Marta Sánchez fine-tunes her training for the IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii.
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Next Saturday October 11, Kona will once again be the epicenter of world triathlon with the dispute of the World championship HOMBRE DE HIERRO Female 2025, a date marked by the history, warmth and magic of Hawaii.
About 60 professional triathletes will fight for the most prestigious title in the long distance, in addition to 6.000 points for the Pro Series and a part of total prize of $375.000, of which 125.000 will go to the champion.
Among them will be Marta Sanchez, the only Spanish woman on the PRO list, who arrives with an impeccable course and smooth preparation.
The Catalan will debut in Kailua Kona, the most legendary stage of triathlon, where champions such as Lucy Charles-Barclay, Daniela Ryf o Anne Haug have inscribed their names in the recent history of sport.
Sixth in the Ho'ala Swim: A confidence test before the big day
Installed on the island for several days, Marta participated this Sunday in the Ho'ala Swim, the traditional swim race held along the same route as the World Championships swimming segment (2.740 meters). Each year, the event serves as the first real test of how people experience the Pacific Ocean.
As expected, the British Lucy Charles-Barclay, world champion in 2023 and undisputed queen of the water, imposed 36:30followed by Stephanie Clutterbuck (37:26) y Fenella Langridge (37:28). Marta completed the route in 37:31, achieving a meritorious sixth place, just one minute behind the British champion.
“Countdown. Without knowing what to say, let's enjoy every day,” she wrote on her social media after the session, in which she later completed a cycling training three hours under the Hawaiian sun.
A solid and consistent season
This will be the third IRONMAN of the year for Marta Sánchez, who already climbed the podium in South Africa (2nd) y Lake Placid (3rd).
In addition, he has demonstrated consistency on the circuit. PTO T100, with positions within the top-12 in Singapore, French Riviera and San Francisco, and a prominent one 4th place at 70.3 Pays d'Aix.
Her progression has been one of the most notable in Spanish women's triathlon. In 2024, she made her debut in the IRONMAN World Championships in Nice, where was sixth, and now he will seek to transfer that competitive maturity to the most demanding circuit on the planet.
Kona's legacy and the great champions
Kona is synonymous with legend. Since the first women's edition in 1979 with Lyn LemaireThe IRONMAN World Championship has crowned epoch-making figures: Paula Newby-Fraser, with eight titles; Chrissie Wellington, four-time champion; Daniela Ryf, with five crowns between 2015 and 2021; and Lucy Charles-Barclay, who in 2023 achieved his long-awaited victory with a record time of 8h24'31 ".
In this 2025 edition, Charles-Barclay will seek his second victory in Hawaii, while names like Anne Haug, Chelsea Sodaro o Kat matthews are poised to be their main rivals.
Spain dreams of reaching the Top 10 again
With her accumulated experience, Marta arrives without pressure, but with ambition. Her performance at the Ho'ala Swim demonstrates that she can be in the front group from the start. On a course as demanding as Kona, staying among the best from the swim will be key.
The Catalan hopes to repeat—or even improve—her top 10 of last year, which would definitively consolidate her among the greats of long-distance triathlon.
Top Standings – Ho'ala Swim 2025 (2.740 m):
- Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) – 36:30
- Stephanie Clutterbuck (GBR) – 37:26
- Fenella Langridge (GBR) – 37:28
- Solveig Løvseth (NOR) – 37:29
- Lisa Perterer (AUT) – 37:30
- Marta Sánchez (ESP) – 37:31
