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IRONMAN Kona 2024 World Championship head to head: Sam Laidlow vs Magnus Ditlev

The defending men’s IRONMAN World Champion versus a two-time fastest long distance record holder. Sam Laidlow and Magnus Ditlev are two of the strongest contenders set to take to the start line at the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship in Kona this weekend. Laidlow is looking to make it back-to-back World Championship titles. And Ditlev looks fired up with a score to settle after, in his words, Laidlow “dusted my ass the last two editions of this race.”

Kona is the stage for an epic showdown as the pair lock horns over the full distance for the first time since Nice 2023 but who could come out top trumps if it all comes down to a head to head in Kona? TRI247’s Jenny Lucas-Hill looks at how the pair stack up. Are we in for a battle of the ages?

Sam Laidlow vs Magnus Ditlev – who’s most likely to take the crown in Kona?

Laidlow and Ditlev will surely feature top of many people’s podium picks for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. Laidlow coming in with a title to defend. And Challenge Roth record-setter Ditlev arriving at the start line with a title to try and grasp. We’ve only seen Sam Laidlow and Magnus Ditlev at the same race twice this year – and the score is 1-1. Ditlev finished 1st to Laidlow’s 9th at Miami T100. And Sam took the win at London T100, with Magnus trailing in 4th.

So as we see the pair go head to head over the full Iron distance for the first time since Nice 2023, which of these superstar athletes is most likely to leave the Big Island wearing the Kona victory crown?

Magnus Ditlev 2024 performances and form

The 2024 race season got off to a strong start for Magnus Ditlev, who placed third at last year’s men’s IRONMAN World Championship in Nice. An early-season race at Miami T100 in March saw him take a resounding win. On a day where the extreme heat and humidity saw other athletes dropping like flies – there were 6 DNFs – the Great Dane was able to stay strong and finish top of the podium ahead of a storming Sam Long.

But that dominant start to the season was then scuppered a little over a month later, as a bike crash just days before Singapore T100 resulted in a broken wrist which took Ditlev off the start list. We didn’t see him race again until June, where he finished 4th behind the sprinting trio of Marten Van Riel, Rico Bogen and Kyle Smith at San Francisco T100.

With a focus on that 100km distance, we didn’t see Ditlev on a full distance start line until July. Magnus returned to Challenge Roth, a race where he set a record-breaking time for the 140.6 mile distance in 2023. And any doubts over Ditlev’s form were soon extinguished, as he took the win – and broke his own record in the process. We’ve become accustomed to seeing Ditlev have to make up time on the bike after the swim. But what will be alarming for competitors is the strong swim he had in Roth – exiting the water just 51s back from the leaders. Wet conditions slowed him down a touch on the bike compared to 2023, but he still covered the 112 miles in under 4hrs. And that characteristically strong bike split was backed up by an incredible run – completing the marathon in 2hrs 34 mins, to cross the finish line eight minutes ahead of the rest of the field. And while many might note the absence of uber-runner Patrick Lange, who surely would have been making his way up to somewhere near Ditlev’s shoulder on the run if he hadn’t been forced to pull out of the race after the swim. What’s noteworthy is that Ditlev also ran a full three minutes faster than his Roth 2023 run split. A Magnus Ditlev who can exit the water within striking distance, tear up the field on the bike, and hold strong on the run is a Magnus Ditlev to be scared of.

Ditlev has been consistently in the mix this season, with two wins backed up by two fourth place finishes. And don’t forget, with Kona being that much later this year, the Great Dane has had more time to recover from his Challenge Roth effort compared to 2023. We know from Miami T100, he’s an athlete who can keep his cool when the heat is on – in all senses of the phrase. That characteristically calm, controlled confidence sets him up in a good place for Kona.

Sam Laidlow – the reigning IRONMAN World Champion’s 2024 performances and form

We haven’t really seen where Sam Laidlow is at over the full distance yet this year. That DQ at IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz meant he kept out of the race dynamics – getting to the finish line to validate his Kona slot.

