History was made in Muscat, Oman, as the city hosted the inaugural Experience Oman IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship triathlon. Athletes from around the world travelled to this historic and scenic city to swim, bike, run — and explore one of the region’s most exciting and emerging endurance destinations.
Christoph Matner and Olga Burkenkova were named the overall IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Age-Group Champions, completing the course in times of 3:51:52 and 4:21:47 respectively, both breaking the previous course records. With the top five age-group men going under a time of four hours, and 18 age-group women breaking the five hour barrier, Muscat is quickly gaining a reputation as being an optimum course for fast times and personal bests.
In 2029, Oman will host the Experience Oman IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon in Muscat, bringing one of the most prestigious events in global triathlon to the Middle East. This will be the first time in the IRONMAN brand’s nearly 50-year history that a world championship event will be held in the Middle East.
In three weeks, the first event of the 2026 Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series will debut in Taupo, New Zealand and culminate in October at the 2026 IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. 16 different race venues around the world will reinforce Oman’s growing role in global endurance sport and international tourism while underscoring a shared commitment to world class racing and showcasing extraordinary destinations through sport.