“He did not make it easy for me!” Martin Van Riel battles local favourite Valdemar Solok in thrilling Ironman 70.3 Elsinore race

GB’s Kat Matthews found an extra gear to take the women’s race at Ironman 70.3 Elsinore, but the men’s race was equally dynamic from the outset, with a battle between Van Riel and home hero Solok.

What happened in the swim

with South Africa’s Jamie Riddle and Germany’s Hannes Butters pushing the pace in the water. It was Butters who clocked the fastest swim of the day in 21:47, exiting alongside Riddle to establish an early lead group.

What happened on the bike

On the bike, local favorite Valdemar Solok thrilled the home crowd, riding assertively to the front and asserting control. Van Riel soon joined him, with the pair working together effectively to build an advantage over the rest of the field.

Behind them, a strong chase group formed, including Pierre Dupuy (FRA), Kristian Høgenhaug (DEN), and others, with the top four men all producing sub-two-hour bike splits in a testament to the pace of racing.

What happened on the run

Solok entered T2 marginally ahead, but Van Riel wasted no time asserting himself on the run. The two remained shoulder-to-shoulder in the early stages, with Solok refusing to yield in front of his home supporters.

However, as the race unfolded, Van Riel gradually applied pressure, eventually breaking clear to take control. Displaying his trademark strength and consistency, the Belgian dominated the run to secure his sixth IRONMAN 70.3 victory in a time of 03:36:03.

Behind them, Riddle held position early in third, but France’s Simon Viain produced a standout run performance (1:09:25), slicing through the field to claim the final podium spot.

Solok’s second-place finish marked a career-defining performance for the Dane, while Viain’s late surge completed an exciting men’s podium. Riddle and Høgenhaug rounded out the top five.

Van Riel said: “It was full gas [on the run]. In the beginning, Valdemar was running with me and he did not make it easy for me. But yeah, I could control it a little bit once I had a solid gap to him, and make sure that I didn’t completely collapse and get the full 2,500 points and the ‘W’ in the bag, so yeah that’s incredible.”

Image: ELSINORE, DENMARK – JUNE 21: Marten Van Riel (C) of Belgium 1st, Valdemar Solok (L) of Denmark 2nd and Simon Viain of France 3rd on the podium of Ironman 70.3 Elsinore on June 21, 2026 in Elsinore, Denmark. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images for IRONMAN)

Helen Webster Editor, 220 Triathlon

About

Helen has been 220's Editor since July 2013, when she made the switch from marathons to multisport. She's usually found open-water swimming and has competed in several swimruns as well as the ÖtillÖ World Series. Helen is a qualified Level 2 Open-Water Swim Coach focusing on open-water confidence and runs regular workshops at the South West Maritime Academy near Bristol. She is also an RLSS UK Open Water Lifeguard trainer/assessor.