That rhythm turned out to be a 2:44 marathon.
“I needed a course like this to get in front at the world championship race,” Philipp said, acknowledging that her swim leg typically puts her behind out of the water, and it’s hard to get into the mix on the Kona bike course. Â
2nd Kat Matthews (GBR) – 49:43/ 5:05:46/ 2:53:06 – 8:53:20

“Laura’s climbing today was incredible,” she continued. “Laura caught Marjoleine before the plateau. I worked really hard to get back (to the two leaders) on the plateau before the descent.”
“My husband and I always say that cramp is not a real thing,” she laughed when asked about having to stop on the run. “My entire lower body including my back just ‘KO’d.’ It travelled in to my hamstring. That was the moment at 28 km where I thought ‘I don’t know what to do about this.’ There were lots of spectators to watch me suffer. I got to the next aid station (and kept moving). It took away some of the stress – it was a forgone conclusion that Laura was away at that point. Chelsea wasn’t running as fast as I thought she would be, so I didn’t have as much pressure on me.”
3rd Chelsea Sodaro (USA) – 49:58/ 5:15:14/ 2:54:25 – 9:04:38
Ever the spokeswoman for women in sport, Sodaro acknowledged that for her one of the big goals for the day was to just see the women’s-only race in Nice “be a success.” In her mind that happened – there were no major crashes on the tough course for the pros, and “the race was policed well.”
“Women’s sport is in a good place,” she said. “I thought it was a spectacular day.”
“It was a pretty hard fought swim bike and run,” Sodaro said after having to be wheeled from the finish line in a chair. “You have a to put it all on the line when you’re racing these women.I maybe had less than ideal preparation and wasn’t able to put in the run miles. My quads blew halfway through the marathon.”
Sodaro acknowledged that after all the changes she made this summer – she moved to Boulder, got a new coach and switched bikes – it too a “heroic effort for the team who got me here and I really wanted to get them some hardware.”
“I am really proud of what I’ve accomplished, but when you win an Ironman world championship you want to achieve that again,” Sodaro said. Then, with her typical class she pointed out that: “Laura deserves that title.”
4th Marjolaine Pierre (FRA) – 49:56/ 5:12:27/ 3:02:30 – 9:09:34
Marjolaine Pierre high-fives coach and Nice race director Yves Cordier
After moving to Nice four years ago to take up the sport, the hometown hero thrilled the Nice crowd with her fourth-place finish.
“It was very hard, but I am very proud of myself,” Pierre said.
After breaking away early on the bike, Pierre said she appreciated some company at the front of the race.
“It was nice to be with Kat and Laura when they caught up,” she said. Once the descent started, though, she was left behind. Earlier in the week Matthews had joked that she wouldn’t be breaking on any of the corners.
“I braked on every corner,” Pierre laughed. “It was super scary.”
5th Nikki Bartlett (GBR) – 53:30/ 5:17:42/ 2:57:24 – 9:15:47
Ironman World Championship Nice 2024 Race Day Action
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Bartlett said. “I came in hoping for top 10, and the dream was top 5. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and it’ll be race day.”
It’s the beginning of quite a week for the Brit – she’s getting married this weekend.