Kat Matthews and Marten Van Riel Headline Ironman 70.3 Elsinore

The Ironman Pro Series continues this Sunday, June 21st, with Ironman 70.3 Elsinore in Denmark. As the eighth stop of the 2026 series, the race offers a $50,000 prize purse and up to 2,500 Pro Series points.

The event carries added significance for the professional men, as this weekend represents the final opportunity to qualify for the 2026 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice. Three qualifying slots will be awarded in Elsinore, while the remaining two men’s slots will be available at Ironman 70.3 Mont-Tremblant.

For the professional women, in addition to the slots available this weekend, one final qualifying position remains on offer at Ironman 70.3 Nice on June 28th.

Women’s Race Preview

Kat Matthews made a late decision to add Ironman 70.3 Elsinore to her race schedule following an unexpected and disappointing DNF at Ironman Texas. The British star will wear bib #1 this weekend and enters the race as the clear favourite. Matthews has indicated that Elsinore will serve largely as a train-through race as she continues preparations for her highly anticipated Challenge Roth debut in just two weeks.

Even so, the race carries significant implications for the Ironman Pro Series standings. Matthews currently sits seventh overall, but a victory in Elsinore would bring her season total to 10,000 points, based on wins at Ironman New Zealand, Ironman 70.3 Geelong, and a potential victory this weekend. That total would move her into second place in the standings.

At the top of the women’s leaderboard is Solveig Løvseth with 12,385 points, accumulated through two Ironman victories and one Ironman 70.3 result. Hannah Berry currently sits second with 9,734 points from two Ironman performances and one 70.3, while Grace Thek is close behind with 9,472 points after racing one Ironman and three Ironman 70.3 events this season.

As for other women who will be looking to capitalize on this opportunity to advance in the Pro Series standings, there’s Lotte Wilms, currently sitting fourth following two Ironman performances. Elsinore will mark her first 70.3 of the season (although she also competed in the Gold Coast and Spain T100 events). Fenella Langridge, currently sixth with two Ironmans and one 70.3 so far this season, will also be looking to add valuable points.

Katrine Christensen will be racing in front of a home crowd. She will be looking to continue her strong run of results, which includes third-place finishes at Ironman Hamburg and Challenge Samorin, a second-place finish at Ironman South Africa, and a victory at Challenge Sir Bani Yas.

Lining up with bibs #2 and #3, respectively, are Natalie Van Coevorden and Audrey Merle. Van Coevorden is arriving off a recent win at Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney, while Merle is coming in with a podium finish at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside and an eighth-place result at the recent Spain T100.

Men’s Race Preview

Wearing bib #1 on the men’s side is the ever-popular Marten Van Riel, who remains unbeaten over the Ironman 70.3 distance and will be looking to continue that perfect streak this weekend in Elsinore.

However, he won’t be without challengers. Jamie Riddle and Kyle Smith are both set to race in Denmark and will be looking to rebound after early-season setbacks. While neither has yet raced to their full potential this season, both have demonstrated the ability to compete at the front of the sport’s biggest races. Riddle notably rode with Van Riel and Jonas Schomburg off the front at the 2025 Ironman World Championship in Nice, while Smith was famously part of the sprint finish with Van Riel and Rico Bogen at the inaugural San Francisco T100.

Kristian Hogenhaug is another strong athlete who will be coming in with home crowd support.

Stay tuned for our coverage of the event this weekend.