IRONMAN 70.3 Vitoria-Gasteiz 2026: favorites, schedule and where to watch it live
The IRONMAN 70.3 Vitoria-Gasteiz 2026 will take place this Sunday, July 12, with Guillem Montiel and Youri Keulen among the main favorites in its first edition with professional category.
Vitoria-Gasteiz will host the traditional long-distance IRONMAN and the new IRONMAN 70.3 on the same day , which will concentrate all the professional participation of the event.
The middle-distance race will start at the Landa reservoir and will take the triathletes to the center of the Alava capital after completing 1,9 kilometers of swimming, 90 kilometers of cycling and 21,1 kilometers of running.
IRONMAN 70.3 Vitoria-Gasteiz 2026 Schedule
The professional race will begin early Sunday morning. The men will start at 07:00 a.m. and the women ten minutes later.
| Category | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Male professionals | Sunday July 12 | 07: 00 pm |
| Female professionals | Sunday July 12 | 07: 10 pm |
| Age groups | Sunday July 12 | Rear stepped exit |
Times are expressed in Spanish peninsular time.
Where to watch the IRONMAN 70.3 Vitoria-Gasteiz live
The race's progress can be tracked using the official IRONMAN tracker , with positions and split times during the different segments.
Tracking will also be available on the IRONMAN Tracker mobile app . A full video broadcast of the race has not yet been announced.
Guillem Montiel and Youri Keulen, the main duel
Guillem Montiel will be one of Spain's top contenders for the win. The Catalan athlete faces the race after not finding his form at the TradeInn Zarauzko Triatloia and before defending his European middle-distance title in Banyoles.
Montiel will be looking for his first victory in an IRONMAN franchise event. His performance on the bike leg could be key to creating a gap between himself and the top runners before the half marathon.
His main rival will be Youri Keulen . The Dutchman was one of the standout names in the first season of the T100 circuit and in 2026 he also began competing in long-distance events.
Keulen finished second in his IRONMAN Brazil debut, confirming his ability to maintain a high pace on the run after the 180-kilometer cycling leg.
The race in Vitoria-Gasteiz will be the fourth meeting between Montiel and Keulen . The Dutchman leads their previous encounters 2-1, in a rivalry marked by the Spaniard's cycling strength and Keulen's prowess in the final segment.
Other contenders for the men's podium
New Zealander Trent Thorpe appears as one of the main candidates to intervene in the fight for victory, especially if he manages to get close to the front at the second transition.
Also worth keeping an eye on are Frenchman Damien Le Mesnager , winner of Challenge Mogán 2026, and Briton Jack Hutchens , runner-up this season in Challenge Salou.
Swiss player Matéo Reddy , Portuguese players João Ferreira and Hugo Figueiredo , Belgian Arnaud De Keyser and Frenchman Casimir Moine bring experience to a men's field that is open beyond the two main favorites.
Spaniards in the professional category
In addition to Guillem Montiel, Spain will have Damián Martínez, Ander Irigoyen, Gotzon Gondra, Sergio López and Pablo Abad in the men's race.
The professional participation in IRONMAN 70.3 Vitoria-Gasteiz will consist of 39 triathletes between the two categories , while the professionals will not compete in the long distance IRONMAN.
Three favorites in the women's race
Natalie Van Coevorden leads a small but evenly matched female field. The Australian knows the course well after recently winning the VI Half Vitoria and could take the lead from the swim.
One of her main rivals will be Nina Derron . The Swiss athlete returns to Vitoria-Gasteiz seven years after finishing second in the 2019 IRONMAN.
Derron arrives after winning the Challenge Kaiserwinkl-Walchsee and finishing second in the IRONMAN Lanzarote , two results that place her among the main candidates.
Jeanne Collonge completes the main group of favorites. The Frenchwoman will be competing in her second race in just one week after finishing sixth at Challenge Roth , so her recovery time could affect her performance.
Also competing will be the French women Justine Guérard and Chloé Nicolas , the British woman Laura Addie and the American Tara Rooney.
Marta Borbón, Spanish representative
Marta Borbón will be the only Spanish woman in the professional women's category. The triathlete from Aragon will try to climb to the top of the standings against a group of rivals with experience in international middle- and long-distance races.
Two distances in one day
Vitoria-Gasteiz will host an IRONMAN and an IRONMAN 70.3 for the first time on the same day . The professional half-distance race will be the first to complete its course, before the arrival of the participants in the full IRONMAN.
The debut of the 70.3 format expands the event's offering and allows middle-distance specialists to share the stage with the age groups competing in the two races.
This content has been created with the support of AI tools and reviewed by the Triathlon News editorial team.
