“I was like ‘bam, switch on!’” GB’s Kat Matthews takes impressive victory in Ironman 70.3 Elsinore
Set against the stunning backdrop of the 15th-century Kronborg Castle, IRONMAN 70.3 Elsinore delivered a day of world-class racing as Great Britain’s Kat Matthews claimed an impressive victory.
What happened in the swim
The women’s race began at a relentless pace, with Australia’s Natalie Van Coevorden leading the way out of the water in a swift 24:15, heading a tightly packed front group of five that included Fenella Langridge (GBR), Marta Sánchez (ESP), Lotte Wilms (NLD), and Lena Meißner (DEU), all separated by just 10 seconds. Matthews exited just under two minutes behind.
What happened on the bike
On the bike, Lotte Wilms took control at the front, stretching the field as the race began to take shape. Behind, Denmark’s Katrine Christensen faced early adversity, receiving a penalty in transition. Undeterred, she delivered an impressive ride, bridging a four-minute swim deficit to rejoin the main chase pack.
As the kilometers ticked by, Sánchez moved into second position, while Wilms maintained her advantage at the lead, holding a gap of over two minutes. Matthews, riding in the chase pack alongside Langridge, remained approximately three minutes back heading into T2, with both athletes beginning the run together.
What happened on the run
Out onto the run course, Sánchez led early alongside Hanne de Vet (BEL), but the complexion of the race was about to change. Despite experiencing cramps in T2, Christensen quickly regained momentum, while Meißner surged to the front on the opening lap.
Eight kilometers in, Christensen took control from Meißner, but Matthews—already charging through the field—was rapidly closing. By the 3km mark she had halved her deficit, and by 10km she took the pass on Christensen.
In a commanding display, Matthews maintained both speed and composure, producing a race-defining 1:16 half marathon split. Having moved up seven places on the run, she surged to the front and never looked back, breaking the tape in dominant fashion in a time of 4:02:57.
Christensen’s resilience earned her second place on home soil, just 35 seconds back from Matthews, with Meißner completing the podium after a strong all-round performance.
Matthews said: “The plan was to do what I can to get to the front. But I did not expect to feel so bad on the bike – there were a lot of challenges… Getting onto the run, I didn’t feel great, but one of the pro men came past me at the start of the run and I was like ‘bam, switch on’ and I just ran with him for what must have been 8k or something – I can blame him for the first five kilometres!”
Helen Webster
Editor, 220 Triathlon 
