Belgium's Jelle Geens Wins the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World ...

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Staged in front of a stunning snowy-peaked background behind the chilly waters of Take Taupo, the 2024 men’s Ironman 70.3 World Championship was one for the ages, as Belgium’s Jelle Geens overcame a disappointing Paris Olympics to take the 2024 70.3 World Championship crown. Using a balanced and patient 22:23 swim, a race-best 1:59:08 bike, and race-best 1:07:34 run, Geens would pass hometown favorite Hayden Wilde (NZL) in the final miles of the run to break the tape. Scroll below to read how the exciting race played out.

In the race for the Ironman Pro Series title, Italy’s Gregory Barnaby retained his lead and took the series win and $200,000 of the $1.7 million series bonus purse, while Patrick Lange (GER) – who didn’t race in Taupo – took second, and Kristian Hogenhaug (NOR) finished third in the series.

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2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship men’s results: Swim

It was a wetsuit-legal swim in the rippling Lake Taupo, as conditions were reported to be 67 degrees F in the water and a brisk 57 degrees F in the air. Though observers expected a big, tight pack, clearly there were fast swimmers with other ideas.

Marc Dubrick (USA) lead out the start of the swim through the first few hundred meters, setting the tone for a super super fast pace through the first half of the 1.2-mile swim, as a group of four including Dubrick, Josh Amberger (AUS), Leo Bergere (FRA), and Greg Harper (USA) strung out the leaders, before Harper eventually launched off the front just past the halfway mark.

Harper would extend his gap and come out of the water first in 21:48. Twelve seconds behind him was the aforementioned pack of three, then a bigger group including top contenders like Rico Bogen (GER), Hayden Wilde (NZL), Kyle Smith (NZL), and Jelle Geens (BEL) less than 20 seconds behind Bergere’s group.

All in all, none of the major pre-race favorites were missing from the two lead groups, and only 1:33 separated the first swimmer out of the water and Matt Hanson (USA), the last person in a major pack. The only slight surprise out of the water was typically strong swimmer and Ironman Pro Series contender Matthew Marquardt (USA), who came out 1:13 down alongside pre-race wildcard Mathis Margirier (FRA).

2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship men’s results: Bike Cyclists tackle the rolling course around Taupo, New Zealand, at the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. (Photo: Fiona Goodall/ Ironman)

Out onto the rough chip seal roads of Taupo, a lead group of nine would form through the first five miles led by Bergere that also included Wilde, Geens, Bogen, and Smith among others. The next group of three was only 20 seconds down with Margirier, then another 20 seconds to a very large main group. Marquardt, who had an opportunity to win the Ironman Pro Series, continued to struggle with quad cramps and would precipitously lose time throughout the bike – giving a huge opportunity to strong cyclist Kristian Hogenhaug (NOR) to move up in the series.

The men were blessed with very little wind through the first half of the bike on the Thermal Explorer Highway, and while Dubrick dropped a chain and lost his group of nine, the packs stayed largely the same through the first 15 miles. The big movers through the early rolling hills of the bike included Hogenhaug and Ruben Zepuntke (GER) who had moved to the front of the now 15-man main chase pack that included Ironman Pro Series leader Gregory Barnaby (ITA). Margirier had also ridden super hard to get to the front group and was pushing that pack’s pace.

By 30 miles, the lead pack of eight – Geens, Margirier, Bergere, Wilde, Smith, Bogen, Henri Schoeman (RSA), and Justus Nieschlag (GER) – had roughly 1:20 on the next group behind them. The large chase pack behind had begun to splinter due to the fast pace and now only a bunch of nine rode together, trying to limit the damage to the contenders at the front. The chase group still contained the driving duo of Hogenhaug and Zepuntke, along with Barnaby and Dubrick, among others along the long, straight-and-flat stretches near the middle of the bike course.