Laidlow has also been a little hit and miss in the T100 series, with a 9th in Miami and a DNF in Singapore to start the season. Though his most recent win in London and 2nd place in Ibiza after going shoulder to shoulder with Marten Van Riel (despite the pair taking a wrong turn), suggest his form is shaping up just in time for Kona. And we learned in 2023 that an up-and-down season doesn’t mean you should count Laidlow out. Don’t forget that last year he took the win in Nice just a few weeks after his DNF at the PTO Asian Open.

We know that it’s typically harder to be the person on top returning to defend a title, versus being the person chasing. But what’s interesting about Sam Laidlow is that he’s proven his ability to shake off the doubters. Many dubbed his Kona 2022 podium finish as a one-hit wonder. And his hit-and-miss season in 2023 might have proven them right, were it not for a dominant victory at the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice. When it mattered, he pulled it out the bag.

He proved again that he can tune the doubters out at London T100. He came into the race far from being a favourite for the win. And set tongues wagging as he was the only athlete who chose to swim without a wetsuit – many mocking the choice as he exited the water significantly further back than we’re used to seeing. But his choice was soon vindicated as he put down a confidence-boosting performance to take the win.

Where many athletes would crumble under the scrutiny of doubters and the pressure of defending a title, Laidlow seems to thrive. In fact, speaking after that win in London Laidlow said: “Whatever happens next, it’s great. I’ve got a lot of years ahead of me and if I win Kona this year, great. If I don’t, doesn’t matter. Of course I want to win and I’m going to do everything for that. But yeah, I’ve got nothing to prove, I’ve proven myself over the T100 and I’ve proven myself over Ironman.”

That ‘nothing to prove’ attitude, while still acknowledging that there’s everything to win, could give him the edge when the Big Island of Kona turns the screws this Saturday.

Verdict

The World Championship race in Kona will be the first time this year we get to see Sam Laidlow and Magnus Ditlev go head to head over the full Iron distance since last year’s IMWC in Nice. On the twists and turns of the French climbs, we saw Magnus Ditlev almost bike his way up to the front of the race. But it wasn’t enough to reel in Laidlow.

Cast our minds back to Kona 2022, and a similar story played out. Ditlev made a phenomenal charge to the front of the race which left even the mighty Norwegian duo of Blummenfelt and Iden struggling to hold his wheel. But it wasn’t enough to shake Laidlow, who not only reclaimed the lead – but set a new bike course record in the process. Ditlev picked up a drafting penalty which took him out of contention. And a Kona win wasn’t meant to be for Laidlow, who was overtaken by Gustav Iden just three miles from the finish line.

All of that means Ditlev will want to make it third time lucky and finally get ahead of Laidlow for good on the World Championship stage. He said in a recent Instagram video that he’s been having ‘nightmares’ ever since Laidlow “completely dusted [his] ass the last two editions of this race.” And both athletes have unfinished business on the Big Island. As much as Laidlow says it doesn’t matter – there’s got to be a part of him that wants to follow in the footsteps of Jan Frodeno and Patrick Lange to make it two for two.

Of course, I have to take some poetic licence in this hypothetical head to head scenario here. The likes of Blummenfelt – who was blisteringly quick at IRONMAN Frankfurt and is said to be targeting the overall Kona course record. And Patrick Lange, a former Kona champion who’s got a score to settle with that sub-2:30 marathon goal, will in reality be shaking up the dynamics – and hopefully creating an epic multi-athlete battle charging towards the finish line.

But if it does come down to a head to head battle between Laidlow and Ditlev for the win in Kona this year… despite all the signs being there that Laidlow could have the edge, my money is on Magnus Ditlev. Cool-headed he might be, but he’s clearly got some white hot flames in his belly to get out there and beat Laidlow to the finish line. A fired up Magnus Ditlev is a force to be reckoned with. Go prove me right, Magnus!

IRONMAN Kona 2024: Kristian Blummenfelt targets World Championship RECORD

There is one triathlon summit Kristian Blummenfelt has yet to scale, and this Saturday (October 26) in Hawaii he bids to end the wait.

Kona 2024 sees the professional men return to the Big Island for the first time in two years to fight out the 2024 IRONMAN World Championship, with a stellar field set to line up.

Blummenfelt, third behind compatriot Gustav Iden in 2022, will likely start the favourite to top the podium this time, with his friend and rival still rebuilding from a 2023 beset by injury and personal tragedy.

