Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) and Kat Matthews (GBR) Earn Victories During Thrilling Day of Racing at the 2025 Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Woodlands, Texas and the Lone Star State once again provided a stunning backdrop for the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN® Texas North American Championship, the fourth event in the 2025 IRONMAN Pro Series™. In the first full-distance 2025 IRONMAN Pro Series triathlon in North America, Norwegian powerhouse Kristian Blummenfelt stormed to victory in his debut appearance in The Woodlands with a time of 7:24:20. Additionally, history was made when British superstar Kat Matthews captured her third consecutive title in Texas, completing the course in a staggering 8:10:34, setting a new fastest time for a full-distance IRONMAN during a thrilling day of racing.

In the women’s field, three-time defending IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Taylor Knibb, competing in only her second full-distance IRONMAN after her fourth-place finish at the 2023 IRONMAN World Championship, made waves early. She exited the water just seconds behind Rachel Zilinskas (USA) and quickly asserted dominance on the bike. All eyes were on two-time defending Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas champion Kat Matthews, who exited the swim five minutes behind Knibb. Despite Knibb’s commanding bike performance, completing the ZOOT Bike Course in a new record time of 4:19:46, Matthews launched a relentless pursuit on the marathon course, catching Knibb near mile nine and soaring to victory.

Matthews' performance of 8:10:34 shattered the previous full-distance IRONMAN best time of 8:18:20, set by Laura Philipp at the 2022 IRONMAN Hamburg European Championship. Knibb finished second in 8:20:15, marking her first full-distance IRONMAN podium, and Austria’s Lisa Perterer rounded out the women’s podium in 8:28:17.

"I’m really proud to pull together that (performance) against this field. Seriously, I’m really happy," said Matthews at the finish line. "I wasn’t feeling great to be honest. I thought, just ease into it, but the speed came quite easily, and the time just hemorrhaged. I feel lucky to claw back time really quickly and stay positive for most of it. The depth of the women’s field has grown, and the competition level at these IRONMAN Pro Series races really brings everyone together."

Top Five Female Professional Results

1. Kat Matthews (GBR) – 8:10:34 (Swim: 0:56:24 / Bike: 4:20:07 / Run: 2:49:18) – 5,000 points – $28,000

2. Taylor Knibb (USA) – 8:20:15 (Swim: 0:50:42 / Bike: 4:19:46 / Run: 3:04:43) – 4,419 points – $17,500

3. Lisa Perterer (AUT) – 8:28:17 (Swim: 0:56:21 / Bike: 4:23:12 / Run: 3:03:00) – 3,937 points – $11,000

4. Alice Alberts (USA) – 8:36:34 (Swim: 0:57:20 / Bike: 4:24:35 / Run: 3:09:48) – 3,440 points – $8,500

5. Sara Svensk (SWE) – 8:46:21 (Swim: 1:02:27 / Bike: 4:34:07 / Run: 3:04:42) – 2,853 points – $6,500

In the men’s race, Texas-sized intensity was evident from the cannon’s fire, with a packed swim group and multiple course records shattered. The men's swim saw 25 competitors exit the water within a minute, led by Ben Kanute (USA), Andrea Salvisberg (SUI), and Thomas Gordon (USA). On the bike, Australian powerhouse Cameron Wurf surged to the front, setting a new IRONMAN bike record of 3:53:32. Despite Wurf leading into T2, it was Norwegian Olympic Champion Kristian Blummenfelt who quickly asserted dominance on the marathon, ultimately winning in a new course-best 7:24:20.

"It felt super good, especially the first 25K," said Blummenfelt post-race. "The last 7–8K it got tough, but I felt stable even with the heat. To be able to take 5,000 points today is crucial. I’m super happy with today’s win."

Top Five Male Professional Results

1. Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) – 7:24:20 (Swim: 0:48:34 / Bike: 3:57:14 / Run: 2:34:03) – 5,000 points – $28,000

2. Antonio Benito López (ESP) – 7:32:23 (Swim: 0:48:33 / Bike: 3:57:20 / Run: 2:41:55) – 4,517 points – $17,500

3. Rudy Von Berg (USA) – 7:33:26 (Swim: 0:48:39 / Bike: 3:57:16 / Run: 2:42:52) – 4,454 points – $11,000

4. Daniel Baekkegard (DEN) – 7:35:04 (Swim: 0:48:58 / Bike: 3:59:34 / Run: 2:41:01) – 4,356 points – $8,500

5. Casper Stornes (NOR) – 7:37:04 (Swim: 0:48:41 / Bike: 3:58:21 / Run: 2:45:06) – 4,236 points – $6,500

The 2025 Memorial Hermann IRONMAN North American Championship Texas triathlon hosted nearly 90 professional athletes and approximately 2,500 age group participants. The event featured a $175,000 USD professional prize purse and awarded five qualifying slots per gender for the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France (men) and Kona, Hawai`i (women).

News and Notes:

• Kat Matthews (GBR) wins her third straight Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas title with a record time of 8:10:34.

• Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) posted the fastest marathon of the day at 2:34:03.

• Kat Matthews also clocked the fastest women’s marathon split at 2:49:19.

• Cameron Wurf (AUS) and Taylor Knibb (USA) set new best bike course records.

• Andrea Salvisberg (SUI) and Rachel Zilinskas (USA) posted the fastest swim splits.

• Chloe Lane (AUS) now leads the IRONMAN Pro Series standings after finishing 10th.

• Rudy Von Berg (USA) moves into first place in the IRONMAN Pro Series standings following his third-place finish.

Full results for the 2025 Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas North American Championship are available at www.ironman.com/im-texas-results. For additional event information, visit www.ironman.com/im-texas.

Photos Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas | 04/26/25

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