IRONMAN New Zealand 2025: Chronicle and Results
The 2025 IRONMAN franchise calendar kicked off this Saturday in Taupo, New Zealand, with a competition that brought together top-level triathletes from around the world.
The day was a pleasant day, ideal for participants to give their best during the 3,8 km swim, 180 km bike ride (Ironman distance) and 42,2 km run.
The race started strong with Tahitian Benjamin Zorgnotti setting the pace: he came out of the water in 47:49, dragging along a leading group that included Spaniard Mikel Ugarte , who completed the swim in third position.
Meanwhile, the favorites in the women's category, including the Swiss Analis Siffert and the British Fenella Langridge , also posted very competitive times.
A few kilometers into the cycling leg, a group of seven men formed, building a lead of more than three minutes over their pursuers. Dutchman Pim van Diemen briefly led the group, with Mikel Ugarte comfortably in third, while Briton Joe Skipper fought to close the gap after losing more than four minutes in the swim.
The situation remained stable until kilometer 130, where Mikel Ugarte was penalized with a blue card for “drafting” (going too close to another triathlete).
This meant a mandatory stop and significantly hampered the Spaniard's chances of taking one of the slots for the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship. As Ugarte himself explained on his social networks, he did not agree with the penalty, but had no choice but to comply with it.
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In the men's category, the decisive break occurred near T2, when Mike Phillips distanced himself from the group and arrived alone at the transition with a time of 5:03:12, 1:40 ahead of his pursuers.
His dominance increased in the marathon, with a split of 2:40:42 to seal the victory in 7:45:47, breaking the course record. Joe Skipper was second (7:48:47) and New Zealander Jack Moody finished third (7:49:12). The last slot went to Benjamin Zorgnotti.
Mikel Ugarte, for his part, finished in sixth place (7:56:38) after running the marathon in 2:44:38. Once again, he fell just short of securing the coveted World Championship spot for 2025.
In the women's race, New Zealander Regan Hollioake came from behind in the marathon after a strong cycling leg to win comfortably with a time of 8:51:30.
American Jocelyn McCauley crossed the finish line second (8:56:52), and Swiss Nina Derron was third (8:57:48).
Men's 10 Top
| Job title | Athlete | Final time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Phillips | 7:45:47 |
| 2 | Joe Skipper | 7:48:47 |
| 3 | Jack moody | 7:49:12 |
| 4 | Benjamin Zorgnotti | 7:53:49 |
| 5 | Tim Van Berkel | 7:56:00 |
| 6 | Mikel Ugarte Ramos | 7:56:38 |
| 7 | Ben hamilton | 7:59:32 |
| 8 | Arnaud Guilloux | 8:00:47 |
| 9 | Louis Richard | 8:15:01 |
| 10 | Liam Duval | 8:16:07 |
| 11 | benjamin hill | 8:17:10 |
| 12 | Lukas Stahl | 8:29:04 |
| 13 | matt kerr | 8:29:23 |
| 14 | Kevin Portman | 8:39:54 |
| 15 | Pim Van Diemen | 8:44:32 |
| 16 | Scott Harpham | 8:47:56 |
| 17 | Kyle Tremayne | 8:50:33 |
| 18 | Colin Schuch | 8:58:28 |
| 19 | Mike Tong | 9:33:50 |
| DNF | Nathan Dortman | –:– |
| DNF | Jason Christie | –:– |
| DNF | Brett Clifford | –:– |
Top 10 female
| Job title | Athlete | Final time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regan Hollioake | 8:51:30 |
| 2 | Jocelyn McCauley | 8:56:52 |
| 3 | Nina Derron | 8:57:48 |
| 4 | Gabrielle Lumkes | 9:08:56 |
| 5 | Kate Gillespie-Jones | 9:20:00 |
| 6 | alani siffert | 9:25:52 |
| 7 | Skye Wallace | 9:38:05 |
| 8 | Fiona Gallagher | 9:38:56 |
| 9 | Danyella Eberle | 9:43:55 |
| 10 | Christine Massey | 10:14:23 |
| 11 | Sarah Carpinski | 10:26:16 |
| 12 | Heather Neill | 10:35:06 |
| DNF | Fenella Langridge | –:– |
What's next for Mikel Ugarte
The Spaniard had undergone excellent preparation at altitude and was confident of sealing his place for the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship, which will be held in Nice.
However, the sanction received complicated his aspirations and left him, once again, at the door of that great objective.
We will have to wait and see if he gets his well-deserved ticket to the next events.
