“I genuinely didn’t know if I was going to be able to get to the finish line.” Ironman World Champion Solveig Løvseth shares how tough Kona was this year.
In a spectacular race for the ages in stunning Kailua-Kona, Solveig Løvseth of Norway was crowned the 2025 Ironman World Champion, crossing the line in a time of 8:28:27.
The conditions weren’t easy for any of the athletes though with shocking scenes as both race leaders Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) and then Taylor Knibb (USA) crashed out on the run leg.
Great Britain’s Kat Matthews secured her third second place finish at an Ironman World Championship event, with defending champion Laura Philipp (DEU) finishing in third.
Løvseth, an Ironman World Championship rookie, took home the $125,000 USD winner’s prize money and 6,000 points in the Ironman Pro Series.
Tough running
“It has been hard to wrap my head around it,” said Løvseth after her victory. “I didn’t have the best swim but felt like I kept my calm. Out of the bike I felt really good and couldn’t really believe it when I started the run. But the run was really hard from the start, I genuinely didn’t know if I was going to be able to get to the finish line.
“I started to feel a bit better about halfway, which is unbelievable, because I really didn’t expect that. I was trying to keep my calm the whole way. I feel really sorry for both Taylor [Knibb] and Lucy [Charles-Barclay]. It was not the way I wanted to pass them.
“For the first time, I realized I can win this if everything goes right. The thought started to pop in my head and then when I passed Taylor I realized now that I had a chance, I just needed to not blow up.”
Lead image: Solveig Lovseth #16 of Norway celebrates after winning the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship Women’s Race on October 11, 2025 in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for IRONMAN)
Helen Webster
Editor, 220 Triathlon 
