On a day with near perfect conditions, Kiwi Mike Phillips claimed his third ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand title in a new course best time, while Australia’s Regan Hollioake won her third IRONMAN title on the bounce.
Two years on from his last victory in Taupo, Phillips executed a top-class performance to lower the previous course best time by nearly 10 minutes as he took the tape in 7:45:47.
“It’s a bit surreal. It's amazing racing at home in front of a home crowd, there’s so much support out there for us Kiwis. It was awesome to bring it home in the end,” said Phillips.
“The first time I won [in 2019], I thought I could go quite a lot faster than I did. It's taken me five or six years to actually come and set the record here. It’s just awesome to put it all together, have a good swim, bike, and run, and win the race.”
The men’s professional race was incredibly tight all day, with Great Britain’s Joe Skipper – who held the previous course best time from his 2020 IRONMAN New Zealand win – timing his final surge to perfection to finish in the runner-up spot, just 24 seconds ahead of New Zealand’s Jack Moody.
The top four finishers in the men’s professional race all went under the previous course best time.
As is tradition at IRONMAN New Zealand, before the race got underway this morning athletes were welcomed to race day in Taupo by a powerful haka performed by local iwi Ngati Tuwharetoa. For the first time in the event’s history, the haka was performed by both tane (men) and wahine (women) – a legacy of the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship held in Taupo in December.
Then it was the turn of the professional men to start their race and quickly a large pack of swimmers formed. The group stayed close for the majority of the 3.8km ROKA Swim, but it was Benjamin Zorgnotti (PYF) who was first out of the water in 47:49. Eight men exited Lake Taupo within 16 seconds of the leader, including Moody, Mikel Ugarte Ramos (ESP), Phillips, Tim Van Berkel (AUS), Pim Van Diemen (NLD), Arnaud Guilloux (FRA), and Matt Kerr (NZL), while Skipper had a deficit of +3:30 to make up.
Kerr dropped from the lead group early but the pack of seven remained together for more than 110km before athletes began to split apart. Phillips rode strong at the front and would arrive first into T2, having made a small break with just a few kilometres to go.
The Kiwi rode 4:12:07, which would have been good enough for the new bike course best, were it not for the storming ride of Skipper, who completed the 180km Zoot Bike in 2:10:29 to sail in under the previous bike course best by nearly two minutes. That ride left Skipper +2:20 down on Phillips, while Moody was third into T2 with a deficit of +1:41 to his compatriot.
Phillips was then imperious throughout the 42.2km HOKA Run, holding a consistent and unrelenting pace to maintain his lead all the way to the finish line.
“I wasn't really trying to slip away at the end of the bike, but I found myself with a couple of minutes’ lead, which really put me in control and meant I could settle my own pace starting the run. I just paced that how I felt I needed to, the other guys came at me and fell back again and came at me and fell back. I’m just really happy that I was able to hold on to the end,” said Phillips.
Behind him on the run, Moody did his best to test Phillips’ mettle by hammering the first lap of the run hard and continuing to surge to try and reduce the gap – but Phillips held strong. Skipper too did his best to reel in the big Kiwi, and though he wasn’t able to take the lead, his efforts didn’t go unrewarded as his fast finish saw him overtake Moody with a kilometre to go.
“I guess a lot of people see the last couple of races and Jack's beaten me on the run by a fair bit, but when I came off the bike first, I just thought, well, I'm the fastest that's run here ever before, so they've still got to come and catch me now. It was an amazing race,” said Phillips.
In just her second year as a professional triathlete, Hollioake has claimed the biggest win of her career with victory at IRONMAN New Zealand. She took the tape in a time of 8:51:30, more than five minutes clear of two-time IRONMAN New Zealand Jocelyn McCauley (USA), who finished second. Switzerland’s Nina Derron rounded out the women’s podium in 8:57:48.
“This is such a historical race, such a special race. To be on the winner's list with such amazing company is just a dream come true,” said Hollioake. “It's amazing, honestly, it's one of the best races in the world. It's so incredible, to do my first pro race here last year and then to come back this year and win is just amazing.”
Young gun Alanis Siffert (CHE) led the women’s race out of the water, clocking 48:24, with Britain’s Fenella Langridge just three seconds back in second. McCauley was third to exit Lake Taupo, three minutes behind the leader, while Hollioake was fourth with a +3:20 deficit.
McCauley got to work early on the bike and by the 30km mark had taken the lead from Siffert and by the 90km turnaround had a two-minute lead. Hollioake and Derron worked their way into second and third, taking turns to drive each other on.
Langridge, who has been managing an injury, faded throughout the bike and would eventually end her race early during the run.
McCauley continued to stretch her lead on the bike and arrived first into T2 with a lead of more than five minutes from Derron and Hollioake.
The American started the run strong, but the limited mileage in her legs leading into the race began to take its toll, allowing first Derron, and then Hollioake, to take the lead.
“I was a little bit behind after the swim, I didn't have a great swim, but Nina and I worked together legally on the bike and rode really strongly and I came off the bike feeling really good. I knew that I could hold strong on run. So, a fairly consistent day all around,” said Hollioake.
“I knew the girls were running really hard up front initially. With an IRONMAN, the run doesn't really start until about 20km, and I'm really, really confident in my consistency and my ability to hold strong. I knew at 20km if I could keep it together, then I'd have a really good chance of winning.”
Once in front, Hollioake never looked like relinquishing her lead and would extend away to secure her third IRONMAN victory on the bounce – backing up an incredible 2024 where the Aussie was crowned champion at both IRONMAN Australia and IRONMAN Malaysia.
“It's really special. We train so hard on these moments, you never know when they're going to come again. To have three wins in 12 months is just incredible. I'm really excited for 2025,” she said.
2025 ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand – Professional Results
Professional Men
- Mike Phillips (NZL) – 7:45:47
- Joe Skipper (GBR) – 7:48:47
- Jack Moody (NZL) – 7:49:12
- Benjamin Zorgnotti (PYF) – 7:53:49
- Tim Van Berkel (AUS) – 7:56:00
Professional Women
- Regan Hollioake (AUS) – 8:51:30
- Joceyln McCauley (USA) – 8:56:52
- Nina Derron (UCHESA) – 8:57:48
- Gabrielle Lumkes (USA) – 9:08:56
- Kate Gillespie-Jones (AUS) – 9:20:00
For full results visit: www.ironman.com/im-new-zealand