Every October, Kona becomes hallowed ground for triathletes worldwide—and 2025 delivered one of the most dramatic and unforgettable Women’s IRONMAN World Championship races in recent memory. With brutal heat, heartbreaking DNFs, and a rookie crushing expectations, the 2025 edition will be remembered as a test of grit, strategy, and timing.
Context & Key Notes
In 2025, the IRONMAN World Championships were split: the men’s championship was held in Nice, France, while the women’s championship returned to its historic home in Kona.
- This Kona edition was also significant because it marks the final standalone women’s world championship in Hawaiʻi. From 2026 onward, men’s and women’s titles will again be contested together in Kona.
- More than 1,700 age-group athletes joined the professionals in tackling Kona’s punishing 140.6-mile course.
- Conditions were brutal: heat nearing 90 °F (≈32–33 °C), high humidity, crosswinds—classic Kona challenge territory.
The Marathon Drama
- At the start of the marathon, things looked promising for the front runners. But the Kona heat is notorious, and it began to take its toll.
- Lucy Charles-Barclay, who had looked strong through the bike, withdrew around mile 17 of the run, having succumbed to the conditions.
- Taylor Knibb, who had held the lead late into the run, collapsed with less than two miles remaining and was taken from the course via ambulance.
- That opened the door for Løvseth. She seized the moment, overtook the fading leaders, and sprinted to the finish.
- Alongside her, Kat Matthews mounted a late push—she ran the fastest marathon of the day (2:47:23), a course record, but came up just 35 seconds short of Løvseth.
Final Podium & Standouts
- First Place: Solveig Løvseth (Norway); 8:28:27 — in her first Kona start and only her third full Ironman ever
- 2nd Place: Kat Matthews (Great Britain); 8:29:02, with a blazing 2:47:23 marathon (course record)
- 3rd Place: Laura Philipp (Germany); 8:37:28 — the 2024 world champ showed grit in harsh conditions to still make a podium finish
Other notable performances:
- Hannah Berry (NZL) came in 4th.
- Lisa Perterer (AUT) made a striking Kona debut finishing 5th.
- Holly Lawrence, Jocelyn McCauley, and several others cracked the top 10.
Also, among the age-groupers, Natalie Grabow, age 80, became the oldest woman to ever complete Kona, finishing in 16:45:26.
And a personal congratulations to Elisabetta Curridori from Italy. She was the 16th finisher. Awesome performance for a repeat Ironman athlete. My husband and I sat next to Elisabetta on our flight back home to Kona after a wonderful time in Panama attending our niece’s wedding. Elisabetta was modest and kind enough to indulge us in in answering a few Ironman-related questions.
Takeaways & Legacy
- A rookie’s audacious breakthrough. Løvseth’s win in just her third Ironman and first time in Kona is rare territory.
- Timing matters. The heat collapse from Knibb and Charles-Barclay underscores that in Kona, strong early splits are meaningless without survival in the marathon.
- A new chapter closing. With this being the final women-only Kona championship, Løvseth becomes the last champion of that era.
- Norwegian dominance continues. Just a month earlier, Norway swept the men’s podium in Nice. Løvseth’s win adds to that narrative.
- Pro Series implications. Kat Matthews still leads the Ironman Pro Series coming out of Kona, but Løvseth’s surge has tightened the standings with one race left.
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