At the base of the final climb, around mile 45, it became clear that the lead group was well organized and working together. The eight-man pack had extended their lead to almost two minutes ahead of the trailing group of nine – despite Hogenhaug’s best efforts to limit their time losses to a group that likely contained the eventual race winner. Behind the group of nine, a monster gap had widened to the next athlete sitting in 18th place, two minutes further behind the chase pack.

Near the top of Heartbreak Hill, the lead group of eight had further widened the gap to 2:15 on the chasers at mile 50, and as they crested the slight grade, Margirier made a push and separated himself momentarily before the long descent back towards town and T2, though he was forced to serve a penalty before coming off the bike.

Wilde led into T2 with the fastest bike split of the day (1:58:51) and while Schoeman had lost time in the final bike section (and Margirier had fallen back with a penalty), the lead group had put even more time into the chasers behind.

2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship men’s results: Run Hayden Wilde of New Zealand would lead much of the run before fading in the final miles to finish second to Jelle Geens. (Photo: Fiona Goodall/Ironman)

Out onto the crowd-lined run, Wilde took off out of T2 and immediately separated himself from Geens and Smith – who followed – and Bergere and Bogen, who had lost almost a minute through the first mile. Bergere passed Smith for third place just before mile three, but still trailed Geens by 35 seconds and Wilde – who continued to pull away – by 1:10.

In the race for the pro series, Barnaby was almost four minutes off the race leader out onto the run – putting him well within striking distance to finish the series with the win. While Hogenhaug served a short penalty on the bike, he was still sitting in a good spot for the pro series less than five minutes from the front. Marquardt, however, found himself over 15 minutes from the race leaders coming out of T2, and while he was still in the race, his chances for a top-three pro series finish seemed nearly impossible.

Near the halfway mark of the run, Wilde had only extended his lead to almost a minute ahead of Geens and two minutes ahead of Bergere in third. Behind the French Olympic bronze medalist, Smith continued to lose time to the final podium spot and trailed Bergere by a minute.

However, near the 10-mile mark, Geens showed that he had played his hand perfectly and began to steadily gain on the Kiwi. Just around mile 11, Geens made a hard pass on a fast-fading Kiwi to take the lead, which he would retain all the way to the finish line with a time of 3:32:09, while Wilde would hang on for second and Bergere would take third – closely mirroring the final two spots of the 2024 Paris Olympic podium.

2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship men’s results: Top 10 Hayden Wilde (L), Jelle Geens (C) and Leo Bergere (R) celebrate on the podium at the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand.

For the full results, visit Ironman’s race tracker.

1. Jelle Geens (BEL) 3:32:09 2. Hayden Wilde (NZL) 3:33:22 3. Leo Bergere (FRA) 3:35:08 4. Kyle Smith (NZL) 3:37:51 5. Justus Nieschlag (GER) 3:38:06 6. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 3:39:20 7. Rico Bogen (GER) 3:39:36 8. Harry Palmer (GBR) 3:39:42 9. Gregory Barnaby (ITA) 3:40:14 10. Marc Dubrick (USA) 3:40:27 Post-race reactions from top finishers at the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship Jelle Geens

“Crazy day. I’ve been in this sport for a long time, I’ve been doing ITU for a long time, and I’ve really had my ups and downs…and to step up now to middle-distance racing and in my first try become world champion, it’s incredible.”

“[Early on the run] to be honest Hayden looked really good…I didn’t really believe anymore. You never know, it’s a long race, and even a guy as good as Hayden Wilde can have a weak moment in a long race like this.”

Hayden Wilde

“I put a big ambition out there, and obviously I really wanted to give it a go. I did the training, I know these roads like the back of my hand…It’s weird to say, but it’s really hard to slow yourself down in that first 10k. I just couldn’t do it, I was too excited, I went out too hard, and that’s learning.”

Leo Bergere

“The whole bike, I found it very hard…at the end of the bike, the guys went crazy again, but I decided to save my legs for the run.”

“I was expecting a good race, I was targeting the title coming in. Jelle was so strong today, he surprised me on the bike. He deserved the win, and I appreciate that he won it.”