Some of the world’s top ranked IRONMAN triathletes gathered today at the professional panel in Frankfurt to share fighting talk and game plans ahead of Sunday’s Mainova IRONMAN® European Championship Frankfurt.
Frankfurt has been hosting IRONMAN triathlons for over 20 years and is one of the most prestigious triathlon races on the global circuit. As the final IRONMAN Pro Series™ race ahead of the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship events and doubling up as the IRONMAN European Championship for male professionals, there is everything to race for.
The professional men will not only be racing for the title of IRONMAN European Champion, but also a prize purse of $87,500, up to 5,000 IRONMAN Pro Series points and the final six qualifying slots to the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i.
With 18 athletes already qualified for the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, this is regarded as “one of the best men’s field’s outside of the World Champs,” commented Paul Kaye as he welcomed the audience to professional athlete panel, which took place today just off the historical Römerberg in Frankfurt.
Sam Long (USA) whose eyes are firmly on one of those final qualifying slots will be making his IRONMAN triathlon debut in Europe, commented: “I love the IRONMAN, I love the full distance. I want to return to Kona; it is absolutely what dreams are made of.”
“I am so glad to be here I'm so happy to be here; I'm so grateful for IRONMAN for letting me be on the back of that waitlist…and it's just such a great start field. It's going to be my 24th IRONMAN finish on Sunday,” he added.
When asked if he would stop to kiss his fiancée, Long commented ‘"’m a man of mystery’" explaining that it would depend on how the race was going, and if he has any second's spare, because of course, #EverySecondMatters.
Local athlete Paul Schuster (DEU), whose consistent performances in the IRONMAN Pro Series have currently positioned him 11th in the standings, hopes that his performance on Sunday will be enough to put him comfortably into the top 10.
Schuster commented: "My shape is pretty good. I’m feeling good, so I’m confident, yeah, for sure, this field is amazing. It’s really strong… I’m pretty sure I can run a pretty good marathon...I want to be on the ceremony on Monday. So, yeah, I have time on Monday, so why not.”
“This is my fourth time racing here. I have had nearly everything - a DNF, a 7th place, a 4th place, so yeah, you know, what the goal is.” He added.
For Trevor Foley (USA), this marks his first time ever in Europe; “I was scared to fly nine hours and come race all these guys and you know, it's intimidating. It's only my third season, and the longest plane ride I've ever taken to a race is like three hours. So, yeah, this is a big step up, but eventually, if I want to be competing for Kona and the Pro Series, this is just a necessary step. You know, no struggles, no growth.”
Fellow compatriot, Matt Hanson (USA), however, is no stranger to racing in Europe; “The atmosphere, especially in Germany, is incredible. You don't get that much at many other places. The four-loop run course makes it a little bit more condensed with the fans, and that creates a pretty amazing environment. But even out on the bike a lot of the times in the US, we're going through way out of town. You go through a town, you see a couple people, and then it's completely dead, which makes it a lot easier to pre-ride the course or turning on the course, than it is here. I expect here, there'll be quite a bit of energy throughout the entire day.”
Fresh off the back of the Olympic Games Paris, Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) is preparing for a long hard day.
“I'm sort of jumping a little bit back into the unknown again, so hopefully I can have a good day out there on Sunday as preparation for Kona in October. So it's going to be tricky to not go too hard on the gas, but sort of face myself wisely. That's not that easy where you're lining up with these lads and another 80 plus out there.”
On going from short course to long course in such a short time, Blummenfelt said: “Last week we had a mixed relay in Paris. So, it's like almost 10 days ago, and that's like a 20-minute race versus seven hours, 40 minutes or eight hours - it's a completely different energy system.”
“It’s one thing to race, you can just pace yourself. But to be in this pack dynamic, when we have to be aware of the guys in front, behind and not getting within the draft zone, but also close enough, so people don't slide it in between. It's more tricky in the World Championship races, and the same will be on Sunday,” Blummenfelt commented.
For fellow IRONMAN World Champion, Patrick Lange (DEU), a win in Frankfurt would mean the world. “The race is really deeply in my heart. It’s my fourth time racing here, and I definitely have some unfinished business here…My best position was third, and we had some great battles here with Frodo [Jan Frodeno] and Sebi [Sebastian Kienle] back in the good old days. I really, finally want to, want to be able to take the top spot. I know it’s going to be a really tough one. I said, I think we said it enough times now that is a really stacked field, no question about it. But no, this is my home race. This is the race of my heart, and I finally want to take to top spot.”
Speaking about his training partner and friend, Paul Schuster, Lange commented: “I’m actually really proud that my good friend is sitting finally here, because I know what he’s capable of. He showed a really great race in Texas. So, it’s super amazing to have close friends sitting here.”
When asked about the German passion for triathlon, Lange said: “I think six wins in a row [IRONMAN World Championships, 2014-2019] definitely created a hype in Germany, and definitely elevated the races around here. So, I’m proud to be part of this generation who was able to create this passionate, thinking about triathlon.”
Mainova IRONMAN European Championship takes place on 18 August 2024, and will be broadcast live and for free on
proseries.ironman.com, DAZN, hr-fernsehen in Germany, and L’Équipe in France, among others.?
For more information on the IRONMAN Pro Series visit here.??
For more information about 2024 Mainova IRONMAN European Championship Frankfurt triathlon, please visit
ironman.com/im-frankfurt.
To learn more about the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 brands and series of events, please visit?www.ironman.com.