Kieran Lindars can still remember the moment when he ran the red carpet along the Römerberg almost a year ago and finished the finish line at the Ironman Frankfurt 2024 past the cheering fans. He remembers the tears that he subsequently shed – with joy, perhaps also with exhaustion – and a race that, as he says, has changed his life. Now he’s back in Frankfurt. On Sunday (6.20 a.m. at DAZN) he will take part in the 23rd edition of the Ironman Frankfurt, which is also the European Championship of the male professionals, with around 3000 other triathletes.
“It was a huge race,” says 28 -year -old Briton Lindar at a press conference on Friday. And actually, what many do not know should be the last of his career as a professional triathlete. He thought he was at the limit of what he could do as an athlete. Then he tried something new, found small details that made a big difference. “It is a big difference to believe that you can do something and actually do it. I think the emotion of the event and what I have just reached just overwhelmed me.”
With second place in Frankfurt, Lindars also fulfilled the dream of the World Cup in Hawaii, which he completed in October in October. Magnus ditlev. Lindars will also have to keep up with him on Sunday if he wants to go back to the podium. Because Ditlev won the Ironman in South Africa in March, the 27-year-old is one of the favorites in Frankfurt. “It was a good start to the season,” he says.
For a long time wants to show “how it is done”
In South Africa, Ditlev was able to build on the bike route on a big lead. He expects a shorter race on Sunday. The route in Frankfurt is faster and has some technically demanding sections. The competition in Frankfurt is also stronger. Nevertheless, the Danish wants to do his best to “mix up” the race on the bike route. The pressure and expectations that are on him as a young athlete do not bother him, as he says. “Pressure is good as long as you can handle it.” More of this will be on the current world champion and the winner of the past Ironman in Frankfurt, says Lindars and grinning to the right to his competitors Patrick Lange and Kristian Blummenfelt.
The experienced Patrick Lange, who won his third world championship title in Kona in 2024, but only ended up in eighth place in Frankfurt, replies the small top: the 38-year-old was enormously helpful for his mentality at the World Cup. Back in Frankfurt, he now wanted to show the young generation “how it is done”. Frankfurt is one of the few races worldwide that he has not yet won, says Lange, who comes from North Hesse. “I would like to change that at the weekend. But it will probably be harder than ever to win here,” he believes. An injury prevented him from continuing his training for two months.
The last winner in Frankfurt is Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt. With a time of 7:27:21 hours, he holds the course record – even though he had only had little time to prepare two and a half weeks after his participation in the Olympic Games. He had more time this year. In Hawaii he only finished 35th, almost an hour behind long.
“What happened in Kona put me down,” says the 31-year-old. “I don’t have the same self -confidence as last year.” Nevertheless, he finds to be well prepared. “I want to show the boys that I can keep up with them.” He couldn’t take much time on the bike route. Even if he might be able to make up for a few minutes on Ditlev on the marathon route, the strong runner is still a long time.
