Marten Van Riel Remains Undefeated as Kat Matthews Chases Down the Field on the Run

Belgian Marten Van Riel (BEL) was at the front of the race from almost start to finish, with a strong swim setting him up for a course-record ride alongside Denmark’s Valdemar Solok. Together, they gapped the field and rode all the way to T2 together before the Olympic medalist and T100 champion unleashed his trademark run to take yet another win and secure his qualifying slot for Nice in his final chance to do so.

Matthews, on the other hand, had all the work to do on the run after a strong contingent of women swam and biked ahead of her. But there was no stopping her once she put on her laceless shoes and got to work, eventually finishing just over 30 seconds ahead of Danish hopeful Katrine Græsbøll Christensen (DEN).

It was a perfect sunny day with ideal temperatures for a showdown over vital Ironman 70.3 World Championship qualification spots in the Danish port city of Elsinore – the final ones on offer for the men. Those slots offered not only a chance to compete at the world championship in Nice, but also for the bonus points on offer at the championship race – points Pro Series hopefuls like Van Riel would likely need if they want to fight for the overall title.

The Elsinore course would challenge the athletes from the gun, with it being notoriously technical and “unlike anything else” on the Pro Series circuit, Fenella Langridge (GBR) explained pre-race, with twists and turns across the swim, bike, and run that require full focus from start to finish.

“I hit the jet ski.”

That was how the race started for the undefeated Belgian, who explained after the race that he was on the wrong side of a race volunteer who mistakenly positioned his jet ski in front of the athletes just before the gun went off.

Luckily, everything was okay for Van Riel and the surrounding athletes, and it didn’t stop his progression to the front of the swim. He came out with the likes of super swimmers Jamie Riddle (RSA) and Hannes Butters (GER), right where he needed to be.

That front group had a lead over other strong contenders in the field, including a returning Kyle Smith (NZL), and it gave Danish up-and-comer Solok an opportunity to showcase his skills on the bike. And once the race hit the roads, only Van Riel was able to come with him.

The 24-year-old Solok said he had focused on this race as soon as he saw it on the calendar and was nervous in the build-up. But he channeled those nerves into pure speed, breaking the previous course bike record alongside Van Riel and starting the run more than two minutes ahead of the rest of the field.

Not only did he make it hard for Van Riel on the bike – who shared that he was “cooked” by the end of it – but Solok also started the run strong, challenging Van Riel over the first couple of miles. Still, despite his best efforts, it wasn’t strong enough to hold off Van Riel, who had a perfect 70.3 streak to continue.

Van Riel crossed the line first in a course record time of 3:36:03, with Solok second, only slightly over a minute behind. Simon Viain (FRA) produced the fastest run of the day at 1:09:25 to come home third ahead of Riddle, who likewise picked up his Nice qualification spot after recovering from a spill he took at 70.3 Aix-en-Provence. Viain will be one to watch on home soil at the Nice World Championship in September.

Ironman 70.3 Elsinore men’s 2026 results

On the women’s side, the technical swim course similarly broke the race apart. A front group of seven initially formed with Matthews there, but she suddenly lost contact with the group after one of the swim buoys. From there, she settled onto the feet in front of her and “cruised” the rest of the swim to enter T1 just under two minutes from the front.

Typically, Matthews would continue that cruise all the way to the front of the bike before the run. But the strong swim-bikers up ahead, led by Dutch athlete Lotte Wilms (NED), were making her day tough. In fact, over the first 40 kilometers, they actually gained 15 seconds on her.

In the end, Matthews said she was “quite disappointed” in her bike. That may be partly because she is now focused on full-distance racing and, for the first time in her career, is training specifically for that distance on the bike, she shared with Tim Don after the race.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Græsbøll Christensen was motoring. She overcame a four-minute deficit that was made worse by a 30-second penalty for not putting her helmet on before grabbing her bike, eventually biking past Matthews and making the bridge to the front.

That left Matthews with 2:57 to catch, and seven women ahead of her. With strong runners like Christensen and Lena Meißner (GER) up front alongside several others, despite Matthews’ pedigree, it raised the question: would she catch all of them?

It started to look like maybe she would. When one of the pro men came by, Matthews said it was “bam, switch on, go.” She took off with him and began knocking off competitors one by one.

In the end, it didn’t take long for her to take down the entire field. By less than 10K into the run, she had moved to the front and didn’t look back. While making the pass on Græsbøll Christensen, she even gestured to her in appreciation, saying, “Your riding, the cornering was just beautiful.”

From there, Matthews created the gap she needed and started celebrating with a few kilometers still to go. She crossed the line just over 30 seconds ahead of Græsbøll Christensen, remarkably just two weeks after her podium finish at Ironman Hamburg, while Meißner took third a further minute back.

Behind them, however, the battle was more intense through the top 10. Positions moved back and forth throughout the run, especially between Marta Sanchez (ESP), Audrey Merle (FRA), and Hanne De Vet (BEL), who eventually finished within 45 seconds of each other and just over a minute from the podium, with Merle taking the fourth spot over Sanchez.

Up next for the winners, the season continues to heat up. Matthews heads to Challenge Roth for the first time to take on the likes of Laura Philipp (GER) in what should be a showdown for the ages at the beginning of July. Van Riel, meanwhile, has a busy and important stretch ahead as he looks to challenge the Norwegians for the Pro Series title. First comes Lake Placid, then both winners will turn their attention to 70.3 Worlds in Nice, before all eyes shift toward the ultimate goal of Kona.

Ironman 70.3 Elsinore women’s 2026 results