Top Female Triathletes from Around the World to Descend on The French Riveria for the 2024 VinfasT IRONMAN World Championship Triathlon

September 18, 2024

- More than 1,400 registered female athletes from 65 countries, regions and territories will converge in Nice, France for the women’s race of the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship on Sunday September 22 - This year, Nice will host the women’s VinFast IRONMAN World Championship race the

NICE, France / TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 17, 2024) – The best female triathletes from around the world are set to take centre stage on Sunday 22 September as they line up on the shores of the Côte d’Azur for the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN ^® World Championship^® triathlon in Nice, France. More than 1,400 registered athletes make up the first cohort of women in history to race the IRONMAN World Championship in Europe.

“We are delighted to welcome athletes and their ‘Ohana to the beautiful French Riveria for the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon and congratulate them on getting to the start line of the pinnacle event for our sport. We hope you enjoy your time in this scenic city uniquely positioned between the sea and the mountains.” said Diana Bertsch, Senior Vice President of World Championship Events at The IRONMAN Group. “This year, we are celebrating ‘Nouveau Souffle’ or ‘New Life’. While, we remain rooted in our history, we are also excited for our female athletes to create new memories in Nice, a city which already has global significance in the triathlon world.”

Regional representation at the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon sees Europe lead the way with 47 percent* of athletes registered to race and North America with the second most, accounting for 36 percent of athletes. Latin America follows with six percent, while Oceania and Asia will add five percent apiece to the field. Africa and the Middle East will make up the final two percent to complete the athlete field for the 2024 edition of the event.

The United States of America is the most represented nation with 447 registered athletes, followed by the United Kingdom (150), Germany (124), France (83), and Australia (54). Other athletes from countries as far as Bermuda, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, South Africa, and Vietnam are traveling from around the globe to race the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon.

With all eyes focused on those competing this coming Sunday, the women’s edition of the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship will once again provide a dedicated platform to celebrate women and share their unique stories of achievement, dedication, perseverance, and overcoming adversity.

Notable age-group athletes competing at the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship include:

