We witnessed a true triathlon festival in Warsaw. In sunny, albeit slightly windy weather, over 1,700 triathletes from around the world took to the IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw course (1.9 km swim - 90 km bike - 21.1 km run) and the accompanying 5150 Warsaw race (1.5 km swim - 40 km bike - 10.9 km run).
Many fans had their eyes on IRONMAN world champion and two-time IRONMAN 70.3 world champion, Norwegian Gustav Iden, who was returning to competition after an unsuccessful last season prematurely ended due to injury. However, he was not the favorite for the race in Warsaw. Among the contenders for victory were last year's winner Kacper Stępniak and another Norwegian, Casper Stornes.
Indeed, after completing the swim and bike segments, the duo were the first to start the final stage of the competition, the 21.1 km run through the streets of Old and New Town in Warsaw. Despite the support of Polish fans, Stępniak was unable to maintain the very strong pace set by the Norwegian. Stornes gradually built his lead and won IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw 2024 with an impressive time of 3:28:12.
I like it here, Warsaw is a great city. The race course itself is really fast. It was a bit windy, so I didn't want to push too hard on the bike, but that allowed me to save more energy for the final stage of the competition.
Casper Stornes (Norway)
Behind him, a very interesting battle for the next positions unfolded. Initially, it seemed that Kacper Stępniak would comfortably secure second place, and Gustav Iden would return to the IRONMAN 70.3 podium after a break. However, the incredible Jorik van Egdom had other plans. The Dutch representative started the run in sixth position but chased his rivals at a blistering pace. He overtook Iden after the first few kilometers and moved into second place about 1.5 km before the finish, pushing Kacper Stępniak to the lowest podium spot.
Today, not everything went perfectly, it wasn't my optimal performance, but I have no regrets. I fought until the end, and it paid off because I finished third and qualified for this year's IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand.
Kacper Stępniak (Poland)
Gustav Iden finished fourth at the Multimedia Fountain Park. The triathlon star spoke very positively about the race.
It went pretty much exactly as I expected. Of course, you always hope for that dream day when everything goes perfectly, but this is what I'm capable of right now. I respect this result and hope to come back to race in Warsaw again.
Gustav Iden (Norway)
Among the women, Norwegian Solveig Lovseth competed in her own class, maintaining the lead from start to finish. She completed the race with a time of 3:52:09, finishing over 12 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher, Marta Łagownik. The Polish athlete stood on the podium for the second time at an IRONMAN Poland event—she also finished second at last year's Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Gdynia. The third place was claimed by Britain's Megan McDonald.
I'm a bit surprised by such a good result, but the course here is really fast. Throughout the race, I had to focus on my own pace because my competitors were behind me. It wasn't easy at all, but I'm glad I participated and hope to return.
Solveig Lovseth (Norway)
In the accompanying Olympic distance race, 5150 Warsaw, the fastest triathletes were from Poland: Jakub Brzóska and Małgorzata Granicka.
Amazing organization. It's my first time competing under the IRONMAN banner, and it's a fantastic event!
Jakub Brzóska (Poland)
