IRONMAN · Field strength

Where the front is stacked: the most competitive IRONMAN age-group fields

Europe's classics carry the strongest age-group fronts; some of the newest races the softest.

By Blame the Course · · 2 min read

+8.2%Lanzarote 2026: its 10th places against a typical IRONMAN's

−17.9%Malaysia 2024, the softest front

127IRONMAN race years compared, 2023–26

Europe's classics carry the strongest fronts

With the course and the day taken out, Lanzarote's age-group podiums and top tens are the strongest at any IRONMAN, every year: 10th place 6 to 8% faster than the same place at a typical IRONMAN. Switzerland, Frankfurt and Austria follow, year after year.

10th place across age groups against a typical IRONMAN's, course and day taken out

−20%−15%−10%−5%0%+5%+10%Lanzarote 2026+8.2%Switzerland 2026+7.7%Frankfurt 2025+7.3%Lanzarote 2024+7.1%Austria 2025+6.6%Tours Métropole 2026+6.4%Cozumel 2025+4.5%Penghu 2025−11.7%Gurye Korea 2024−11.8%Tulsa 2023−13.2%Philippines 2026−13.5%Malaysia 2024−17.9%
A race year's front: its age groups' 10th places (those with 20 or more finishers), weighted by finishers.

Where a top ten is within reach

At the other end, the front is 12 to 18% slower than typical at Malaysia, the Philippines, Tulsa, Gurye in Korea and Penghu in Taiwan. A podium or a top ten there is far easier to reach than at Lanzarote, whatever the clock says: it's the company, not only the course.

How a field's front is measured

Each age group's 10th place at a race year is put on a neutral course (the race year's measured speed taken out) and compared with the same place of the same age group at every IRONMAN of 2023–26. A race year's front is the average of its age groups, weighted by how many finished in each. The same is done for the podium, the top quarter and the middle of the field.

Using it to choose a race

If you want a podium or a slot, the field matters as much as the course. A fast course with a stacked front can be harder to place at than a slow course with a soft one. The field strength page shows every race, age group by age group, from the podium to the middle of the field.

Measured from IRONMAN's public results. Course and day speeds come from the athletes who raced more than one course; "typical" is the median of the same measure across races of the distance. Figures as of 3 October 2026. Blame the Course is independent and not affiliated with IRONMAN.

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