For IRONMAN its European and South African racing seasons kick-off on April 19, 2026, with the ISUZU IRONMAN South Africa African Championship and IRONMAN 70.3 Valencia. Both events have attracted high-calibre professional fields, while the IRONMAN Pro Series continues the same weekend at the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas North American Championship in the United States.
The ISUZU IRONMAN South Africa African Championship returns to Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa. Here, professional athletes will compete for a share of a US$150,000 prize purse and four qualifying slots per gender for the 2026 IRONMAN World Championship.
With 2025 champions Magnus Ditlev and Anne Reischmann absent, a new African champion will be crowned. Local favourite Jamie Riddle returns to his hometown race following a fifth-place finish in his IRONMAN debut last year. Riddle, a South African Olympian, secured top-10 finishes at both the IRONMAN World Championship and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship last season.
He faces competition from Matthew Marquardt (USA), who recently competed in the 600km Absa Cape Epic mountain bike race. Marquardt holds two IRONMAN victories from Lake Placid and Cairns. Also in the field is Rasmus Svenningsson (SWE), the 2024 IRONMAN African Champion, alongside Frederic Funk (DEU) and Gregory Barnaby (ITA), the 2024 IRONMAN Pro Series Champion.
In the women’s professional field, Katrine Christensen (DEN) wears bib number one. Christensen previously won IRONMAN Kalmar and placed on the podium in South Africa last year. She is joined by a strong German contingent including Laura Jansen, who finished fourth in the 2025 IRONMAN Pro Series. Representing the UK are Rebecca Anderbury, Daisy Davies, and Claire Hann.
In Spain, IRONMAN 70.3 Valencia enters its third year with a professional field of over 100 athletes. 2023 IRONMAN World Champion Sam Laidlow (FRA) is expected to be a frontrunner as he makes his IRONMAN 70.3 debut.
Johannes Vogel (DEU) returns to defend his title against challengers such as last year’s runner-up Fabian Kraft (DEU) and Lasse Nygaard Priester (DEU).
The women’s race features reigning champion Danielle Kleiser (DEU), who comes off a successful 2025 season. Other top contenders include Marjolaine Pierre (FRA), who won IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-en-Provence last year, 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 European Champion Lena Meissner (DEU), and Imogen Simmonds (CHE).
Professional athletes in Valencia are competing for a US$40,000 prize purse and qualifying slots for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France.
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