• Missy Lestrange (USA) will represent as the oldest competitor at 72-years young, while Adrienne Bunn (USA) will be the youngest female competitor at the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship at 19 years old.
• Lucy Bartholomew (Melbourne, Australia) – Last year, Lucy became just the sixth person, and second women, to complete both the UTMB and the IRONMAN World Championship in the same year. A feat of nearly 400km in just six weeks. To add to the incredible achievement, Lucy finished 10th in the elite women’s race at UTMB. In 2024 Lucy is aiming to complete the UTMB and IRONMAN World Championship double once again – and this time, the races are just three weeks apart. With the UTMB already ticked off – Lucy again finished 10th in the elite women’s race, but this time over one hour and 40 minutes faster than last year – the Aussie ultra-athlete now turns her attention to Nice, where 226km of swim, bike, and run stands between her and another historical feat of endurance.
• Emilie Bonnet (Annecy, France) – For this 29 year-old athlete from Saint-Etienne, racing in Nice holds special significance, as it was here that she made her triathlon debut in 2021 at IRONMAN 70.3 Nice, and where she also completed her first IRONMAN triathlon in 2023, securing her slot to the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, and marking the beginning of a deep passion for the sport. After competing in Kona last year, in December, Emilie suffered a serious skiing accident that severely impacted her knee, forcing her to suspend training for several weeks. It wasn’t until May that she was able to start running again after more than four months off. Despite this challenge, Emilie managed to qualify for the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship. She now trains up to 20 hours a week, determined to do her best despite her injury. Emilie, who already made an impression by finishing third in her category at the 2023 IRONMAN France, hopes to write a new chapter in her athletic journey on the grounds where she first grew as an athlete.
• Nolwenn Daniel (Nostang, France) – The 41-year-old teacher and mother of three has been challenging herself ever since she tried her hand at long-distance triathlon events in 2017 and has several age group category victories and podium finishes to her name. However, her long-term journey came to a screeching halt last year, just as she had qualified to take part in the VinFast IRONMAN World Championships in Kona. Six weeks before the race of her life, Daniel had a cycling accident that put an end to her dream. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this mother warrior has pulled out all the stops to get back to the highest level, with the help of her friends and family. Determined not to let her chance go a second time, she is training hard, juggling her professional, personal and sporting life to be ready for the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship – and this one is on home soil.
• Pauline Green (Wirral, United Kingdon) – Pauline Green and her husband David became involved in triathlon later in life, after the couple moved to Bermuda – a country with a rich triathlon culture and community. At the age of 55, Pauline decided she wanted to take on an IRONMAN and so signed up to IRONMAN Austria in 2014, where she was joined by both her daughter and son. Her husband was a spectator that day and feeling inspired, decided he too wanted to sign up for an IRONMAN. Tragically, before he could reach the start line, David was diagnosed with Glioblastoma. He had a slow devastating decline and eventually passed away. A few years on, Pauline’s son challenged her to another IRONMAN, and together with her daughter and her brother, the family subsequently completed IRONMAN 70.3 Whistler, IRONMAN Mallorca, and IRONMAN Wales. With her late husband David always in her heart and mind, Pauline went on to compete at the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship and will return to the start line once again in Nice this year.
• Stephanie Joshi AKA ‘Nutty Foodie Fitness’ (London, United Kingdom) – Stephanie is a social media influencer with over half a million followers across platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. As a child, Joshi disliked physical education class in school and sports but got into fitness at 24 and has loved pushing herself since then. Through her social media Stephanie has amassed a significant following and begun documenting her journey to the start line of her first IRONMAN in Barcelona. Assuming she would be ‘one and done’, after qualifying for the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship Stephanie has continued to dedicate herself to triathlon, completing IRONMAN ^® 70.3^® Alcudia-Mallorca and IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea triathlons in preparation for Nice.
• Teresa Kastl (Cali., USA) – Teresa’s journey to the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship start list has been a series of challenges. After spending two weeks in the cardiac ICU from a pulmonary embolism which nearly took her life, Teresa then contracted severe anaemia which left her unable to walk up a flight of stairs. She would later shatter her ankle which left her needing two plates and 10 screws in the joint, not knowing if she would ever run again. But Teresa is a fighter and overcame all these setbacks, leaving her ready to take on the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Nice knowing Anything is Possible.
• Melanie Neuman (Lansing, NY, USA) – Melanie’s story is one of turning tragedy into inspiration. Melanie has lost half of her family members to a rare genetic disease called Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy, a disease is so rare that it’s only been traced to around 400 families worldwide. Despite losing many loved ones, Melanie is grateful that she is one of the lucky ones in her family to escape the disease and chooses to race IRONMAN triathlons to fundraise for a CADASIL organization so that the organization can continue their research and hopefully find a cure to the disease.
• Monica Puig (Puerto Rico/Atlanta, GA, USA) – Monica is a retired professional tennis player from Puerto Rico. Her career highlight was winning a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in the women’s tennis singles, becoming the first Puerto Rican to win an Olympic gold. After retiring at 28, Monica found running and started competing in marathons as a way of staving off depression and sadness that professional athletes often suffer post-retirement. Marathon running is what led Monica to compete in triathlons, specifically IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta and IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Rico, in which she earned a berth into the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Nice.
• Aurore Sacre (Nice, France) – Aurore is a former international water polo player, who represented France. After retiring from water polo, Aurore joined the world of triathlon. Despite her initial desire to slow down on the sporting front, triathlon has proved just as demanding, but also more convivial. Already proving to be an adept triathlete, Aurore finished in the top five of her age group category at IRONMAN 70.3 Nice earlier this year, an event which qualified her for the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship, to be held in her hometown of Nice, in what will be her first full-distance triathlon.
• Arame Tall-Delgago (Manchester, UK) – Growing up in Seville, Spain, Arame was always sporty. She took part in rugby, boxing and kayaking. After moving to Manchester, England when she was 16, she studied Sports Science and then later became a female fire fighter. Manchester is where she found her love and passion for endurance sports. Arame has often found herself in male dominated areas, and stated she can feel out of places a black woman, as these areas can be underrepresented. Arame would like to lead by example and show others what is possible. She competed at IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz earlier this year, and successfully qualified for the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship.

To hear some of these inspiring athletes share their stories of overcoming adversity and empowering others to prove that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^®, please join the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship Ambassador Athlete Panel that will be taking place at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, September 20 at the IRONMAN Village Stage at the Miroir d’eau. The event is open to media and the general public.

Additional interesting facts and stats on the field competing in the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship women’s race in Nice, France:

• 43 is the average age of all registrants
• 8 athletes will be celebrating their birthdays on race day
• 65 countries, regions and territories are represented, with top five being the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Australia
• 60 qualifying races from around the globe in 2023 and 2024 enabled athletes to reach the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship
• Approximately 1,000 volunteers will be helping across race week and on race day to help make the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship women’s race in Nice successful in 2024.

