Kristian Blummenfelt Runs Down Jelle Geens and Hayden Wilde in Ironman 70.3 Geelong Thriller as Matthews Holds On to Claim Victory

It was a perfect morning for fast racing in Geelong – still winds, cool temperatures, and a stacked men’s field featuring Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), Jelle Geens (BEL), and Hayden Wilde (NZL) lining up over the 70.3 against each other for the first time.

On the women’s side, all eyes were on Kat Matthews (GBR) backing up quickly after her Ironman New Zealand win, alongside Tamara Jewett (CAN), while local favorite Grace Thek (AUS) – an eight-time podium finisher here – looked to capitalize on fresher legs.

The strong start list of this race once again underlined the Pro Series effect, bringing top names together more frequently, even this early in the season.

On the men’s side, New Zealand’s Trent Thorpe set the tone in the swim, breaking clear with Paris Olympics fourth-place finisher Pierre Le Corre (FRA) to build close to a one-minute gap on the main contenders. That advantage didn’t last long, however, as fast transitions from Wilde and Geens immediately cut it down, and shortly onto the two-lap bike, Wilde took control at the front with only Geens and Jake Birtwhistle (AUS) on his wheel.

Blummenfelt, meanwhile, began to slip, sitting 34 seconds back by halfway. Thorpe and Le Corre, who had such a positive start to the day, would both abandon before T2, leaving the race to the main contenders at the front of the bike.

On a crowded second lap through age-group traffic, Wilde led the way and began to break things open. Geens responded, with Birtwhistle and Kurt McDonald (AUS) still in contact, while Blummenfelt drifted further back –  eventually over 90 seconds down heading into T2.

After his new bike course record and with Blummenfelt in his rear-view, Wilde would have hoped the momentum would continue on the run, but Geens and Blummenfelt responded immediately with quick starts, and by the 5km mark, it was inevitable the three would soon be shoulder to shoulder.

In the end, Blummenfelt never let up his blistering early pace and produced a 1:06:39 half-marathon to overtake both Geens and Wilde and surge clear without much retaliation.

Geens went on to take second, also under his previous course record, while Wilde finished 1:27 back. He was gracious in defeat despite not initially planning to run this race, and said post-race there were “no excuses” and just wasn’t ready to compete yet with “these two that are the best in the world.” (He was instead aiming for WTCS Abu Dhabi, which was postponed).

2026 Ironman 70.3 Geelong men’s results

On the women’s side, relative newcomer to the middle-distance, Britain’s Sophia Green, made an early solo break in the swim to lead onto the bike. Steph Clutterbuck (GBR) followed 43 seconds back, while Matthews exited in a chase group around 90 seconds down with a large group of nine, including Grace Thek and Milan Agnew (AUS). Jewett narrowly missed that group early in the swim and started the bike nearly three minutes back.

Unsurprisingly, Matthews quickly moved into contention, bridging to Green early on the bike before riding with her for much of the course. Around two-thirds in, Matthews made her move, opening a decisive gap and putting any doubts about fatigue from New Zealand to rest.

By T2, she held over two minutes on Green and roughly four minutes on a chase group led by Thek, Clutterbuck, Agnew, and Penny Slater (AUS), while Jewett faced a near 12-minute deficit to overcome – meaning a podium would be a big challenge.

Thek was the standout early in the run, moving into second and steadily closing in as it seemed Matthews might be beginning to feel the effects of two weeks prior. As the gap shrank to just under a minute with a couple of miles to go, it seemed like it could come down to the wire. But in the end, Matthews had enough left in the tank to hold Thek off by just 36 seconds.

For Thek, it marked a remarkable ninth podium at Geelong, continuing her consistency at the event ahead of the next Pro Series stop in Texas, where she’s set to face Matthews again.

Incredibly, Jewett managed to overturn that large bike deficit to once again secure a podium in the Pro Series. She will now have a long break before returning to race at 70.3 Happy Valley and Ironman Lake Placid.

With the competition already heating up in the Pro Series – and records falling in both New Zealand and Geelong – all eyes now turn to Oceanside and Texas. Stacked start lists are set to battle, including many of the podium contenders from this race making the trip over. Stay tuned for on-the-ground coverage from Triathlete.

2026 Ironman 70.3 Geelong women’s results