IRONMAN Pro Series Returns to Europe as IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’olonne Vendée Gets Ready to Welcome Over 80 Professional Triathletes

June 19, 2024

– The IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’Olonne-Vendée triathlon offers a maximum of 2,500 towards IROMAN Pro Series standings and a $50,000 event total pro prize purse

– 2023 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion, Rico Bogen (DEU) to make his IRONMAN Pro Series debut

– Last year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’Olonne Vendée runner-up Emilie Morier will also race for the first time in the IRONMAN Pro Series

Media credentials can be requested: HERE 

LES SABLES D’OLONNE VENDÉE, France / TAMPA Fla. (June 19, 2024) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – In just over a week, over 80 top professional triathletes expected to converge in the seaside town of Les Sables d’Olonne to compete in the tenth race of the IRONMAN Pro Series™. The 2024 IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Les Sables D’Olonne Vendée triathlon will offer professionals a maximum of 2,500 points towards IRONMAN Pro Series standings, a $50,000 event total pro prize purse, and the final three PRO qualifying slots for each gender to the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon taking place in Taupō, New Zealand.

The race, which is taking place on Saturday 29 June, a day earlier than originally planned, to accommodate the snap presidential elections in France on the Sunday, will be broadcast for free across multiple platforms for global viewers including proseries.ironman.com, Outside TV, DAZN and L’Equipe in France, and YouTube among others.

Among those to watch, and making their IRONMAN Pro Series debut, will be 2023 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion, Rico Bogen (DEU), who will be wearing bib number one, and if he finishes the race will validate his start at the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship race in Taupō, New Zealand. He will be up against 2022 VinFast IRONMAN^® World Champion, Gustav Iden (NOR), who will return to race in the IRONMAN Pro Series in an attempt to validate his place for the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN World Championship^® triathlon in Kailua-Kona after also completing IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw earlier in the year.

Home favourite, Clément Mignon, will also return to the IRONMAN Pro Series following a third-place position at Memorial Hermann IRONMAN North American Championship Texas. Fellow countryman, Arnaud Guilloux who currently sits just inside the top 20 of the IRONMAN Pro Series, will also be looking to build on his current position, following his fourth-place finish at Cairns Airport IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship Cairns over the weekend.

Nicholas Quenet (ZAF) who finished in the top five at both the IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder and Intermountain Health IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship St. George races, and Nicolas Mann (DEU), who won the Zafiro IRONMAN 70.3 Alcudia-Mallorca race will also be putting up a fight in order to clinch maximum points and climb up in the standings.

In the women’s professional field, last year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’Olonne-Vendée runner-up Emilie Morier (FRA) will wear bib number one as she makes her IRONMAN Pro Series debut, alongside fellow French athletes Justine Mathieux and Marjolaine Pierre.

Maja Stage Nielsen, who came second at the IRONMAN European Championship Hamburg race and currently sits in seventh place in the standings is also expeted to toe the line, alongside a strong British contingent made up of Kate Curran, Ruth Astle, Nikki Bartlett, Rebecca Anderbury, and Rachel Brown.

The race will also welcome approximately 3,000 registered age-group participants looking to earn age group qualifying slots to the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship race on Dec. 14 and 15 in Taupō, New Zealand.

Athletes will take on a one-loop 1.9k (1.2-mile) sea swim in the Vendée Globe canal, famous for the Vendée Globe yacht race. They will then traverse through the breathtaking French countryside on a one-loop 90km (56 mile) bike course, which takes athletes to the east of the city and into the Olonne forest. Finally, a two loop run course of 21.1 km (13.1-mile) will see athletes run on the promenade along the Tanchet Lake and cross the finish line in the centre of town, not forgetting a 200m sandy run on the “Grande Plage” beach!

IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’Olonne Vendée is the fastest selling IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon in Europe, and as announced earlier this week, will transition for a full-distance IRONMAN triathlon next year.

The full professional start lists are below (subject to change):

For more information on the IRONMAN Pro Series visit here.

For more information on the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 Les Sables D’Olonne-Vendée triathlon visit: www.ironman.com/im703-les-sables-dolonne. 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 emeapress@ironman.com.

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About IRONMAN Pro Series

The IRONMAN Pro Series™ is a year-long performance-based world series that will see professional triathletes earn points at 20 select races in 19 locations globally to vie for the title of IRONMAN Pro Series Champion and a share of the lucrative USD $1.7 million year-end bonus prize pool. Athletes will also continue to battle for each individual event’s prize money equating to over USD $2.5 million and coveted world championship qualifying slots. The IRONMAN Pro Series will consist of six full-distance IRONMAN^® triathlons and 10 half-distance IRONMAN^® 70.3^® triathlons in addition to the split location women’s and men’s VinFast IRONMAN World Championship^® triathlons and two-day women’s and men’s VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlons. Open to approximately 1,000 eligible professional triathletes worldwide, the IRONMAN Pro Series will usher in a new era of IRONMAN racing where Every Second Matters with every second behind the race winner equating to a point earned or lost. Incorporating iconic distances, challenging courses, and stunning destinations, every IRONMAN Pro Series race will be broadcast live and free to a global audience. An additional 18 events throughout 2024 will also offer IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 professional racing and world championship qualifying opportunities, as well as over USD $1.6 million in prize money to create a total 2024 professional prize purse of nearly USD $6 million. For more information, visit proseries.ironman.com.

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.