The world’s best professional and age-group triathletes are preparing for the pinnacle event in IRONMAN® 70.3® triathlon racing at the 2025 Precision Fuel & Hydration IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship event in Marbella, Spain on 8 and 9 November. With more than 6,300 athletes from 114 different countries, regions and territories, including approximately 120 professionals, the athlete field is as diverse as the Andalusian landscape that awaits them in the South of Spain.
Over 2,600 women will take centre stage on Saturday, while more than 3,600 men will go head-to-head on Sunday. Not only will the IRONMAN 70.3 World Champions and Age-Group champions be crowned, but the event will also serve as the deciding race of the 2025 IRONMAN Pro Series.
“This race season has been one for the history books, and the performances we witnessed in both Nice and Kona for the IRONMAN World Championship events were truly on another level,” said Diana Bertsch, Senior Vice President of World Championship Events at The IRONMAN Group. “We are thrilled to be in beautiful Marbella for our grand finale. Our theme for this race, ‘Andalusian Passion’ perfectly encapsulates the vibrancy, colour, and warmth our athletes will experience during their stay in Marbella. We hope they carry that same passion into race day. On behalf of myself and the IRONMAN team, we wish everyone an unforgettable race experience!”
In total, 114 countries, regions, and territories will be represented at the 2025 Precision Fuel & Hydration IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon. European athletes lead the way with 39 percent of athletes registered to race, and North America is a close second, accounting for 29 percent of athletes. 18 percent of the field will proudly represent Latin America, while each Asia and Oceania will be represented by over 5 percent each. Africa and Middle East make up the final two percent to complete the 2025 athlete field.
The United States of America is the most represented nation with 1,484 athletes, followed by Germany (450), France (441), United Kingdom (414), Canada (355), Brazil (331) and Australia (251). Athletes are flying into the south of Spain from all corners of the globe including Armenia, Bolivia, Kenya, Iceland, Madagascar, Oman, and Vietnam to race at the 2025 Precision Fuel & Hydration IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon.
Each athlete lining up has a unique story with their own motivations, inspirations and aspirations. Some notable age-group athletes competing on 8 and 9 November at the 2025 Precision Fuel & Hydration IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship race include:
- Ryan Briscoe (Australia/USA) – Ryan Briscoe is no stranger to competitive sports. The Sydney, Australia native got his start in professional motorsports, competing in Europe and America. Briscoe achieved significant success as an IndyCar driver, with eight wins, and in sports car racing, including a victory at the 2020 24 Hours of Daytona and the 2020 Petit Le Mans. He would also race in Formula Renault, Formula 3000, German F3, and Champ Car World Series before transitioning to endurance racing and returning to IndyCar. Briscoe’s career is marked by adaptability, technical skill, and consistent performance across a wide array of racing disciplines. His legacy continues to inspire aspiring drivers around the world. Briscoe is married to ESPN anchor Nicole Briscoe and became a naturalized American citizen in 2018. Throughout his career, Briscoe has always enjoyed endurance of sport, regularly competing in running events and triathlons. In 2025, Briscoe finally realized a dream, running the Boston Marathon and qualifying to race the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella.
- Gabriel Dias Aguilera Fernandes (Brazil) – For Gabriel there is no doubt what his source of inspiration is for competing in IRONMAN events – his son. Gabriel’s 4-year-old son Raphael was born with myelomeningocele – a type of spina bifida – and already faces many great challenges as a result of this. Gabriel races to show his son that dedication, heart and love can take you far – regardless of natural talent. He wishes to be a living example for his son and prove that limits can become starting points and views his role as a father as a source of purpose and drive where he transforms pain into meaning. Gabriel has decided to view every finish line not as a personal achievement, but as a testament to his love and inspiration: his son
- Reyes Estévez López (Spain) – Reyes Estévez López is a Spanish 1500m runner and three-time Olympian. His career highlights include a gold medal at the European Championship (1998), Bronze medals at the World Athletics Championship (1997, 1999), and a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships (2001). At 48 years of age, Reyes shows no signs of stopping; last year he ran a 2:16:26 at Valencia Marathon, breaking his own Spanish M45 marathon record. Recently, Reyes discovered the world of triathlon. After making his debut in an Olympic-distance event in 2024, he went on to race IRONMAN 70.3 Valencia where he came 11th in his age-category – unsurprisingly posting the fastest run split among all competitors in his age group.
- Katie Hamister (USA) – In the fall of 2019, Katie was fresh off competing in the IRONMAN World Championships, she found herself on the Blue Ridge Parkway, where she would regularly train. However, her life was quickly about to change, as a pick-up truck ran into her. Her leg was driven through the back of her pelvis, her left wrist was left in pieces and her kneecap fractured. Her doctors told her she would never run again. however, Katie had already refused to accept the doctors’ prognosis as her fate. Instead, she embarked on a journey of recovery that would serve as a real test of her character. Rehabilitation became her new race, and slowly but surely she relearned to walk, swim, bike and finally, run. Katie’s journey led her to become an advocate, using her story to lobby for changes for laws regarding distracted driving. Katie’s story taught her that mindset is everything – now the same mindset will help her cross the finish line in Marbella
- Corey Hawes (USA) – Corey trains and competes to push himself, but also to defy his medical expectations. At the age of 17, Corey survived a car accident that left him close to being paralyzed. He was told by his doctors that he would never lift more than 50 lbs over his head, that he had to avoid all strenuous activity and that surgery would be required in his twenties to prevent extreme pain and complete paralysis. However, Corey refused to accept his prognosis and committed to strengthening his body through endurance sports. Corey decided to build on a background in swimming and took up running and biking in addition to improve his overall fitness. With this, he has now completed over 20 combined IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events and is today qualified and ready for the 2025 Precision Fuel & Hydration IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.
