Many of the world’s best female and male professional and age-group triathletes are currently preparing for the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship event in Taupō New Zealand on December 14-15, 2024.
With more than 6,200 athletes from 119 different countries, regions and territories, including nearly 100 professionals… ‘the athlete field is as diverse as the landscape that awaits them on the North Island of New Zealand.’
Over 2,400 women will take centre stage on Saturday, while around 3,800 men will go head-to-head on Sunday. Not only will new IRONMAN 70.3 World Champions and Age-Group champions be crowned, but the event will also serve as the deciding race of the inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series.
“After two brilliant IRONMAN World Championship events, we are now onto our third and final world championship event of the year in the stunning lakefront town of Taupō,” said Diana Bertsch, Senior Vice President of World Championship Events at The IRONMAN Group.
“Originally scheduled for 2020, Taupō is of our most anticipated destinations for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship event and we hope athletes agree it’s been worth the wait. Our theme this year is ‘Tuituia’, which is a Māori word meaning ‘Bound Together in Unity’.
“IRONMAN is all about people, from around the globe, connecting with each other, and with the land and in the oceans and waterways. Nowhere exudes such a culture and a lifestyle that is so entwined with the workings and the beauty of the natural world than New Zealand.”
In total, 119 countries, regions, and territories will be represented at the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon. European athletes lead the way with 31% of athletes registered to race, and North America is a close second, accounting for 29% of athletes.
18% of the field will proudly represent the home continent, Oceania, and 12% will be representing Latin America. Asia makes up 6% of the field, with Africa and Middle East representing 2% and 1% respectively to complete the 2024 athlete field.
The United States of America is the most represented nation with 1,586 athletes, followed by Australia (765), France (421), New Zealand (401), United Kingdom (390) and Canada (372).
Athletes are flying into the North Island of New Zealand from all corners of the globe including the Philippines, French Polynesia, Oman, and Iceland to race at the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon.
Other stats on the field competing in the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship event:
- 43 is the average age of registered athletes
- Robert Heins (USA) is the oldest male registered to race at 85 years-old, while Zane Moore (USA), aged 18, is the youngest.
- At 80 years old, Cherie Gruenfeld (USA) is the oldest in the women’s field, and Annika Rantanen, also aged 18, is the youngest.
- Originally scheduled to host the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in 2020, over 1,000 athletes have been waiting to race in Taupō, New Zealand and deferred their entries to this year.
- 31 athletes (15 women, 16 men) have their birthday on their respective race day.
- 119 countries, territories and regions represented, with the top five being the United States, Australia, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
- 47 US states will be represented, with the top five California (269), Colorado (119), Texas (114), Florida (100), and Washington (64).
- Six returning age group champions from the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship race in Lahti, Finland will be racing in Taupō: Great Britain’s Kerry McGrawley (F45-49), America’s Beni Gras-Thompson (F50-54), Estonia’s Timmo Jeret (M30-34), Great Britain’s Chris Standidge (M40-44), Australia’s Mark Clough (M55-59) and America’s Tim Bradley (M60-64).
- This will be the first time that the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon will be held in New Zealand, and the second time it will be hosted in Oceania, with the first location being Mooloolaba, Queensland, in Australia back in 2016.
