Why Patrick Lange racing at the Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt is big news
German star to race three Ironman events in 2024
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Patrick Lange
It is a sign of just how big a deal the Professional Triathletes Organisation’s (PTO) T100 World Triathlon Tour has become in 2024 that news that a two-time Ironman world champion is passing up an opportunity to be part of it and focus on Ironman events is a big deal. Today Ironman announced that the 2017 and 2018 Kona champion (and the first person to break eight hours on the Big Island), Patrick Lange, would be racing at the Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt, his “home race.”
As we had reported earlier this year, Lange had earlier announced that he had turned down a contract with the PTO in order to pursue the Ironman Pro Series and another world title on the Big Island.
“This year I am fully committed to the Ironman Pro Series,” he said in a video promoting his Ironman race plans.
Those will include:
Ironman 70.3 Oceanside – his first appearance at the traditional season opening pro race in the US.
Ironman Texas – the site of his first Ironman title in 2016
Frankfurt – a chance to “race in front of the home crowd” and take one of the only major titles that has eluded him so far. In 2018 he took third
Ironman World Championship – the German will try to become one of only five men to have won the Ironman World Championship three times. (Dave Scott and Mark Allen – six titles each; Peter Reid, Craig Alexander and Jan Frodeno – three titles each.)
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Lange’s commitment to the Ironman Pro Series is good news for Ironman, especially in a year when many of the biggest names in the sport have committed to the PTO’s series. While some, like 2023 Kona champ Lucy Charles-Barclay, won’t try to hit the worlds in Nice, others, including Nice men’s champ Sam Laidlow, are looking to compete in the PTO series while also keying on the world’s either in Nice or Kona. (We can add to that list the likes of Kat Matthews, Chelsea Sodaro, Skye Moench, Ben Kanute and Rudy Von Berg, who have all confirmed they’ll be focussed on both. One would imagine that you can add to that list Daniela Ryf, Anne Haug, Magnus Ditlev, Leon Chevalier and David McNamee – and that list is probably missing a few other names, too.)
Matthews, who will also be racing in Texas, is looking at a challenging schedule that will include both the T100 and the Ironman Series, and provides Ironman with another of the sport’s elite who are gunning after their share of the $6 million Ironman is sinking into prize money this year.
The Ironman Pro Series will count five races, of which a maximum of three can be full-distance races, which are worth twice as many points. Lange’s schedule, with the three full-distance races, is obviously geared towards maximizing his potential on that front, but also allows him to really focus on Kona.
German star
The event in Frankfurt has always competed with Challenge Roth for big name pros, which is another reason Lange’s announcement is good news for the folks at Ironman.
“Frankfurt is electric with anticipation for Patrick’s return,” says Ironman’s Oliver Schiek. Â “Having a two-time IRONMAN World Champion like him chasing unfinished business on our course elevates the entire race to another level. It’s going to be an epic battle, and fans worldwide will be on the edge of their seats to see if he can finally claim Frankfurt glory. This is triathlon history in the making.”
Today’s announcement also came with notice that the race in Frankfurt still has “limited” entries available – a far cry from the heady days when the races in Germany filled within minutes. The news that a star like Lange is competing certainly won’t hurt on the exposure front.
