Kiwi triathletes Braden Currie, Mike Phillips and Ben Hamilton will line up alongside the best professional triathletes in the world this weekend at the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship men’s race in Kona, Hawai’i.
The Kiwi trio will join more than 50 others on the professional start list, with athletes to take on the 3.8km swim, 180km ride and 42.2km run on Saturday 26 October.
Braden Currie returns to the IRONMAN World Championship for the seventh time, with the Wanaka-based athlete keen to test himself once again on the biggest stage in the sport at the end of a year where he’s raced all over the world.
“The prep has gone really well, I had a big 10-week block in Noosa since Frankfurt where I’ve just been working hard, chipping away, and it’s gone well,” said Currie. “I’m healthy, injury-free, and looking forward to it. I have had a big year so far, racing on three continents, including in America twice.”
Currie has had mixed results at the IRONMAN World Championship in recent years, with illness ruining his last outing in Kona in October 2022, while he finished third at the 2021 World Championship, held in early 2022, in St. George, Utah.
“To be honest, it's probably going to be my last Kona considering next year we'll go to the World Championship in Nice,” he said. “So, it feels like my last good chance to roll the dice, everything's there for me. It'll be an amazing feeling to have a great result at a World Champs race again. I feel like I did it in St. George, I put everything out there that I had to, and I know that I've still got the ability to do that, to have a great race. I’ve just got to put it all together.”
The 38-year-old is expecting a fast and furious day amongst the lava fields of the Big Island of Hawai’i on Saturday.
“It's going to be fast, there's no doubt about it, everyone's going to be pushing. I think the big thing about this year is everyone's got such different dynamics. Everyone's got different strengths, there are some phenomenal swimmers that are going to push that swim really hard and obviously, some big bikers that need to make big moves otherwise they won't be in the race, Magnus Ditlev, even [Sam] Laidlow, maybe Lionel Sanders coming back into the race, guys that need to make those big moves and need to get to the front of the race, need to blow the race apart to have a chance at doing well. So that ride is going to be very hard, I would say, and explosive,” said Currie. “But I think that’ll probably lead to some pretty big explosions at the same time. Then there's the runners like Patrick [Lange] and a couple of other guys who are maybe in the low 2:30 marathons, even in Kona, so they're going to be probably playing a bit of cat and mouse.”
Christchurch’s Mike Phillips is no stranger to racing against the best in the world all over the world, with 2024 already a year with plenty of travel.
“It’s been a pretty packed season, but I feel good. The body has held up well, and I’m actually feeling stronger as the season progresses,” said Phillips. “Racing at a high level always takes a toll, but it also prepares you for the next challenge. Heading into Kona, I feel like I’m hitting my peak at the right time.
“Racing here is a privilege. Kona is the pinnacle of our sport, and just being on that start line means a lot,” he said. “It’s the race everyone dreams of growing up in triathlon, and to represent not only myself but also the team and everyone supporting me is huge. It’s a moment where all the hard work comes together, and you get to test yourself against the best in the world on the biggest stage."
Phillips said that he’s prepared well for Saturday’s race, basing himself out of Europe for the past few months.
“The prep has been solid, I’ve had a consistent block of training and hit some key sessions. The biggest thing has been getting some heat exposure, avoiding any illness and injuries and also making sure I’m fresh heading into Kona. I have been strategic about balancing recovery with those hard sessions, especially considering the demands of the World Championship," he said.
While Currie and Phillips have plenty of experience at the IRONMAN World Championship, fellow Kiwi Ben Hamilton will be making his debut at the event, having secured his slot with a third place finish at March’s ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand.
“It’s a bit surreal, I completed my first professional race in June 2023 and 16 months later, here we are in Kona preparing to race the very best of long course triathlon,” said Hamilton. “Kona was a goal for me at the start of the year, so I’m super proud to be here and I look forward to being an underdog again on the start line.
“My prep has gone very well, I included a lot of specific heat training for the conditions so I was well adapted before arriving in Kona, and by the time race day comes around, I will have 11 days on the island in the natural climate,” he said.
The Aucklander heads into this weekend’s World Championship off the back of his biggest professional result to date, a win at last month’s IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast.
“Sunshine Coast was a great confidence booster for me. I’d come off the back of two disappointing performances, so my spirits are up and I’m really hoping to carry that across to the full distance here in Kona,” he said.
Hamilton is looking forward to the challenge of racing more than 50 of the best male triathletes in the world.
“It’s a privilege, I finished school wanting to be a professional cyclist and one day ride the Tour de France. With a change of passions, I now want to pursue triathlons to the highest level,” he said. “Kona is the pinnacle and I get to race this year for the first time, and I’m sure I’ll experience the toughness of the course on race day.”
Viewers in New Zealand can catch all of the action from the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship live and free via proseries.ironman.com and the IRONMANTri YouTube channel, with the race getting underway at 5:15am NZDT on Sunday 27 October.