The men’s professional race at the 2025 ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand is set to be a tightly contested affair, as former champions come up against a host of race debutants and rising stars.
Two-time IRONMAN New Zealand champion Mike Phillips (NZL) will line up in Taupo on Saturday wearing the number one bib in the men’s field. His last win came two years ago but a third win will not be easy to come by, with a number of experienced athletes and talented youngsters on the start line.
“Despite a lot of familiar faces, there is also quite a strong international contingent coming across this year. With four qualification slots for the IRONMAN World Championship, the race offers a chance to secure early qualification. It seems like there is quite a mixture of strength and weaknesses, and I think this will lead to a dynamic and exciting race,” said Phillips.
“A third win would be huge. This race means a lot to me, Taupo is where I’ve had some of my best days, and also my first IRONMAN win. It would be a pretty cool way to kick off 2025 in front of the home crowd.”
Joe Skipper (GBR) is another former IRONMAN New Zealand champion set to toe the start line this weekend. The British athlete secured his victory in 2020, the last time he raced in Taupo, and also has two runner-up finishes to his name. Skipper will be hoping a strong performance will put him back on an IRONMAN podium for the first time since July 2023.
Kiwi Ben Hamilton (NZL) is an up-and-coming athlete entering just his third year of professional racing. His breakout performance came in this race last year, battling hard for just over eight hours to finish in third, the highest placed New Zealander, and one spot above Phillips.
“I believe the race will be completely different to last year. There is a lot of depth in the field and it’s hard to know who’s in what shape at the beginning of the year. I think there could be a big chase group out of the swim together, with some splits on the bike and then a tough run battle until the end,” said Hamilton.
After securing his first professional win at IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast last September, Hamilton is hungry for his first full distance win – and would love to do it on home soil.
“It would be incredible to take the win at IRONMAN New Zealand, it’s definitely a race I want to win. Starting the year with a win would be fantastic, so hopefully my racing style can be the right one on the day,” he said.
Fellow Kiwi Jack Moody is still relatively new to full distance racing, with Saturday’s IRONMAN New Zealand set to be just his fifth attempt at the 226-kilometre / 140.6-mile distance.
“This will be my second time racing IRONMAN New Zealand as a pro and third time overall. It generally takes me about this long to lick my wounds and for the endurance amnesia to kick in to put my name in the hat again. With the current landscape of few pro races at home in New Zealand it was definitely an opportunity I didn't want to miss racing at home, coupled with the fact that although I may still get ID'd at the bar, I am getting on a bit now so the hunger to try my hand at more full distance racing has certainly grown,” said Moody.
“I haven't done a crazy amount of full distance races, but I am at a point now where I am not working as much so I can plug away at the hours required to be competitive at this level. I've learnt a bit from racing but this last block since the IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds has been really eye opening for me and I've loved the challenge of getting ready for this edition of IRONMAN New Zealand.”
The 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 New Zealand champion is familiar with the course in Taupo, and though his experience may play to his advantage, Moody is expecting a close race and is hard pressed to pick a winner.
“In terms of how I reckon the race will play out, it's really hard to tell. It feels like one of the most competitive fields I have seen at IRONMAN New Zealand in recent years and there is no clear favourite. Obviously, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, but I feel like the course is honest enough and the day is long enough that it will just be the strongest and most consistent athlete that will win,” he said.
Amongst the other strong contenders for the win are Belgium’s Pieter Heemeryck, who focused on middle distance racing last year but has tasted success over the full distance before, winning the 2023 IRONMAN Portugal, and France’s Arnaud Guilloux, the 2019 IRONMAN Wales champion who finished fourth at two IRONMAN races last year.
ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand sees athletes take on a 3.8km swim starting and finishing on the shores of Lake Taupo, a 180km bike taking in the rural landscape surrounding Taupo, and a 42.2km run along the lakefront lined with supporters.
Men’s Professional Start List – 2025 ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand
M1 – Mike Phillips (NZL)
M3 – Ben Hamilton (NZL)
M5 – Arnaud Guilloux (FRA)
M6 – Joe Skipper (GBR)
M7 – Ben Hill (AUS)
M8 – Tim Van Berkel (AUS)
M9 – Jack Moody (NZL)
M10 – Pieter Heemeryck (BEL)
M11 – Brett Clifford (NZL)
M12 – Jason Christie (NZL)
M13 – Rhys Corbishley (AUS)
M14 – Nathan Dortmann (AUS)
M15 – Liam Duval (AUS)
M16 – Scott Harpham (NZL)
M17 – Matt Kerr (NZL)
M18 – Kevin Portmann (FRA)
M19 – Louis Richard (FRA)
M20 – John Thelwell (GBR)
M21 – Colin Szuch (USA)
M22 – Lukas Stahl (DEU)
M23 – Kyle Tremayne (AUS)
M24 – Mike Tong (NZL)
M25 – Mikel Ugarte Ramos (ESP)
M26 – Pim Van Diemen (NLD)
M27 – Benjamin Zorgnotti (PYF)
To find out more about the 2025 ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand visit: ironman.com/im-new-zealand.