For the final time, stunning St. George and Southwestern Utah provided the perfect, picturesque backdrop for the Intermountain Health IRONMAN® 70.3® St. George North American Championship triathlon and the sixth race of the 2025 IRONMAN Pro Series. In a finale worthy of the Land of Endurance, it was Lionel Sanders (CAN) in the men’s professional field and Paula Findlay (CAN) in the women’s professional race who took the tape in downtown St. George, replicating their Canadian sweep from Oceanside in April.
In the men’s race, Seth Rider (USA) was first out of the water, closely followed by Mark Dubrick (USA), and a large chase pack that included Kevin McDowell (USA), Justin Riele (USA), Max Neumann (AUS), Jake Birtwhistle (AUS), and Robert Wilkowiecki (POL), among others. One of the race favourites leading into Saturday’s contest, Magnus Ditlev (DEN), exited the water 11th, putting him in prime position to take an early lead. Lionel Sanders (CAN) and two-time defending champion Sam Long (USA) would exit the water 2:45 and 3:17 behind Rider.
The chase was on as Ditlev would move into the lead early in the bike leg. However, a puncture for Ditlev gave opportunity for a charging Lionel Sanders to eventually take control and enter the iconic Snow Canyon climb alone before pulling into T2 in downtown St. George and surging out onto the HOKA Run Course. Sam Long followed into T2 2:30 behind and immediately put down the gas in an attempt to catch his rival, but ultimately the Canadian’s pace proved too strong, and Sanders would soar on to take his fourth win in St. George in a time of 3:37:54. Long would follow behind finishing in 3:40:08 while Colin Szuch (USA) would round out the men’s podium with a time of 3:44:04.
In the women’s race, it would be Brazil’s two-time Olympian Vittoria Lopes who would surprise the field, exiting the water first in a time of 24:35, over 20 seconds ahead of the Netherlands’ Lotte Wilms. Defending champion Paula Findlay (CAN) would finish the swim over 1:20 behind. While Lopes would take a strong lead onto the bike, Findlay managed to chase down the Brazilian and after the 30 mile mark the two created an exciting pursuit for the remainder of the bike leg. Findlay entered T2 first, but Lopes, who followed just behind, would immediate sprint ahead and onto the HOKA Run Course. Unfortunately, she would soon falter with a recurring foot injury.
It would be Findlay who would soar on to the win in a time of 4:11:06, dominating the field and showcasing why she is currently tied for fourth in the IRONMAN Pro Series standings alongside Kat Matthews (USA). A charging Danielle Lewis (USA) would run her way into second, from fourth off the bike, finishing in a time of 4:14:12 while Jackie Hering (USA) would take third, from sixth off the bike, with a time of 4:17:06.
“I swam well!” Sanders said after finishing. “Well above my capacity. Which you can only ask for that. Then on the bike, I was close to the front, and when you are close to the front you are very motivated to get there. I rode really hard, probably too hard and it felt horrible every single step. However, I’m fortunate that everyone else road hard too and I was able to hang on.
Sanders added. “I love this place and I will definitely be coming back to St. George, even if it is not to race, but certainly to visit.”
“It feels so good and I love this place and to have a good race here - well I wasn’t super conditioned that I thought I could win again. But being that last year [of St, George], it really means a lot.” said Findlay. “I tried to ride the hills on the ups and hold speed on the downs and recover a bit. It is such a hard race and it is the hottest day I have ever raced it, so that added to the suffering. I’m really happy with this result.”