It will not be a cakewalk though (when is Kona ever a cakewalk), with defending champion Sam Laidlow, two-time king Patrick Lange and giant Dane Magnus Ditlev among those also set to toe the line.

Blummenfelt has already shown he is Ironman-ready for this test – remember how he aced Frankfurt less than two weeks after racing the Mixed Relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics? A blistering 7:27:21 – topped off by a 2:32:29 marathon – shocked many, including the man himself.

Blummenfelt Kona prep

Since then Blummenfelt and Iden have been preparing for Kona in the familiar surroundings of Flagstaff, Arizona. And according to Kristian’s coach Olav Aleksander Bu, things are going well.

The Norwegians are always brutally honest about where they are at heading into a race, and always fiercely ambitious with their goals. This time is clearly no different, Blummenfelt is aiming not just to win…

Bu told TRI247: “Prep has been good. It helps that it is a couple of weeks later this year. Race day will have to show what he is capable of ? The weather plays a big role, but a record is always a good target.”

The current Kona record remember was set just two short years ago, in the last Pro Men championship race on the Big Island. That was Iden with a spectacular 7:40:24.

Once Kona is in the rear view mirror, all attention will turn to what Blummenfelt does from 2025 on. That ambitious plan to move to pro cycling and the Tour de France appears to be dead, so he is once again all in on triathlon.

What next for Blummenfelt in 2025?

If L.A. 2028 is confirmed as a future goal, the big question will be how ‘Big Blu’ approaches the four-year cycle heading once more towards the greatest show on earth.

As Bu told TRI247 recently, 10 months of short-course preparation and racing heading into Paris 2024 was ‘mission impossible’, so it is likely the 30-year-old from Bergen would transition back down in distance much earlier next time round.

Bu explained: “We’ll have to come back to this later, but if LA becomes realistic, it means transitioning earlier with more short-course racing. However, with the development we have seen around the tactics, involving dedicated domestiques, it has become a less interesting sport from an individual level, and more a “team” sport.”

We also asked Bu who he fears among the opposition this coming Saturday, and his response as ever was illuminating. The focus is 100 percent on elite preparation and performance from his own athletes, and absolutely nothing else.

“I don’t know, as I really don’t pay attention to what others do. I obviously know some of the household names, which have been on the podium the last few years, but not how they are performing and who is on the start line.”

Ironman World Championship champion's "chunky" shoes spark controversy

Last week at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, Norway’s Gustav Iden ran a 2:36 marathon after a 180-kilometre bike and 3.8 km swim, earning his first world championship title. Iden ran a new marathon record on the Kona course in a unique pair of On’s carbon-plated running shoes, the Cloudboom Echo 3, which have a reported stack height of 50 mm, which is outside of World Athletics legal stack height rule of 40 mm for road-running events.

Iden was allowed to wear these shoes in competition, since professional triathletes do not have to comply with any rules over their choice of running shoes, World Triathlon has confirmed.

Despite regulations in athletics governing shoe technology–such as limiting the sole thickness–World Triathlon stated they will not follow World Athletics standards and no checks are being made on any of the footwear being worn.

Some fans of the sport are calling for World Triathlon to follow suit in controlling stack height for competition. The second-and third-place finishers, Sam Laidlow of France and 2020 Olympic champion Kristan Blummenfelt, both wore the WA-legal shoes Nike Alphafly Next% and Asics Metaspeed Sky 2.

Iden said this in a post-race interview with his sponsor On:

World Athletics rules state the sole must be no thicker than 40 mm and that the shoes must not contain more than one rigid or embedded plate that runs the full length of the shoes. The Cloudboom Echo 3 has a single carbon plate that runs the full length of the shoe.Canada’s Ben Flanagan also wore the Cloudboom Echo 3 during his win at the 2022 Falmouth Road Race.

Since the seven-mile road race is not sanctioned by World Athletics, elites are allowed to wear shoes which are normally not allowed at national championship road races.

Iden won in the Ironman World Championships in his Kona debut with a time of 7:40:24, taking 11 minutes off the previous course record time from 2019. On, who signed Iden in the week leading into the race, was given a green light from Ironman for the Norwegian to wear the shoe.

