Patrick Lange Rises Above Kona Carnage for Course Record

In the pre-race press conference, the fastest runner in Ironman predicted the 2024 men’s Ironman World Championship race would be “the best race of all time.” What he kept to himself, however, was that he would be the one to make it so. The 38 year-old German notched his third Ironman World Championship title in Kona, clocking a 2:37:34 run en route to a 7:35:53 overall finishing time, shattering the 7:40:24 course record set by Gustav Iden set in 2022. Magnus Ditlev of Denmark took second place, while American Rudy von Berg placed third.

It was a day of remarkable speed, with seven men breaking the bike course record and the top 16 finishers going sub-8 hours. But with great speed in Kona also comes great meltdowns, and there were several, including former Ironman world champions (and pre-race favorites) Sam Laidlow and Kristian Blummenfelt.

2024 Ironman World Championship Kona Results: Race Morning

Low, dark clouds formed over the transition area on the Kona Pier, casting an ominous pall over transition instead of the usual technicolor sunrise associated with race morning. But the mood in transition was quite the opposite. Despite the firepower of the pro field and high stakes of an Ironman world championship on Hawaiian soil, the deep respect the pro men had for each other was palpable on race morning: smiles, fist bumps, and good-lucks were exchanged between athletes as they performed their final pre-race preparations in transition. It was a continuation of the mood at the pre-race press conference, where one of the most competitive men’s pro fields in Ironman world championship history actually seemed to be having fun with each other.

But this was no social hour, a fact made clear as athletes descended the steps at Dig Me Beach for an in-water warmup. With goggles on and swim skins zipped up, each athlete looked out into the water, reviewing their strategy for the seven-plus hours of racing that they hoped would change their life.

2024 Ironman World Championship Kona Results: Swim

Immediately after the start cannon fired, it was clear that everyone wanted to stay on the feet of a previous world champion. Two massive packs formed – one behind Sam Laidlow, the other behind Patrick Lange, Kristian Blummenfelt, and Gustav Iden – eventually merging together and moving as one through the first 800 meters. It was a staggering sight to witness – 54 pro men in a tangle of thrashing arms and legs, each refusing to drop off the pace. Caps were pulled and lost; all friendliness was over. This field knew that giving up even a second before the bike could devolve into minutes on the Queen K Highway, if the superbikers got into T1 before them.

However, as athletes approached the turnaround at the halfway mark, Laidlow began to surge, turning the pack into a single-file paceline as athletes scrambled to stay within contact. Though smaller gaps began to form, virtually the entire pro race was within striking distance of the front as they headed back. Those closest to Laidlow included his fellow Ironman world champions as well as strong swimmers like Menno Koolhaas, Ben Kanute, Matthew Marquardt, and Braden Currie. But there were also a few surprises at the front: superbikers like Magnus Ditlev and Robert Kallinn were putting in a heroic effort to stay in an ideal position into T2.

In the final 800 meters, Koolhaas made a decisive move to take the front spot ahead of Laidlow, turning the screws ever so slightly. Though 25 strong swimmers responded in kind, the tiny change was just enough to break up the athletes barely hanging on. Ditlev and Kallin struggled to bridge the gap, falling into a pack with Kristian Hogenhaug and Bradley Weiss; a third pack fell even further behind, containing Arnaud Gilloux, Matt Hanson, and – in a surprising turn of events – Gustav Iden.

Koolhaas was the first to exit the water, with 22 men hot on his heels, all emerging in the span of 26 seconds—including overall contenders like Laidlow, Lange, von Berg, and Blummenfelt. The second pack was 1:30 behind, led by Amorelli, Ditlev, and Kallin, with the third group containing Gilloux, Iden, Leon Chevalier, and Hanson 3:31 down. Though most of the pro field was in one of those three packs, a few struggled to stay competitive in the swim: Lionel Sanders and Cam Wurf exited the water more than five minutes down from the lead in 47th and 49th place, respectively.

2024 Ironman World Championship Kona Results: Bike

Though Koolhaas was first out of the water, his lead did not extend into T1. Immediately, Laidlow went to the front of the race and began building a lead. By mile 14, he had gained almost two minutes over the rest of the field.