Top Five Male Professional Results – IRONMAN 70.3 St. George
| Place |
Name (Country) |
Swim |
Bike |
Run |
Total Time |
Pro Series Points (unofficial) |
Event Prize Money |
| 1 |
Lionel Sanders (CAN) |
25:00 |
1:58:13 |
1:11:49 |
3:37:54 |
2,500 |
$12,000 |
| 2 |
Sam Long (USA) |
26:00 |
1:59:53 |
1:11:30 |
3:40:08 |
2,366 |
$7,000 |
| 3 |
Colin Szuch (USA) |
25:37 |
2:01:13 |
1:14:00 |
3:44:04 |
2,130 |
$4,250 |
| 4 |
Kevin McDowell (USA) |
23:39 |
2:03:31 |
1:14:17 |
3:44:24 |
2,110 |
$3,500 |
| 5 |
Jake Birtwhistle (AUS) |
23:43 |
2:05:22 |
1:13:14 |
3:45:20 |
2,054 |
$2,750 |
Top Five Female Professional Results – IRONMAN 70.3 St. George
| Place |
Name (Country) |
Swim |
Bike |
Run |
Total Time |
Pro Series Points (unofficial) |
Event Prize Money |
| 1 |
Paula Findlay (CAN) |
25:57 |
2:17:47 |
1:24:08 |
4:11:06 |
2,500 |
$12,000 |
| 2 |
Danielle Lewis (USA) |
29:07 |
2:18:36 |
1:23:17 |
4:14:12 |
2,314 |
$7,000 |
| 3 |
Jackie Hering (USA) |
26:44 |
2:23:30 |
1:23:04 |
4:17:06 |
2,140 |
$4,250 |
| 4 |
Simone Mitchell (GBR) |
29:10 |
2:22:03 |
1:22:45 |
4:17:46 |
2,100 |
$3,500 |
| 5 |
Lotte Wilms (NLD) |
24:57 |
2:25:11 |
1:26:31 |
4:20:29 |
1,937 |
$2,750 |
News and Notes
- Lionel Sanders earns his fourth victory in seven appearances at the Intermountain Health IRONMAN 70.3 St. George North American Championship following wins in 2016, 2018, 2021, in addition to his second-place finish at the 2021 IRONMAN World Championship in St. George in May of 2022.
- Paula Findlay successfully defends her title, earning her third win in five appearances at the Intermountain Health IRONMAN 70.3 St. George North American Championship following wins in 2018 and 2024, along with her second-place finish at the 2022 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in St. George.
- Sanders sets a new course best time in St. George of 3:37:54, besting Sam Long’s time of 3:39:17 set just last year.
- Sanders records the fastest bike time of the men’s pro field with a time of 1:58:07 setting a new bike course best, surpassing Sam Long’s bike split of 1:59:57 set in 2024. Paula Findlay was the fastest on the bike for the women with a time of 2:17:41.
- In the men’s race it was Seth Rider (USA) who clocked the fastest swim of the day with a 22:15; Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes was the first out of the water in the women’s race finishing the 1.2-mile swim in Sand Hollow Reservoir in a time of 24:35.
- Matt McElroy (USA) secured the fastest run split of the day with a 1:09:44, and Lydia Russell (USA) claimed the fastest run of the female professional field in a speedy time of 1:19:02.
- Kevin McDowell (USA) clocked the fastest transition time of the day with 1:03 in T2.
- The biggest movers and shakers in the IRONMAN Pro Series standings following today’s race came from two Oceania athletes Ben Hamilton (NZL), who moved up nine spots into the lead and Cameron Wurf (AUS) who moved six spots into second. Following her victory, Paula Findlay moves up 13 spots to tie Kat Matthews (GBR) for fourth place.
Full results for the 2025 Intermountain Health IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship St. George can be found at www.ironman.com/im703-st-george-results. For additional event information, please visit ironman.com/im703-st-george.
IRONMAN Pro Series Standings
The IRONMAN Pro Series™ is a year-long performance-based triathlon race series with professional triathletes being able to earn points at 18 select races in 17 locations globally. Open to approximately 1,000 eligible professional triathletes worldwide, the IRONMAN Pro Series ushers in a new era of IRONMAN racing where Every Second Matters™ with every second behind the race winner equating to a point earned or lost. For any athlete, only their top five event results count towards their overall Pro Series points and standing, of which a maximum of three IRONMAN results can be counted. How it works can be found here.