Hawaii Ironman World Championships 2022 Results: Gustav Iden Victorious With A New Course Record

Norway's Gustav Iden took the win at the 2022 Hawaii Ironman World Championships in his first try on the Big Island and second Ironman ever in a time of 7:40:24.It was calculated gutsiness that helped Norway’s Gustav Iden claim the 2022 Hawaii Ironman World Championship on his first try with a result that surprised no one – and everyone.

Much like women’s race winner, Chelsea Sodaro, this was Iden’s second Ironman event ever, but he raced it like a veteran, making decisive moves on the bike, pacing well on the run, and seizing the moment to take it all. His time of 7:40:24 is also a new course record and his 2:36 would be a new run course record of 2:36:15.

Read on to see how the 2022 Hawaii Ironman World Championship played out on the Big Island.Hawaii Ironman World Championships 2022: The SwimWith similar conditions to Thursday’s women’s race – slightly choppy with a rolling swell – many assumed the swim would favor the stronger swimmers. But on this day, everyone seemed to be a strong swimmer. Straight from the start cannon, a large pack formed, led by Sam Laidlow and Florian Angert. Despite attempts to pull away in the first half of the swim, neither were successful in building a definitive lead.

Instead, a staggering 19 pros exited the water within 15 seconds of each other, led by Angert in 48:15 and Laidlow in 48:16. This tight pack included some of the most dangerous triathletes in the field, setting up the likes of Kristian Blummenfelt, Gustav Iden, and Braden Currie in perfect position for a tactical race at the front of the field.

One minute and 15 seconds later, another large pack emerged from the water, containing even more strong cyclists capable of quickly bridging the gap. These included Igor Amorelli, Patrick Lange, Rudy Von Berg, and Magnus Ditlev.A third and final large pack, four minutes down from the leaders, contained Matt Hanson, Chris Lieferman, Cam Wurf, Sebastian Kienle, Joe Skipper, and Lionel Sanders.

Hawaii Ironman World Championships 2022: The BikeLaidlow was the one to take charge in the initial miles of the bike, setting an average pace of 27 miles per hour over the first 25 miles. Max Neumann was the only one willing to take the bait, staying just out of Laidlow’s draft to avoid a penalty.

Behind them, big groups stuck together as the crosswinds picked up through the lava fields. Fifty seconds down, the first chase group of 11 included Ditlev, Blummenfelt, Iden, O’Donnell, and Bakkegard; almost two minutes behind was a group of 18 that included contenders like Lange, Currie, Ben Hoffman, and Denis Chevrot.At mile 30 on the bike, the massive groups continued through the rolling hills on the way to Hawi. With 42 men racing within 5 minutes of each other, space was hard to come by – and the referees noticed.

As with the women’s race on Thursday, the penalties began early and often, with Angert, Clement Mignon, Mathias Petersen, and Arnad Gilloux being the first to serve their five-minute punishment for position infractions. Leon Chevalier soon joined them for a one-minute penalty as well.

Soon, more setbacks started to snowball in the men’s field. With each passing mile, Sanders saw the race get away from him as his position slipped from 4:42 down out of the water to 7:13 by mile 30. Colin Chartier, who was in the first large pack out of the swim, found it difficult to recover after an early flat tire. Lange seemed unable to jump on to the train of competitors passing him at full speed, and in a shocking twist, pre-race favorite Currie dropped from the race around mile 35.

Meanwhile, the men’s race began to take shape near the base of Hawi as Ditlev went to the front of the race and took control. Behind him, Laidlow and Neumann could not match the effort, while countrymen and training partners Iden and Blummenfelt sat 30 seconds behind Ditlev, working together near mile 50.

Just after the Hawi turnaround, Laidlow reclaimed his lead, but Ditlev, Neumann, Blummenfelt, and Iden were hot on his tail. Further back, a group including Kyle Smith, Tim O’Donnell, and Jesper Svensson trailed the leaders by 2:30; 3:30 back from the leaders were Kristian Hogenhaug and Daniel Bakkegard. A big group of dangerous bike/runners sat 5 minutes behind the front pack that included Wurf, Chevalier, Skipper, Lange, Kienle, and Andreas Dreitz.