The 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship in Nice will kick off with the 2.4-mile (3.8km) ROKA Swim Course, which takes place in blue Mediterranean waters of Baie des Anges. Athletes will then embark on the scenic and challenging 112-mile (180.2km) FULGAZ^® Bike Course follows which through the hinterland of Nice via the beautiful hillside villages. Athletes will enjoy the picturesque views of the Alpes-Maritimes region on the ascent and then have an opportunity to take in Clues de Gréolières on their descent. Along with stunning coastline, and charming villages, the course also features challenging climbs and technical descents with elevation gains of up to 7,900 ft. (2400 meters). The four-loop 26.2-mile (42.2km) HOKA Run Course spans end to end of the iconic Promenade des Anglais, passing alongside the famous beach clubs, the Chaises Bleues (blue chairs), and the monumental Negresco Hotel, all with the Mediterranean Sea as a backdrop. With each loop, competitors will experience the energy of the crowd as they tackle the flat, fast course, and push their limits culminating in a World Class finish line experience.

Over the years Nice and the Cote d’Azur have staked a claim as a major sporting destination, hosting many sports events of a global scale. As the capital of the Alpes-Maritimes on the French Riviera in the southeast coast of France, Nice became the birthplace of long-distance triathlon in Europe in 1982 when it first hosted the “Triathlon International de Nice”. From 1994-2002, Nice was host to the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships five times. The iconic triathlon became an IRONMAN event in 2005 and Nice has been one of the most popular locations on the IRONMAN race circuit, hosting both IRONMAN France, IRONMAN 70.3 Nice France, as well as hosting the pinnacle event in the IRONMAN 70.3 Series, the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in 2019.

Fans around the world can enjoy live race day coverage of the women’s 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon for free across multiple platforms including proseries.ironman.com, DAZN, and YouTube, as well as Outside TV in the U.S. and Canada, L’Équipe in France, and ZDF Online for German viewers. Race preview content will be available throughout the week across IRONMAN’s social media channels.

“A Fighting Chance”

Follow the @ironmantri social channels for a behind the scenes view of what it takes to have a chance at world-title glory. The IRONMAN short series ‘A Fighting Chance’ is back with a behind the scenes look at some of the top VinFast IRONMAN World Championship female professionals competing in Nice. The series will drop two new pre-race episodes on September 17 and September 20, giving audiences a glimpse of what it takes to prepare for race day at the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship, as well as the staging behind such an iconic event.

For more information about the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship women’s race in Nice, France please visit www.ironman.com/im-world-championship-2024. To learn more about the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 brands and series of events, please visit www.ironman.com. Media inquiries may be directed to press@ironman.com.

*Percentages rounded, approximate

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About the IRONMAN World Championship

Since its inception in 1978 on the Island of O`ahu, the IRONMAN World Championship<sup>®</sup> triathlon has etched its name in history through stellar performances, inspirational participants and emotional memories. In 1981, the race moved from the tranquil shores of Waikīkī to the barren lava fields of Kona on the Island of Hawai`i. The most iconic one-day sporting event in the world is the culmination of 40 global IRONMAN events with over 94,000 athletes around the world striving for one of the coveted qualifying slots. The 2021 edition of the event took place in St. George, Utah in May 2022, becoming the first location to host the event outside of Hawai`i since its origins in 1978. After a two-year hiatus from Hawai`i due to COVID, the race returned to Kailua-Kona in 2022 and for the first time took place as a two-day event. The 2023 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship race continued with the two-day format but with two different host locations and dates (Nice, France in September and Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i in October), to allow for a dedicated world championship race for women and dedicated world championship race for men. The cumulative event hosted over 4,000 athletes embarking on a 140.6-mile journey that presents the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit to earn the title of IRONMAN World Champion. In 2024, the women will rotate to Nice, France while the men return to Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i for their respective world championship host locations. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/im-world-championship.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series, IRONKIDS^®, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and City2Surf^®, UTMB^® World Series trail-running events including the Canyons Endurance Runs™ by UTMB^®, Tarawera Ultra-Trail™ by UTMB^® and Ultra-Trail Australia™ by UTMB^®, Epic Series™ mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world, providing participants the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Catering to the full athlete experience, the company portfolio also includes FulGaz^® virtual cycling, the most realistic indoor riding experience connected fitness application aimed at preparing athletes for real-world events. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business, and Orkila Capital, a growth equity firm focused on building great brands. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/about-ironman-group.

About Advance

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 14,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Warner Bros. Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.