Lionel Sanders and Paula Findlay both walked away with the maximum IRONMAN Pro Series points available for an IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon of 2,500. Athletes finishing behind the race winner saw their points diminish by one with every second that ticked off behind the race winner. New Zealand’s Ben Hamilton moves into the lead in men’s standings, Cameron Wurf (AUS) jumps six places to second, and 15th place finisher Jake Birtwhistle (AUS) jumps 10 places into the top five. In the women’s standings, Paula Findlay moves up 13 spots to tie Kat Matthews (GBR) for fourth place, Danielle Lewis, who finished in second today, moves up 13 places to sit in ninth while Jackie Hering moves 10 spots up into 10th place in the standings.
Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five Male (After Six Events)
| Rank |
Name (Country) |
Total IRONMAN Pro Series Points (Max Top 5 events) |
Total Eligible Races Scored |
Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored |
Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored |
| 1 |
Ben Hamilton (NZL) |
7,513 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
| 2 |
Cameron Wurf (AUS) |
7,304 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
| 3 |
Rudy Von Berg (USA) |
6,913 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| 4 |
Jonas Schomburg (DEU) |
6,910 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| 5 |
Jake Birtwhistle (AUS) |
6,863 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five Female (After Six Events)
| Rank |
Name (Country) |
Total IRONMAN Pro Series Points (Max Top 5 events) |
Total Eligible Races Scored |
Eligible IRONMAN Races Scored |
Eligible IRONMAN 70.3 Races Scored |
| 1 |
Anne Reischmann |
6,833 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| 2 |
Chloe Lane |
5,913 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| 3 |
Maya Stage Nielsen |
5,358 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| 4 tie |
Kat Matthews |
5,000 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| 4 tie |
Paula Findlay |
5,000 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| 5 |
Tamara Jewett |
4,991 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Full IRONMAN Pro Series standings can be found at proseries.ironman.com.
Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Event Prize Money
In addition to the IRONMAN Pro Series’ $1.7M year-end bonus prize pool, there is an event pro prize purse payout of $2,450,000, distributed across IRONMAN Pro Series events. With the first six IRONMAN Pro Series race complete, a total of $575,000 USD has been earned by professional athletes so far – leaving just under $2 million USD to be claimed at the remaining events.
Top Five Male Prize Money Earned (After Six Events)
| Rank |
Name (Country) |
IRONMAN 70.3 St. George Prize Money |
Total Prize Money |
| 1 |
Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) |
|
$28,000 |
| 2 |
Magnus Ditlev (DEN) |
$0 |
$28,000 |
| 3 |
Lionel Sanders (CAN) |
$12,000 |
$19,500 |
| 4 |
Antonio Benito (ESP) |
|
$17,500 |
| 5 |
Marten Van Riel (BEL) |
|
$17,500 |
Top Five Female Prize Money Earned (After Six Events)
| Rank |
Name (Country) |
IRONMAN 70.3 St. George Prize Money |
Total Prize Money |
| 1 |
Anne Reischmann (DEU) |
|
$30,000 |
| 2 |
Kat Matthews (GBR) |
|
$28,000 |
| 3 |
Paula Findlay (CAN) |
$12,000 |
$19,500 |
| 4 |
Taylor Knibb (USA) |
|
$17,500 |
| 5 |
Marta Sanchez (ESP) |
|
$17,500 |
Next IRONMAN Pro Series Events Coming Up
Next up, the 2025 IRONMAN Pro Series heads to the South of France for the IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-en-Provence triathlon on Sunday, May 18.
A free replay of the Intermountain Health IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship St. George broadcast is available to international audiences via proseries.ironman.com or IRONMAN’s YouTube Page, and on Outside+ for those watching from the United States and Canada.
For more information on the IRONMAN Pro Series, visit proseries.ironman.com.