With the gigantic pack of 20-plus riders, passing became a very dangerous affair, as once an athlete began to move upward, race rules required the completion of the pass. This was especially challenging as the groups stretched for hundreds of meters down the Queen K. The addition of anti-drafting technology Race Ranger, used in Kona for the first time ever, made the dynamic even more complex.

It wasn’t long before Blummenfelt decided to push ahead of the chase pack in search of Laidlow. But he had company: Ditlev, who made a huge move between miles 15 and 25 after a fairly medium start to go from 20th place to second.

Once at the front, Ditlev pulled away with fellow overall contender Blummenfelt in tow—moving slightly faster than Laidlow for the first time—while a small gap formed to the 15 athletes behind near mile 30. Most notably, the group included overall contenders like Lange, von Berg, and Menno Koolhaus.

Unfortunately things went south for Blummenfelt quickly—around mile 45, he began to show signs of gastrointestinal issues. Though plenty of memes exist of Blummenfelt vomiting at races, they tend to be captured at the finish line, not in-race; the sight of Blummenfelt throwing up excessively mid-ride explained his inability to stay with Ditlev.

In the span of just ten miles, Blummenfelt lost almost a full minute to the hard-charging Ditlev and an additional 30 seconds to Laidlow; soon he was swallowed up by the large chase pack.

Even though pre-race, fighting the heat was the name of the game—with things like bike cockpit cooling systems and athletes like Laidlow filling their helmets with ice in T1—conditions were uncharacteristically cool, but slightly windy, on the bike out to Hawi.

Laidlow was the first to roll through the turnaround point in Hawi, where he could visually assess his position for the first time since leaving town. It was there that he would cross paths with Ditlev, 2:33 behind, and the large chase pack now almost five minutes behind.

After the turnaround, speeds picked back up on the descent back toward town. The large main group still included contenders like von Berg, Lange, and Chevalier, who continued to lose time to Laidlow (and Ditlev, chasing the Frenchman roughly 2:40 back) through mile 80.

Laidlow’s lead extended even further in the final quarter of the bike, despite the best efforts of the athletes behind him. But he wasn’t the only one dropping the hammer – less than ten miles from transition, Kallin surged ahead, finally catching Ditlev and moving into second place, as the Dane slowed considerably in the last 10 miles of the bike.

The final stretch into town also saw big position changes for a few major players: Kristian Hogenhaug, who rode his way from 28th out of the swim into fourth on the bike; Leon Chevalier, who moved from 40th in the swim to seventh in T2; and superbiker Cam Wurf who rode strong in the final half to go from 49th to 18th in T2.

Laidlow flew into T2 with a bike split of 3:57:22, breaking his own bike course record of 4:04:36, set in the “once-in-a-lifetime” conditions of 2022. At the end of the day, seven athletes would also break the old bike course record, showing a perfect storm of conditions, race tactics, training, and bike tech.

At the end of the day, seven athletes would also break the old bike course record, showing a perfect storm of conditions, race tactics, training, and bike tech.

Kallin followed Laidlow 5:53 behind, and Ditlev in third, 6:37 from the lead. More than seven minutes down from Laidlow, the chase pack of 11 came into transition with dangerous runners like Lange and speedy Kona rookies Gregory Barnaby and Koolhaas.

But the overcast and mild conditions that aided Laidlow in his bike course records would not last. As the race leader set out on the run, the sun came out in full force, cranking up the heat to 86 degrees F and humidity to an intense 73%. If the bike seemed easy for Laidlow, it certainly wouldn’t be the same case for the run.

2024 Ironman World Championship Kona Results: Run

Though Laidlow was excited to take on the run course, waving his arms for louder cheers from the crowd, it was Lange who looked the freshest coming out of T2. Eleventh place off the bike, Lange made quick work of the field in front of him, taking down 10 athletes in the first 3 miles with a blistering 5:39 min/mi pace. But Laidlow was still more than seven minutes ahead, clocking 6:12 min/miles.

Other early movers on the run unsurprisingly included Koolhaas—who had already run a blistering 2:35 marathon at Ironman Frankfurt two months previously. Chevalier was also running very well through the first 10 miles and moved into third place, while Ditlev somehow clawed his way back into the top five after struggling out of T2.