Near mile 90, disorganization plagued the chase group of Iden, Blummenfelt, Ditlev, and Neumann as they lost an additional 1:30 to the race leader, Laidlow. Further back, Wurf, Kienle, and Chevalier led a rally to try to get within striking distance of the front, putting 2:20 into the Norwegian group over a span of over 10 miles.

As the race barreled toward T2, the chaos continued, with Ditlev receiving a five-minute position penalty at a time when most would be making their critical moves in a race.Up front, Laidlow seemed to not know – or care – about what was playing out behind him. Instead, the young gun stayed focused on his own race, surging ahead. By mile 88, Laidlow’s lead grew to 2:37; at mile 94, a 4:11 advantage.

Heading into T2, Laidlow smashed Cam Wurf’s 2018 bike course record with a split of 4:04:36—knocking almost five minutes off the previous time. Behind him, the chase group was six minutes down, and the second chase had 8:30-9:45 to make up.

Laidlow set out on the run with a target on his back. The question then became: Would his bold bike strategy pay off, or would it end in disaster? Could he actually beat the notoriously fast Norwegian runners to the finish line? Could anyone?

Hawaii Ironman World Championships 2022: The RunAs the men’s pro field moved through T2, the field shifted from large packs to a steady trickle. It was soon clear who had paced themselves well on the bike and who had burned their matches. Behind Laidlow, Blummenfelt and Iden led the charge, setting out at a 5:54 minute-per-mile pace to the leader’s 6:13 pace. Behind them, O’Donnell and Kienle were the fastest movers in the second chase pack early in the run, along with Ditlev—finally released from his penalty.

As Laidlow made his way up the Palani climb, his pace slowed to 6:23. Iden and Blummenfelt powered on, checking their watches to ensure they were sticking to their staggeringly consistent 5:58 pace. With every footfall, they seemed to cut into Laidlow’s lead. Neumann, looking to hold his own in his Kona debut, followed suit.

Slightly further back, strong runners like Kienle and Ditlev were working together as well, slowly making their way up through the top ten, through the first half of the marathon—as did Joe Skipper. At the halfway point, they found themselves in fifth and sixth place, with elder statesman Kienle offering words of encouragement to the young Dane as they ran together.Between miles 11 and 16, the Norwegians’ march toward Laidlow started to stall as the Frenchman found a way to staunch the bleeding. As he made his way out the Queen K, it seemed as if he found a pace he could comfortably sustain.

At the turnaround in the infamous Energy Lab, Laidlow could see exactly where he was relative to his competition. He knew he had a lead of just over two minutes, but what he didn’t know was whether or not the Norwegians had another gear. Anticipating a battle, Laidlow gathered all he could from the aid stations – cups of ice, a gallon bottle of water to douse himself on the scalding Kona pavement.Indeed, Iden had just decided to drop his friend and training partner, pulling ahead in the Energy Lab just before mile 19, while Blummenfelt trailed behind. With less than eight miles to go, Iden broke out into 4:38 min/mi pace, laser-focused on the task ahead.

At mile 22, Iden gave Laidlow a pat on the back to let him know his time at the front was up. With a handshake and a smile, Iden made the pass, striding confidently to the finish line.After the pass, it was the Iden show, as the Norwegian extended his lead to set a new course record with a time of 7:40:24 and a new run course record of 2:36:15. Not far behind, Sam Laidlow valiantly hung on for second place with a time that also broke the previous run record, 7:42:24. Kristian Blummenfelt would fade only slightly, but still stand on the podium with another course record time of 7:43:23.

“That was so freaking hard,” Iden said just moments after his record-setting finish. “The last 10K I was worried about the legend of the island killing me. Everything was going pretty smoothly until I caught Sam Laidlow. When I passed him, the island really tried“That was so epic, and I’m so proud of Sam and Kristian making the podium. I’m not sure if I’m coming back here, this was too hard.”

Laidlow was tearful after leading the race for so long.

“I was just loving it, I’ve been dreaming this since I was four or five,” said an emotional Laidlow. “This is my style of racing. I’ve been inspired by Jan Frodeno, and the way he races. If I win, I want to win like he does. I’m just getting started.

“It’s hard to believe as I’ve been watching the Norwegians, and to beat the Olympic champion, I really can’t put words to it.”