🐐 If you’re going to open a season, you may as well do it properly.
And that’s exactly what ANZCO Foods Ironman New Zealand has done, landing one of the greatest names the sport has known in Kristian Blummenfelt for the Ironman Pro Series opener in Taupō on March 7.
The 32-year-old Norwegian has a CV that will live in perpetuity. Olympic champion, Ironman World Champion, Ironman 70.3 World Champion, and reigning IronmanPro Series winner. And that’s barely scratching the surface.
The PTO world No.7, a undisputed generational talent, is clearly far from done too as he prepares to open the new season as the headline act in what Ironman are calling the deepest professional field in the event’s 42-year history.
For Kiwi fans and athletes alike, Blummenfelt’s first appearance in Aotearoa means the bar just went up in Taupō.
A global superstar meets a Kiwi stronghold
Blummenfelt will start as the hot favourite, but Taupō, with it’s potential lake chop and treacle-like roads, is not a course that gives up its secrets easily.
Just ask Mike Phillips.
The three-time IMNZ champion returns as the defending champion, armed with a course record (7:45:47) and a remarkable record of six podiums from seven starts. If anyone knows how to win here, it’s the Cantabrian.
Then there’s Kyle Smith, the local hope. When healthy, he’s proven he can mix it with the best in the world, and a return to form would put him firmly in the conversation on home roads.
And don’t overlook the Kiwi depth behind them. Jack Moody, Ben Hamilton, Sam Osborne, Tom Somerville, Matt Kerr, and Robert Huisman give the men’s race a distinctly New Zealand flavour and plenty of local intrigue.
Internationally, it’s a who’s who of contenders. American Trevor Foley is looking to bounce back, Sweden’s Rasmus Svenningsson already has a Kona slot secured, while France’s Pierre Le Corre adds serious intrigue on Ironman debut. Throw in the consistency of Matt Hanson, the strength of Henrik Goesch, and the firepower of Frederic Funk, and this is anything but a one-man show, even if all eyes will be on Blummenfelt.
Matthews headlines stacked women’s field
The women’s field is just as loaded.
Reigning IM Pro Series champion Kat Matthews arrives with her own point to prove, opening her season early in search of another dominant campaign.
Australia’s Regan Hollioake returns to defend her Taupō crown, while Kiwi favourite Hannah Berry brings both pedigree – who can forget her 4th in Kona? – and home support. A former winner here and one of last season’s quiet achievers on the world stage, Berry will be right in the mix.
American Jocelyn McCauley, a two-time IM NZ champion, adds serious experience, while the depth behind them is significant.
Lotte Wilms, Rebecca Clarke, Fenella Langridge, and Stephanie Clutterbuck bring front-pack swim speed, a factor that could shape the race early. Add podium threats like Nina Derron, Maja Stage Nielsen, Danielle Lewis, and Tamara Jewett, and a tight fight to the tape is a distinct possibility.
From a Kiwi perspective, Clarke and Berry lead the charge, with recent short course graduate Hannah Knighton intriguingly stepping up to the full distance.
Big stakes, bigger season
This isn’t just another edition of IMNZ.
Taupō doubles as the opening round of the 2026 IM Pro Series, with 5,000 points, a US$125,000 prize purse, and four qualifying spots per gender for the IM World Championship in Kona on the line.
More than 40 professionals from 15 countries will line up, alongside over 2,600 age-group athletes, making it the largest combined IM and 70.3 New Zealand event ever.
WOMEN’S PROFESSIONAL FIELD
F1: Regan Hollioake (AUS)
F2: Kat Matthews (GBR)
F3: Hannah Berry (NZL)
F4: Jocelyn Mccauley (USA)
F5: Lotte Wilms (NLD)
F6: Maja Stage Nielsen (DNK)
F7: Danielle Lewis (USA)
F8: Nina Derron (CHE)
F9: Gabrielle Lumkes (USA)
F10: Rebecca Clarke (NZL)
F11: Steph Clutterbuck (GBR)
F12: Tamara Jewett (CAN)
F14: Fenella Langridge (GBR)
F15: Chloe Lane (AUS)
F16: Alexia Bailly (FRA)
F17: Hannah Knighton (NZL)
F18: Rhianne Hughes (GBR)
F19: Line Bonde (DNK)
F20: Katie Treston-Torney (USA)
F21: Mizuki Hirayanagi (JPN)
MEN’S PROFESSIONAL FIELD
M1: Mike Phillips (NZL)
M2: Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR)
M3: Rasmus Svenningsson (SWE)
M4: Trevor Foley (USA)
M5: Henrik Goesch (FIN)
M6: Matt Hanson (USA)
M7: Jack Moody (NZL)
M8: Ben Hamilton (NZL)
M9: Kyle Smith (NZL)
M10: Pierre Le Corre (FRA)
M11: Frederic Funk (DEU)
M12: Mitchell Kibby (AUS)
M14: Sam Osborne (NZL)
M15: Jack Sosinski (AUS)
M16: Yvan Jarrige (FRA)
M17: Andy Krueger (USA)
M18: Nathan Dortmann (AUS)
M19: Tom Somerville (NZL)
M20: Matt Kerr (NZL)
M21: Calvin Amos (AUS)
M22: Jamie Hayes (USA)
M23: Dylan Thissen (NLD)
M24: Robert Huisman (NZL)
M25: David Martin (CZE)
