"We're Still Here"
Lessons from the Norwegian Hype Train and the Italian Stallion
Ironman Texas Watch Party
Ironman Texas was on Saturday, and while I didn’t race this year, I tuned in via livestream. With the exception of Lionel Sanders, the start list was a who’s who of long course triathlon.
My buddy Tom Gordon from Boulder, a former collegiate swimmer, made his pro debut and was third out of the water. My friend Nick Gregory, who crashed on the bike and DNF’d in last year’s race, got his redemption in the Woodlands.
Cameron Wurf, probably the most versatile endurance athlete of our generation, a 41-year-old Aussie Olympic rower turned professional cyclist and triathlete, set the fastest bike split in Ironman history—covering 112 miles in 3:53, a mind-blowing 28.8 MPH—making quite the statement after his handlebars came loose and he was DQ’d for speeding in the season opener at Oceanside earlier this month.
Taylor Knibb, American Olympian and back-to-back-to-back 70.3 World Champion, did the same on the women’s side—riding 4:19, a blazing 25.9 MPH—setting the tone in her second ever Ironman.
But it didn’t matter. As I shared in last week’s post, recapping my experience at IM TX 2024, “The prize never goes to the fastest guy. It goes to the guy who slows down the least.” Ironman is an energy conservation game. It’s not about who can throw down in one or even two disciplines, but who can exert self-control and pace themselves across all three sports until the end. Cam and Taylor took the shots they had, though it didn’t result in victory.
Kristian Blummenfelt and Kat Matthews came off their bikes with 0:38 and 5:43 deficits to Cam and Taylor, and wasted no time. While KB took the lead shortly out of T2, Kat shook up the women’s side after over six hours of racing, an hour into the run. KB and Kat ran 2:34 and 2:49 marathons to break the tape in 7:24 and 8:10, respectively, with Kat taking her third win at Ironman Texas.
After showering, refueling, and probably napping, Kristian went back to the finish line for the graveyard shift to keep the party going, greet the final age group finishers before the 17-hour cutoff, and proudly place medals around their necks. A great ambassador for the sport. One of the reasons I love triathlon is that amateurs get to race alongside the best in the world and share a similar experience.
Choo-Choo
Gustav Iden, Kristian’s training partner, Ironman World Champion, and two-time 70.3 World Champion, did not have the day he wanted. Coming off a third place finish in Oceanside 70.3 just three weeks ago, his first podium since he won Kona in 2022, his hopes were high. Our hopes were high for him. A flat before he even began the bike caused him to miss getting out with the front pack. In a video sent to me by my buddy Caleb who was spectating, Gustav is seen staying calm and confident, giving fans a thumbs up and smile while he waits for the mechanic to inflate his tire.
Disaster struck again for Iden as the same tire deflated on the bike course; however, thanks again to the mechanic, he was able to get back to work within a few seconds. Despite these obstacles, he remained composed, rode a 4:01, ran a 2:55, and finished 13th in 7:51.
This is not too dissimilar from what Kristian experienced in Oceanside. After riding to the front, he punctured and because he didn’t have a repair kit, he waited on the side of the road for a moto to come to the rescue. Although the win was no longer within reach, he made the best of it and set a course record half marathon run of 1:07, firing a warning shot to his competitors with what could’ve been without the mishap on two wheels.
I’ve admired the boys from Bergen since we shared the course together at the 2022 70.3 World Championship in St. George. Gustav was fresh off his Kona victory and KB rounded out the podium that day in Hawaii after he was unable to hunt down Sam Laidlow. However, in St. George, Gustav DNF’d and KB reclaimed the top step. While I’m impressed by their versatility in toggling between short and long course racing, their attitudes and dispositions are even more commendable, especially after hardship—when it matters most.
Seven months after winning the Ironman World Championship, Gustav’s mother passed away after a two-year battle with cancer. Until this spring, he’s been dissatisfied with his race results, recovering from injuries, grieving personal tragedy, and chasing his Kona ghost. He’s finding his footing again and vulnerably sharing his journey—revealing the often-hidden lows of high-performance sport and inviting us to come along for the ride.
KB has had his setbacks too. After winning the Olympic Gold in Tokyo in 2020, he finished 12th in Paris last year, failing to defend his title. But in his typical fashion, he bounced back at Ironman Frankfurt by setting a course best time of 7:27 and was crowned European Champ, just two weeks after his disappointing finish in France.
All Aboard the Norwegian Hype Train
Last fall, I got to share the course with Kristian and Gustav again at the 2024 Ironman World Championship in Kona. Once again, hopes were high, but Kona is Kona—it’s uniquely challenging, unpredictable, and known as the hardest single-day endurance event on the planet.
In footage I saw post-race, Kristian projectile vomited during the bike, but was determined to finish, even with a 3:32 marathon—about an hour slower than he typically runs the 26.2 miles. I remember seeing Gustav walk on the Queen K. He eventually sat down and never managed to get back up, resulting in another DNF.
The next day, they hosted a meet and greet at Papa Kona, a restaurant on Ali’i Drive. Excited at the opportunity to formally meet them, I tuned in for the panel, moderated by Greg Welch.
Before I could ask mine, a woman raised a question that touched a similar theme—resilience and keeping your head high in the face of adversity. I had my own challenges on the day—competing with a pelvic stress fracture—and wanted to dig into the mindsets of world champions.
Kristian shared a few words, then handed the mic over to his best friend, Gustav, knowing the question was targeted at him. Gustav spoke about the death of his mother, discouraging performances since his peak the last time he was on the Big Island, and began to choke up. The entire crowd held space for the impressive young man to process and move through his heavy emotions. Welchy, a triathlon legend himself, put his arm around Gustav before expressing his pride and love for him.
After the Q&A, I waited in line to snag a photo with the Norwegians. As I hobbled up to them, they saw my crutches, looked surprised, and asked what happened.
Once again, they made the best of the situation, even mine, each taking one of my crutches, supporting me with their arms, and making me laugh for a photo. Curious, they wanted to know about my day and story. In return, wondering how they bounce back, Gustav offered words of encouragement then simply said, “We’re still here.”
I’ve heard sport described as the most important unimportant thing. While they may be games at the end of the day, they rally communities, even countries, and give us hope. As such, there’s much we can learn from people kicking a ball, punching an opponent, or running toward a line.
Kristian and Gustav’s stories remind me of one of my favorite quotes from Rocky Balboa. Let it inspire and remind you that the mark of a champion is not how they comport themselves in victory, but how graceful they are in defeat. Whatever you’re going through, know there is something better waiting for you on the other side. Stay in the fight. Your future self will thank you.
Somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for someone to blame. Like a big shadow.
Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it! You, me, or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you can get. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!
Now if you know what you're worth then go on and get what you're worth, but you've got to be willing to take the hits, and not point the finger saying you ain't what you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and that ain't you. You're better than that!
…Until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life.”
- Rocky Balboa
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Super stories of awesome people! Thx
Well done , Holzy!! 💓