“I had to work hard for it today!” Kristian Blummenfelt keeps up winning form at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside, while Taylor Knibb bags the women’s title
Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt once again proving unstoppable at the 2026 Athletic Brewing IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside race this weekend, while Taylor Knibb once again showed dominance on the bike to win the women’s race.
Less than a week after his victory at IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong, the reigning IRONMAN Pro Series champion produced another dominant performance to claim the win in 3:40:08, driven by a blistering 1:07:01 run split. The women’s race was defined by another commanding performance from three-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Taylor Knibb (USA) earning her third victory in Oceanside.
“It’s a fun race, but I have to remind myself it’s a little bumpy,” said Knibb following her victory. “I told my coach my ambitious plan, that I wanted to set my best 60-minute and 90-minute bike power. This is a great course you can do it on, because it really flows. I wanted to average 3:40 per k on the run, which I was doing for the first 16K, but not the last part. My wheel kind of went off. Sometimes you have to go out and try.”
What happened in the men’s race?
“I really had to work for it today. I felt super good on the run, but still had two minutes to Jonas and Sam Long,” said Blummenfelt. “I didn’t really see where Sam Long came from. I thought he was behind me on the bike. When I realized I had to close two minutes on him, I thought, this could be quite tight. I think I passed him with two and half K to go, so, super stoked to win back-to-back.”
After exiting the water within reach of front pack, Blummenfelt methodically worked his way through the field before unleashing a decisive 1:07 run to secure the win in a time of 3:40:08. The race began with American Marc Dubrick setting the early pace in the swim, followed closely by Germany’s Jonas Schomburg, who would remain a major factor throughout the day. On the bike, American Sam Long produced one of the standout performances of the event, storming from 33rd out of the water to the front and smashing the long‑standing bike course best with a 2:02:04 split, set by Lionel Sanders back in 2015.
Long and Schomburg entered T2 together with a two‑minute buffer, however, Blummenfelt’s trademark run strength proved insurmountable as he surged past both in the final miles to break the tape. Schomburg held on for a well‑earned second place, while fellow Norwegian and reigning IRONMAN World Champion Casper Stornes delivered a measured and consistent performance to claim the third spot on the podium.
What happened in the women’s race?
The women’s race was defined by another commanding performance from Taylor Knibb (USA), cementing her dominance across the bike and the run to claim the early season result and her third victory in Oceanside. After emerging from the water in the lead pack behind Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes, Knibb immediately asserted control on the bike, shattering her own course record with a 2:15:27 split and building a nearly five-minute cushion heading into T2. Behind her, reigning IRONMAN World Champion Solveig Løvseth (NOR) mounted an impressive charge, climbing from nearly three minutes down after the swim to secure second place with a strong late race push on the run.
France’s Audrey Merle delivered a breakthrough performance in her transition to middle‑distance racing, riding and running her way into a well‑earned third place. Despite early pressure from a select front swim group that included Lopes, Kirsten Kasper, and Marta Sanchez, Knibb’s unmatched bike power once again proved decisive, allowing her to control the race from the front and open her 2026 North American campaign with a statement win
Lead image: Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway finishes first place in the 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside on March 28, 2026 in Oceanside, California. (Photo by Melina Pizano/Getty Images)
Helen Webster
Editor, 220 Triathlon 
