IRONMAN World Championship Nice 2025 Preview: The Great Long-Distance Battle

This next Sunday September 14, the city of Nice will once again be the epicenter of long-distance triathlon with the dispute of the World championship HOMBRE DE HIERRO men's 2025.

More than 2.500 triathletes from 86 countries and regions will take on the Mediterranean Sea to tackle the legendary 3,8 km swim, 180 km cycle, and 42,2 km run.

This will be the last time the World Championships will be split into two venues (men's in Nice and women's in Kona) before returning to the unified format in Hawaii in 2026. And it will do so with a star-studded lineup: More than 50 professionals, 25 IRONMAN champions and the last four world winners.

A luxury roster: champions, stars and debutants

The professional field is one of the strongest in recent history. Among the favorites are:

• Patrick Lange, three-time world champion and owner of the best partial distance running times.
• Magnus ditlev, current long distance record holder (7:23 in Challenge Roth 2024).
• Rudy von berg, a local idol with experience on the roads of Nice.
• Sam Laidlow, world champion in Nice 2023.
• The Norwegians Kristian Blummenfelt, Gustav Iden y Casper Stornes, who arrive ready to repeat the feat of Kona and St. George.

They are joined by Olympic-level debutants such as Marten Van Riel y Jonas Schomburg, in addition to a large group of rookies (21 in total) who will seek to cause an upset.

Among the Spanish, all eyes will be on Anthony Benito Lopez, who arrives hungry after his experience in 2024 and Jordi Montraveta, second this year in the IRONMAN Lanzarote.

If you want to have all the practical information about the event - from the route to the protagonists - you can read our Complete guide to IRONMAN Nice 2025.

The route: beauty and toughness in its purest form

The race in Nice is characterized by its spectacular nature and its demands:

• Swimming (3,8 km): in the Bay of Angels, with a group of specialists such as Willy Hirsch, Andrea Salvisberg or Laidlow ready to impose a very high pace.
• Cycling (180 km): with the colossus of the day, a climb that breaks the race and that in 2023 destroyed much of the peloton. This is where the movement of cyclists like Ditlev, Léon Chevalier or Cam Wurf.
• Marathon (42,2 km): The Promenade des Anglais will be the stage for the decision. Athletes such as Long o Blummenfelt They can run for nearly 2h30, which forces the escapees to conserve their strength if they want to maintain their advantage.

Historical context and records

The Nice World Cup is relatively new, but it has already left its mark. In 2023, Sam Laidlow He clocked 8:06:22 to become the first French champion. That same year, Patrick Lange He set the marathon record at 2h37:46.

Compared to Kona, where historic feats such as the record of Gustav Iden (7:40 a.m. in 2022)Nice offers a more mountainous and technical profile that makes the bike the decisive segment.

In the history of IRONMAN, names like Mark Allen, Dave Scott, Jan Frodeno or Blummenfelt are on the list of champions. Now, the question is: who will write their name in 2025?

More than a title: points and pride at stake

The test will grant 6.000 points for the IRONMAN Pro Series, which could lead to significant changes in the standings. The top ten in the rankings are all present, so every minute lost could have repercussions for the season.

In addition, the event will bring together inspiring human stories: from the Australian Brayden McKenzie, aged just 18, to veterans over 70 who will challenge their limits on the French Riviera.

Schedules and broadcast

Fans will be able to follow the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship Nice live from Spain.

The men's professional race will take place on Sunday, September 14, at 5:15 a.m. (CEST).

The broadcast will be available for free on several platforms: the official website proseries.ironman.com, the channel YouTube IRONMAN, as well as in Outside TV, DAZN and the French medium The Team.