Ironman World Championship Nice … time to get serious as we meet (most) of the favourites
Who's going to win in Nice on Sunday? Great question - here's some insights on some of the favourites
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Kevin Mackinnon
Things are getting real here in Nice as we prepare for Sunday’s Ironman World Championship race – today we got to meet 10 of the top pro women slated to compete at the press conference. It’s the Ironman World Championship, so we won’t bore you with all the references to “stacked field” and the like, but it is safe to say that we’re in for some exciting racing. Before we get to the thoughts from the women on hand, here are a few things that stood out as generalities from today’s presser:
New venue, not Kona
There are a lot of unknowns heading into Sunday’s race. There’s a reason that people who win in Kona have typically fared well there before, and first-timers taking the title are very rare (as in go back to Luc Van Lierde in 1996 on the men’s front and, until Chelsea Sodaro did it in 2022 it was Chrissie Wellington in 2007) – it takes a while to figure out how to win on that course. For years the top women have been dialling in their hot-weather and humidity prep for Kona, and now they’re suddenly having to deal with crazy amounts of climbing and a completely flat, fast run course in Nice.
Pacing …
There were a few comments today about how many of the men blew up during last year’s race, and many of the women have that on their minds heading into Sunday’s race. Figuring out your effort level for this challenging bike course will be key to a good race on Sunday.
OK, so what did the women have to say:
Lucy Charles-Barclay
“It feels special to wear bib #1,” said the defending women’s champion. “It’s been a long journey to the win, from racing Kona in 2017 as a rookie and get(ting) second … then dealing with so many injuries and challenges to finally get the win last year.”
The British champion said that she’s really enjoyed the training for this year’s championship after spending the six weeks leading up to Kona last year doing an intense block of training at home.
“Even if it doesn’t pay off, I had a lot more fun preparing this year,” Charles-Barclay said.
Charles-Barclay said that it didn’t take long for her to decide she wanted to try and defend her title after initially saying that she would skip the worlds in Nice.
“I did a three week camp before the race,” she said. “On the first bike ride I said, ‘I love this, this is so fun,’ and made the decision to line up for Ironman France. The goal was to have a good time.”
Charles-Barclay blasted to the win at Ironman France in June, despite, according to her, making “lots of mistakes.”
One thing that Charles-Barclay remains cagey about is the injury that forced her to pull off the course at T100 London in July. She hasn’t raced since then, and said that she’s “done everything she can to get to the race on Sunday.” That’s certainly not a full-out endorsement that she’s ready to run a fast marathon and hold off the likes of …
Anne Haug
The German star broke Paula Newby-Fraser’s long-standing record at Ironman Lanzarote in May, then shattered the world-best time while winning Challenge Roth. On paper the 41-year-old is the resounding favourite to take a second world title to go along with her win in 2019, runner-up finish last year, and third-place finishes in St. George in 2022 and Kona in 2018.
Anne Haug shatters world best time and almost breaks 8 hours at Challenge Roth
As usual, the classy German is hardly willing to label herself as the favourite.
“The course is new for everyone,” she said. “The key to success is pacing yourself right. I hope it plays to my strength because I am a light athlete, so I should get to the top OK, but we’ll see how the decent goes.”
Haug had a bit of a later start to the year, too, due to some health issues, so while she’s had a busy season since May, she hopefully won’t be as fatigued as she might normally be for the championship.
Kat Matthews
That fact that she was even in Kona last year was impressive after her terrible accident during the lead up to the Ironman World Championship in 2022.
Ironman favourite Kat Matthews hit by car while training in Texas
Matthews has already had an incredible year, with Ironman wins in Texas and Vitoria-Gasteiz. She’s also had some great T100 performances, including a runner-up finish in San Francisco and a third-place finish in London. Her runner-up finish in St. George in 2022 shows how well she does on tough courses, which bodes well for the Brit on Sunday.