- Chloee Hurst (USA) – At the age of 13, Chloee was diagnosed with cancer which led to part of one of her lungs being removed. She was told by her doctors that her reduced lung capacity would be a major obstacle in her running. Despite being told this, Chloe is determined to compete at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship to prove that willpower and attitude can take you farther than you ever expect.
- Javier Merida (ESP) – Javier Merida is a Spanish para-triathlete who got into the sport after losing his leg in a traffic accident. Some of his more notable successes include winning the 2013 Middle Distance Para Triathlon European Championship, as well as being World Vice champion in Para duathlon. He was also the first disabled Spanish athlete to cross the English Channel in 2013, and the first amputee athlete to complete the “Triple Crown”, which consists of swimming the English Channel, the Catalina Channel and the 20 Bridges Swim (formerly known as Manhattan Island Swim). He is a 5x IRONMAN triathlon finisher and has completed over 10 IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons.
- Lisa Mesch (Germany) – Lisa has always been sports mad – she played handball for 22 years before discovering CrossFit, and most recently, a new love — triathlon. However, her path has not been easy. In 2018, she began suffering from severe headaches that doctors initially dismissed as stress-related. In August 2022, the pain returned – so intense that there were days when she could barely walk, because in her words ‘the pain felt like an explosion in my head’. A second MRI showed that she had a growth – either a cyst or a tumour – but it was deemed too small to cause a problem, and her symptoms were once again dismissed. Unwilling to accept this, Lisa sought a second opinion. Another doctor reviewed her scans and immediately diagnosed a brain tumour requiring urgent surgery. The operation saved her life but left her with paralysis on her right side, double vision, and difficulty swallowing. Doctors told her she would never return to competitive sport — but Lisa refused to accept that fate. With relentless determination and the support of her therapists, Lisa relearned to move, walk, and eventually train again. She returned to CrossFit, entered her first Hyrox event, and reignited her competitive spirit. Fate also brough her to her partner – Lukas Stahl – a professional IRONMAN athlete. Encouraged by Lukas, and her coach, Lisa completed her first Olympic-distance triathlon in Schaffhausen and later raced 5150 Erkner. This year, she proudly finished her first-ever IRONMAN 70.3 in Jönköping, proving that resilience has no limits. Racing next in Marbella is just another step on her incredible journey — one that continues to inspire, empower, and defy all expectations.
- Deborah Maldonado Rivera (Puerto Rico) – Deborah is the founder of Kilómetros de Cambio, a movement born from the power of sport and the need to end domestic violence in Puerto Rico. She runs not only for herself but also for the women and girls who are fighting to reclaim their lives. Through Kilómetros de Cambio, Deborah and her team raise funds to support shelters that give refuge to survivors of domestic violence. Every mile that Deborah completes represents a woman who decided to live, a child who found safety, and a community that believes in change. IRONMAN has taught Debroah that strength is not only in the body but it’s in the heart that refuses to quit. She has learned to transform pain into purpose, and endurance into hope.
- Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium) – Since his retirement in 2023, Belgian professional road cyclist Van Avermaet has found a new love in triathlon. Best known for his Olympic Gold at the 2016 Olympic Road Race in Rio, wins at iconic one day races such as Paris–Roubaix, Gent–Wevelgem, and E3 Harelbeke in 2017, two individual stage wins in the Tour de France, and for wearing the Yellow Jersey for eleven days during the 2016 and 2018 Tours, Van Avermaet is one of the most decorated cyclists. After retiring from racing in 2023, Van Avermaet set his sights on other endurance endeavors including competing in Unbound Gravel, and competing in the 2024 IRONMAN 70.3 Knokke-Heist, where he came third in his age category, completing the course in an incredible 4:07:17, securing his place on the start line for the 2025 Precision Fuel & Hydration. This year, he also competed in the IRONNAN 70.3 Nice France, winning his age-group.
The 2025 Precision Fuel & Hydration IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon will start the race with a 1.9km (1.2-mile) swim in the Mediterranean Sea starting and ending from stunning Levante Beach in Puerto Banús. Athletes will then embark on a 90km (56-mile), single loop course traveling along the famed “Golden Mile” palm lined avenue that parallels the sea. The route turns inland on A-355 where athletes will begin an amazing climb up through the village of Ojen eventually cresting out at the highpoint of the course. The route then descends heading further inland past the scenic geography of the towns of Monda and Coin before descending back to the beautiful marina community of Puerto Banus. The two-loop, 21.1 km (13.1-mile) run course takes athletes immediately onto the picturesque Marbella Promenade which parallels the Mediterranean Sea. The course then turns and twists inland before dropping towards the Puerto Banus Marina. After two loops. Athletes will make their way to the finish line at the water’s edge on the beach for an unforgettable IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship finish line experience.
