As the reigning champion from last year’s race, Marlene De Boer (NLD) will be wearing bib number one. De Boer set the female course record last year in a time of 08:39:31, with Katrine?Græsbøll Christensen, who is also due to toe the line this year, just two minutes behind.
De Boer comes off a strong season so far which has seen her clock a first-place finish at her home race – IRONMAN® 70.3® Westfriesland triathlon - and a fifth-place finish at the IRONMAN 70.3 Jönköping European Championship. De Boer has not raced an IRONMAN triathlon since last year’s race so will be hoping fresh legs play in her favour here.
Græsbøll Christensen however comes off a first place finish this weekend at IRONMAN 70.3 Krakow triathlon. The Dane has already secured her ticket to Kona following an impressive third place finish early in the season at ISUZU IRONMAN South Africa African Championship triathlon.
The biggest threat, however, will likely come in the guise of 2022 IRONMAN World Champion, Chelsea Sodaro (USA). Sodaro has had a couple of false starts to her IRONMAN triathlon season but has still two second place finishes under her belt from IRONMAN 70.3 Happy Valley and IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman triathlons. As a prior IRONMAN World Champion, Sodaro just needs to validate to secure her place on the starting line on the Big Island.
Other contenders for the podium include Sara Svensk (SWE) who will be hoping for a good result on home soil, Nikki Bartlett (GBR), and Katharina Wolff (DEU) amongst others.
Kalmar, based in the southeast of the country, is one of Sweden’s oldest cities sating back to the 11th century. The city is most known for the Kalmar Castle which is the home of the Kalmar Union that united Sweden, Denmark and Norway in 1397, and features on athlete’s finisher medal!??
IRONMAN Kalmar is known for the Small City, Big Heart vibe as the local community is notorious for bringing one of the best spectators supports on the circuit.?
The race was also awarded as the “Most Recommended IRONMAN” and as the “Best IRONMAN Run Course” in the Global IRONMAN Athlete Choice Awards, thanks to its pancake flat run course which draws in the whole city to celebrate and bring athletes home. Athletes also get a unique opportunity to race along the 6 km long Öland Bridge, which connects Sweden with this island Öland, and is usually only open for cars.??
For more information on IRONMAN Kalmar, visit: ironman.com/im-kalmar.??
- 1 Marlene de Boer NLD
- 2 Katrine Graesboll Christensen DNK
- 3 Sara Svensk SWE
- 4 Chelsea Sodaro USA
- 5 Nikki Bartlett GBR
- 6 Johanna Ahrens DEU
- 8 Katharina Wolff DEU
- 10 Heleen Moes NLD
- 11 Megan Tuncer USA
- 12 Lisa Gerb DEU
- 13 Hannah Munday GBR
- 14 Caitlin Alexander USA
- 15 Franziska Hofmann DEU
- 16 Joeanna Nielsen DNK
- 17 Marie Ingerhed SWE
- 18 Camilla Elofsson SWE
- 20 Nicole Pelin SWE
- 21 Baiba Medne LVA
- 22 Helena Herrero Gomez ESP
Professionals compete for $50,000 prize purse plus 1WPRO WC Slot.