“The bike will challenge us as sports women,” Matthews said. “Bringing a championship here to Nice gives a lot of kudos as cyclists and triathletes. We’re in an amazing place in this sport. I would love to see the success of a women’s only race here in Nice. I feel like I’ve already succeeded – achieved every goal that I’ve had over the last few years because of some of the things I’ve gone through. Any success would be for the people who have supported me.”
Chelsea Sodaro
The 2022 world champion has made a lot of changes over the last few months, including a new coach, new hometown and new bike. With all that in mind, the American says she doesn’t feel like there are a lot of “external” expectations on her for Sunday.
“I bring a lot of joy to the start line,” she said. “Getting here in one piece, happy and healthy, is a victory. I’m bringing the best version of myself every day – I am more curious to see what I can do when I attack this course.”
Sodaro’s new coach, Paul Henderson, lives in her new hometown, Boulder, and “has a good resume for coaching time trialists.” She’s been swimming with Julie Dibens’ training group, and has Taylor Knibb in the next lane to show her “what excellence looks like.’
Sodaro doesn’t arrive at the race in exactly the same position she was in 2022 – she’s much more of a known factor now, but she seems to be setting herself up to be able to hit the course on Sunday without a lot of pressure, which might be exactly what she needs to have a big day.
Laura Philipp
Last year’s third-place finisher is certainly excited about the challenging course here in Nice.
“This is what brought me to cycling – I like to climb and descend,” she said. “For me it’s more of a challenge to prepare for a flat course. I think this course is a great opportunity – but all you have to do is look to the left and the right and you see all these people who are dreaming of winning, too.”
“I think you need to risk something at some point to get to the front of the race,” Philipp continued. “But you need to get back to Nice healthy and ready to run.”
Jackie Hering
She hadn’t done an Ironman since 2015, but her comeback to the full-distance resulted in a huge win in Hamburg earlier this year.
“I love Ironman,” the mother of two from Wisconsin said. “I started out as an age grouper racing Ironman. It’s had my heart from the beginning, so I’m happy to be back.”
“I love a run course that has a lot of people and a lot of fans,” Hering continued. “It is going to be such a treat to see family and friends so many times.”
Maya Stage-Nielsen
After finishing second in Hamburg, the Dane appears relaxed and ready to go for a top finish here in Nice, despite the fact that this course “is as opposite as it could possibly be to the course in Hamburg.”
“I am looking forward to racing this course and having a chance to go for a world championship,” she said.
The former golf pro got into the sport while working at Club La Santa in Lanzarote, so she’s no stranger to tough climbs, which will do her well here in Nice on Sunday.
Marjolaine Pierre
Pierre did her lead up training for the race here in Nice with Lucy Charles-Barclay, and “gots lots of advice” from the defending champ.
“I have ridden a lot of this bike course, I am super lucky to be here to race in Nice,” she said. “It’s more about being in control on your bike and being fit and healthy at the start line.”Â
Hannah Berry
“It’s been a busy year for the Kiwi, who won Ironman Cairns in June, but has also raced in the US and Europe this year.
“All the races around the world have given me confidence that I can race with the best athletes,” she said.
Berry came 11th in Kona last year, and enjoyed the experience.
“I had the most fun I’ve ever had in an Ironman,” she said of the Kona experience. “I enjoyed being among the incredible women. I’ll take confidence from that race in Kona that I can be up there.”
Danielle Lewis
After five top-five finishes in pro series events this year including Ironman Lake Placid, it’s “been a great year so far,” says the American. “I’ve had very steady progress across my career. Winning Lake Placid was a good confidence boost – it has a longer, tougher, bike course like here.”
Last year Lewis arrived in Kona after having dealt with health issues for months leading up to the race, so she knew she might have to pull out of the race.
“I wasn’t sure if I was going to start,” she said. “But we had booked everything, so I made the decision to go and check out the world championship course. On race day, I made the hard decision on the Queen K to pull out of the race.”
Lewis arrives in Nice in much better shape, condition and mindset, and appears ready to have a great day on Sunday.