Professional IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon racing returns to Mainland China this weekend with IRONMAN 70.3 Shanghai Chongming taking place on Sunday 25 May.
Professional athletes representing seven countries will line up alongside a sold-out age group field for the first IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon in China in five years.
Switzerland’s Nina Derron headlines the women’s field, with the 32-year-old prepared for the 1.9km swim, 90km ride and 21.1km run having been based in China for the past few months following a third-place finish at the ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand in March.
“I am feeling pretty good and excited to race this Sunday, I did an Olympic Distance race in Shanghai last Sunday which was a great hit out before this weekend’s race,” said Derron. “Everything has been going pretty smoothly, I feel lucky that I have been able to train in China with my coach and the Chinese National Team over the past months and we have actually trained on Chongming Island, about an hour from where the race is, for the past three weeks so I think I am well adapted to the conditions which will hopefully help me on race day.”
Derron has had experience racing in Asia in the past and is looking forward to Sunday’s return of professional IRONMAN 70.3 racing in China.
“I really enjoy racing in Asia, they treat us professionals really well and are happy to help with anything, this support makes a big difference,” she said. “The volunteers and spectators are super friendly and I also love seeing so many kids racing in these events and all the age groupers giving it a go and embracing the challenge. The conditions are usually tough in Asia with the heat and humidity, but I like tough racing.
“It’s great that professional triathlon, and IRONMAN 70.3 racing, returns to China after such a long period of time and hopefully there will be many races to come after this one,” said Derron.
While Derron heads into the race with a wealth of IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon experience she will be lining up alongside a newcomer, with New Zealand’s Nicole Van Der Kaay making her IRONMAN 70.3 debut.
Van Der Kaay, who represented her country at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, is looking forward to the challenge ahead of her this weekend.
“I’m feeling excited and a little bit nervous, in a good way,” said Van Der Kaay. “It’s a big step into the unknown with this being my first IRONMAN 70.3, but I’m ready to embrace the challenge. I’ve had a solid training block, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what I can do out there.
“It’s been a learning curve, that’s for sure. But I’ve really enjoyed the longer sessions and the shift in focus from speed to strength and endurance,” she said. “There’s been a lot of trial and error, especially with nutrition and pacing, but I’ve got a great team around me, and we’ve made it work.”
Van Der Kaay has embraced the change in preparation for her debut in an IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon.
“The biggest difference has been in mindset and pacing. Olympic Distance is all about intensity and precision, while the IRONMAN 70.3 demands patience and control,” she said. “I’ve had to teach myself to hold back a little more early on and think long-term, especially on the bike and with nutrition. It’s a different kind of grind, but I’ve loved the change.”
In the men’s professional field, Australia’s Caleb Noble is the top seeded athlete and heads to China off the back of a third-place finish at UKG IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie at the start of May.
“I’m looking forward to heading over to China to race, it will be my first time over there and I’m really looking forward to the experience,” said Noble. “I’m feeling good, this will be my last race for the first half of the season, so I am excited to get on another start line in good shape before having a break. Training has been going well and I’m as ready as I can be ahead of this weekend.”
Noble took a lot out of his strong performance in Port Macquarie, with it being his first visit to an IRONMAN 70.3 podium since IRONMAN 70.3 Tasmania at the start of 2023.
“I was really happy with how the event went in Port Macquarie, obviously it was unfortunate that the swim got cancelled but aside from that all my numbers were strong and I felt really good all day,” he said. “It was good to be able to race at the front of the race again, against a strong Australian field.”
Joining Noble on the start line are the likes of former IRONMAN 70.3 race winners Nicholas Free from Australia and Justin Metzler from the United States of America.
There is also set to be three Chinese athletes making their professional debut at IRONMAN 70.3 Shanghai Chongming, with Junjie Fan and Rongheng Chen in the men’s race and Siyu Wang in the women’s. All three athletes bring experience in shorter distance racing to Sunday’s event.
IRONMAN 70.3 Shanghai Chongming returns to the calendar for the first time in five years, with the 2025 event to be the third time it has been held on Chongming Island in Shanghai. Chongming Island is now a world-renowned ecological island, with the swim leg to be held in a lake at Bright Tian Yuan, before athletes head onto the bike which will see them cycle along the Beiyan Highway on the southern side of Bright Tian Yuan. The run course takes place around the lake within Bright Tian Yuan, passing through the countryside.
IRONMAN 70.3 Shanghai Chongming
Professional Men’s Start List
1 – Caleb Noble – AUS
2 – Nicholas Free – AUS
3 – Justin Metzler – USA
4 – Max Studer – CHE
5 – Junjie Fan – CHN
6 – Brett Clifford – NZL
7 – Aichlinn O’Reilly – IRL
8 – Garrett Mayeaux – USA
9 – Rongheng Chen – CHN
10 – Kaito Tohara – JPN
11 – Simon Shi – USA
12 – Ollie Turner – GBR
Professional Women’s Start List
21 – Nina Derron – CHE
22 – Nicole Van Der Kaay – NZL
23 – Cassandra Heaslip – AUS
24 – Lauren Hume – AUS
25 – Siyu Wang - CHN