Traveling all the way across the Pacific with a fresh win still in his legs, CADEX triathlete Kristian Blummenfelt lined up at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside with tempered expectations. "I don't see myself winning here," he said at the pre-race press conference. "If I get a podium, I'm quite happy."
What unfolded over the next three hours and 40 minutes was a masterclass in racing highlighted by another scorching run.
Blummenfelt exited the water in a large chase group and then settled into a disciplined bike leg aboard his CADEX Tri frameset, rolling on the Max Aero Disc rear and Aero 4-Spoke front wheel. He crossed into T2 about two minutes behind the leaders, a comfortable position for the Norwegian who is well accustomed to closing gaps on the run.
Jonas Schomburg of Germany had built a commanding lead at that point and looked set for a breakthrough victory. Reigning Ironman World Champion Casper Stornes was also in the mix. But Blummenfelt ran them down.
The decisive move came with about 2 miles to go in the 13.1-mile run, when Blummenfelt surged past the remaining contenders and never looked back. His half-marathon split of 1:07:01 shattered the Oceanside run course record, and his finishing time of 3:40:08 rewrote the overall course record as well. Schomburg held on for second, with Stornes rounding out the podium in third.
"I had to work hard for it today," Blummenfelt said after the win. "I barely made it."
Maybe true by Blummenfelt's standards, but from the outside it looked like something else entirely—his second course record in as many starts, his second come-from-behind victory in seven days, and another dominant performance.