{"id":13765,"date":"2022-04-21T18:03:55","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T16:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.220triathlon.com\/?p=97723"},"modified":"2022-04-21T18:17:14","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T16:17:14","slug":"who-will-win-the-mens-race-at-the-ironman-world-championship","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/rss_feed\/who-will-win-the-mens-race-at-the-ironman-world-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Who will win the men\u2019s race at the Ironman World Championship?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Tim Heming\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 21 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The Ironman World Championship will leave the Big Island of Hawaii for the first time<\/a> next month as St George in Utah steps up to host the rearranged 2021 contest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Kona may have a monopoly on the history of this event, the new venue promises even more intrigue as to who will come out on top in the professional races, and arguably makes it even harder to call.<\/p>\n

With more elevation on the bike and run than in Hawaii, but without the sapping humidity of the Pacific island, St George looks a far more open contest than the annual October pilgrimage to Hawaii.<\/p>\n

We are also shorn of some of the biggest names on the men\u2019s side, most notably three-time winner and defending champion Jan Frodeno<\/a><\/strong>, who has withdrawn with an Achilles tear<\/a><\/strong>, and two-time champion Patrick Lange<\/a><\/strong>, who suffered a bike crash in February and hasn\u2019t been able to regain fitness in time.<\/p>\n

Also absent are 2019 runner-up, Tim O\u2019Donnell of the USA, and the usual swim leader, Australia\u2019s Josh Amberger.<\/p>\n

It leaves just one former Ironman world champion in the field, but while 2014 winner Sebastian Kienle has the pedigree, he\u2019s also been plagued by injuries and announced he\u2019ll retire at the end of 2023.<\/p>\n

While St George has hosted several high calibre races in recent years over the middle distance, including last year\u2019s Ironman 70.3 World Championship<\/a><\/strong>, a full iron distance race has not taken place there since 2012.<\/p>\n

How it will play out against the red rock backdrop remains in question, but despite the missing Germans, there are new faces who have already proved they can take Ironman racing by storm. Let\u2019s look at the main contenders.<\/p>\n

Who will win the men\u2019s 2021 Ironman World Championship?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Kristian Blummenfelt, 27, Norway<\/strong><\/h3>\n

No triathlete has ever held the Ironman World Championship, Olympic title<\/a><\/strong> and World Triathlon crown<\/a><\/strong> simultaneously, but that\u2019s what Big Blu from Bergen will attempt.<\/p>\n

If his debut Ironman in Cozumel in November<\/a><\/strong> was anything to go by, he has every chance. The Norwegian finished in a fastest-ever time over the iron distance of 7:21:11, albeit helped by a current on the swim.<\/p>\n

If he has a weakness, it\u2019s likely to be in the water, but as he\u2019s shown on many occasions in short-course racing, he has the bike legs to reel in any breakaways. It\u2019s a rare feat for a triathlete to win on Ironman World Championship debut. The last man to do it was Belgian Luc van Lierde in 1996, but it wouldn\u2019t come as a surprise.<\/p>\n

With Frodeno\u2019s absence, Blummenfelt \u2013 who will go head-to-head with Alistair Brownlee in the Pho3nix Sub7 challenge a month later \u2013 will start as many people\u2019s race favourite.<\/p>\n