With Lange cutting into his lead, Laidlow had to choose his run strategy very carefully. Perhaps taking a page out of 2022 Kona winner Chelsea Sodaro’s playbook, Laidlow opted to walk aid stations, taking in every cup of water he could. But that didn’t seem to sustain him – at mile 10, his form deteriorated rapidly, his pace slowing to 7:15 min/mi.

As Laidlow devolved, Lange seized the opportunity to make the pass right after mile 11, offering his competition-turned-compatriot a pat on the butt and brief check-in. The move seemed to give Laidlow permission to surrender, and surrender he did – the Frenchman staggered into the next aid station and chugged a two-liter bottle of cola while he watched the new race leader disappear over the hill.

The next to pass Laidlow was Chevalier at mile 12. Shortly after, a resurging Ditlev moved into third, ahead of a dejected Laidlow.

On the run, the large chase pack on the bike split into two camps: those who had settled into a sustainable pace and those who cooked themselves trying to keep up. In the latter camp was Marquardt, who – like Laidlow – slowed to a walk in the first half of the marathon. Chevalier soon joined, slowing to a walk in the Energy Lab as Ditlev ran into second place.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was von Berg, who quietly worked his way through the field into fourth place by the halfway point; Barnaby, who maintained a steady pace and positioning; and Wurf, who seemed to have finally cracked the bike-run code that had eluded him at Kona previously. The infamous Energy Lab proved pivotal for all three, with von Berg moving into third, Barnaby into sixth, and Wurf into tenth.

Meanwhile at the front, Lange continued to put on a running masterclass as so many behind him blew apart. He was still running at 2:35 marathon pace at mile 18, putting in time on Ditlev in second: four minutes at mile 16, 5:30 at mile 19, 6:10 at mile 20. He showed no signs of cracking in the heat and humidity, and showed sportsmanship with his fellow competitors, offering a small wave or a nod in passing as he headed back on the Queen K toward town.

Lange was confident in his victory to the end, running with shoulders back and head high all the way down the final stretch on Ali’i Drive. In the end, his 2:37:34 marathon and 7:53:53 overall finish time was more than enough of a cushion to fully celebrate his win with friends, family, and fans before welcoming second-place finisher Ditlev across the line 7 minutes and 45 seconds later. Rudy von Berg came in third, improving on his fourth-place finish from 2023 Nice and achieving his year-long goal of cracking the podium at an Ironman World Championship race.

Though much of the top ten was sorted by the Energy Lab, there was one ringer: Hanson, who clocked a 2:45:25 marathon split to slide into 10th place at the finish in 7:54. The American pursued the top ten relentlessly after entering T2 in 30th place, more than 20 minutes down from the lead.

Though there were times when it looked as if Laidlow might pull the plug on his race in the final miles, he stuck it out, taking 18th place with a time of 8:02:01. Blummenfelt rallied after his tough day as well, finishing 35th place in 8:29:58.

2024 Ironman World Championship Kona Results: Top 10

Full results, visit the Ironman Athlete Tracker

Finish-line quotes from the 2024 Ironman World Championship Kona

Patrick Lange on victory

“I always said my best day here is to come, and nobody believed me,” Lange said in his finish-line interview. “This was a perfect day. Absolutely perfect. Mahalo, thank you, thank you to all of you out there. You’ve been great.”

Full post-race interview with Lange: Interview: Patrick Lange Put on Masterclass to Win Third World Title for His Late Mother

Magnus Ditlev on second place

“I’m really proud, it’s probably the toughest race I’ve ever done. I struggled big time on the bike, the last part, I didn’t even know I would be able to finish when I entered T2 in such a bad space…the mental fight was beyond anything I’ve ever done.”

“It was really tough. It’s hard to describe. It’s the hardest day of my life by far, I struggled the eitre run. I’m so happy that I managed to put one foot in front of the other.”

Full post-race interview with Ditlev: Video: Magnus Ditlev Nearly Dropped Out Before Battling to Second Place in Kona

Rudy von Berg on third place

“I’m obviously extremely happy, but that was definitely the toughest race I’ve ever done. Kona hits different and I thought I was super in control of the marathon, as much as you can be on a marathon of an Ironman…it just takes such a big toll on your body.”

“I don’t have that many words. Honestly, I’m just extremely happy.”

Full post-race interview with von Berg: Top American Rudy Von Berg Details His 2024 Kona Podium Assault