When he crossed the finish line in downtown Frankfurt, setting a new course record of 7:25:57, Blummenfelt confirmed what many had suspected—the 31-year-old Norwegian is putting together yet another golden season in a career that has already seen several crowning moments.
A flat tire at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside in April may have left the triathlon community wondering what might have been, but there’s been nothing to ponder over since. Blummenfelt has won the last three Ironman Pro Series events he’s started. He’s ranked number one in the world, by a large margin.
At Frankfurt, another blistering run catapulted Blummenfelt into the race lead, though he didn’t catch leader Kristian Høgenhaug until the final of four laps on the 26.5-mile run course with less than five miles remaining.
And though he didn’t break the hallowed 2:30 marathon barrier—the course was 500 meters longer than a standard marathon—Blummenfelt ran a 2:30:59 split, the fastest marathon of his Ironman racing career. And he did it in sweltering 90-degree heat.
Høgenhaug opened a large gap on the bike split, exiting the second transition with an eight-minute lead over a chase group, though he received a one-minute stop-and-go penalty on the run for outside assistance.
Following a strong performance on the 112-mile bike leg—Blummenfelt rode a CADEX Tri frameset equipped with a Max Aero Disc rear wheel, Aero 4-Spoke 1K front wheel and Aero Cotton tires—the defending champion set out to run down Høgenhaug, who was having the best performance of his career.
Blummenfelt ran alongside compatriot Casper Stornes, the two Norwegians methodically reeling back the Dane together, until Blummenfelt went clear just after the halfway mark.
It took Blummenfelt eight miles on his own to catch Høgenhaug, but once he did he quickly left him behind, going on to register one of the fastest Ironman performances in history, adding a European Championship to the Ironman North American Championship earned April 27 in Texas.
“I was really pleased with it,” Blummenfelt said. “I was assuming that [Høgenhaug] would fall apart a little bit [on the run], because he was riding so strong. He was really responding on that third lap, so I had to really dig deep to catch him.”
Høgenhaug held on for second, finishing 2:35 behind Blummenfelt.
Stornes and CADEX athlete Gustav Iden, Blummenfelt’s training partners and compatriots, finished third and fourth respectively, putting three Norwegians in the top four. Iden’s bike leg was contested on a Giant Trinity Advanced SL equipped with CADEX Max Aero Disc rear wheel, Aero 4-Spoke 1K front wheel and Aero Cotton tires.
CADEX athlete Rudy Von Berg crossed the line in sixth, with a time of 7:40:00, as the top American finisher. Von Berg’s Factor HANZŌ was equipped with a CADEX Max Aero Disc rear wheel and Aero 4-Spoke 1K front wheel.
Based on his performances thus far this season, Blummenfelt must be considered one of the top favorites to win the Ironman World Championship, held September 14, in Nice, France.