Updated on March 27, 2026 at 04:12 PM
Pre-race favorite Christian Blumenfelt (NOR) shares his motivation to win and his pre-race preparation for Oceanside six days after winning a race. Run the battle at Ironman 70.3 GeelongTaylor Knipp (USA) shares redefining ‘why’ as her season kicks off, Paula Findlay (CAN) talks about defending her title in Oceanside, Jackie Herring (USA) and Sam Long (USA) share how being a father makes them better athletes, and are crowned IRONMAN World Champions. Solveig Loveseth (NOR) impresses the Norwegian trio (Blumenfelt, Gustav Eden, and… 2025 Kona champion Casper Storness) about their tolerance for cold water, and Aiden shares his mindset when facing setbacks.
There was a lot packed into the 40 minutes at the Ironman 70.3 Oceanside pre-race press conference, held in the Seabird Hotel’s Grand Coastal Ballroom across the pier in downtown Oceanside. Several pros found out during the press conference that there will be no speed zone on Basilone Road at Camp Pendleton ( The bike route has been changedbut not all professionals have heard). The road has been repaved, and there is still a no-pass zone, but without a speed limit, some athletes’ bike strategies will change.
together Stacked fieldincluding more than 100 professional triathletes lining up for the third race (and first race in North America) in the 2026 Ironman Pro Series, the conference was a fun glimpse into the training, racing and mindsets of some of the best athletes in the sport early in their season.
Here are the pieces worth knowing.
Christian Blumenfelt (NOR)
On his racing style: “Well, I always like to target every race and try to go as deep as I can, and race to win, even if it’s a world championship race or a small race. I feel like I have to give my best there. And yeah, I don’t really know why it’s that way, but I think I’m built that way.”
On back-to-back race weekends: “One day, (I was) traveling all night and just pushing to get back into training again. And it’s almost like the perfect time between two races. You know, it’s enough time to rest, and since they’re only six days apart, I can’t do a lot of hard training. So it’s just like keeping the body active and then kind of resting until tomorrow.”
On how to approach Oceanside: “What’s special here is the bike path, and the fact that it’s quite bumpy. So I think I’ve learned last year that I have to be in better position on the road, tighten the bottles really well as well, and add some elastic bands to make sure I don’t lose any nutrition because that can be expensive on the run.”
Paula Findlay (CAN)
When returning to Oceanside: “It’s early in the season, but it’s really hard not to come to this race. I love it. It’s my favorite race of the year. I’m always in the middle of the race thinking, ‘Why am I doing this? This is so hard.'” A shock to the system, but the vibes here, the course, the support when you’re on the course, especially while running, are always pure. … I’m not at my best all the time, but I think that’s a good thing in March. I’m excited to see where I stand and race in this absolutely amazing field.
On defending her title and how the sport has changed: “I think the sport is changing every year. It’s getting faster and faster. … Having Solveig and Taylor here and some other women makes the field more competitive. And the addition of the Pro Series has made every race kind of competitive. You can’t really go to a poor race anymore, and I don’t know that I’ve been here that many times. I look at the pictures I took when I was here, like in 2018 and 2019, and I look at my bike situation and going into these races. I’ve been injured at some points, and I think we’re all continuing to improve Faster and faster, and it doesn’t really change the way I approach it, I just try to be as prepared as I can, but it’s definitely scarier every year as the courts get stronger.
Taylor Knipp (USA)
When re-evaluating your “why”:I had to go through a little process of realizing that my why had changed because I believed I had fulfilled my why. Then there was a little bit of inconsistency last year, because I was fighting it. And so, at the end of the season, I really sat down. It’s like, “Okay, I need to reevaluate.” Why am I still doing this job? What do I want to do? After that, I feel like I’m more aligned and at peace this year, so we’ll see how it goes. But yeah, it’s a really fun process to try to be your best, and at some points in your career, you might have a balance. But also, that’s my focus, that’s what I do. This is what I build my life around. I think that is an amazing privilege. And to be able to do that and get involved in everything, like seeing what you can do, it’s really fun. And you know what? Like, sometimes you do well, and sometimes you’ll end up sitting on the sidelines, and everywhere in between, and that’s part of it, because without the ability to fail, accomplishments don’t really mean much.
Gustave Eden (NOR)
Regarding dealing with injury and not racing in Geelong or New Zealand: “I don’t think it’s good to get used to being injured, but I feel like I’ve gotten used to it over the last three years. So, yeah, I’ve never sprained my ankle before. And I think my tendons are made of steel or something, because when I first broke there, it was really painful, and then it took a long time to recover, and I’m still not 100%. I’m not running as much as I’d like. But, yeah, it’s hard to have these constant setbacks, but to be honest, after all I went through it before, this is very simple, I would say that canceling a trip to Australia and New Zealand, yes, is not that difficult.
Casper Stornes (NOR)
On how he feels about Oceanside: “I don’t see myself as a winner here, maybe not this time. I’m not in the best condition, but if I get a podium finish here, I’ll be very happy. I’m struggling a little bit with my Achilles tendon. But yeah, it will take a very good performance.”
Solveig Loveseth (NOR)
On being in Oceanside: “It’s really good to be here. First of all, I heard the water is very, very cold. The boys were complaining a lot last year. …But the water is good, so I don’t know why they’re complaining.”
At the beginning of the season: “I’m really looking forward to starting the season now. It’s been a few months, so I’ve been training at home, and the training has been really consistent, so it’s good to see where I’m at at the moment. I’m excited to race again.”
Jackie Herring (USA)
On being a professional triathlete and a mother: “I have two kids, they’re 8 and 10, so I’m out here representing the moms. And I’m encouraging all the younger ladies in triathlon, that it’s great to have a family, and that really helps you be better. … It’s hard, because the balance kind of comes and goes depending on what part of the season you’re in. Obviously, now is kind of the racing season, so I’m gone a lot more than I was over the winter. But yeah, “It’s about having the support of your family, and having a lot of people helping you, especially Like my husband, who holds down the fort so I can get in the race. And yeah, it’s just about getting everyone involved and not wasting time and focus when you need to do your workouts, and then when you’re done with your workouts, you just switch to Mama. “
In the Pro Series: “I love the Pro Series. It’s really re-energized me as far as racing full Ironman races. I’ve been on a break, and the Pro Series is what brought me back into it. And I love the challenge of putting together three full Ironmans and my best two half-Ironmans. So my mentality going into races is just to do my best and lose as little time as possible to the people in front of me, which is really nice, because it nicely takes the pressure off each individual race, and you can just focus on your best effort at That day.
Sam Long (USA)
On being a professional athlete and a father: “Everything has to change, especially now as a father of two, we have a 4-month-old there. So this winter has been kind of crazy in a lot of ways, and in the best ways too, because I think with (one child), my wife was really able to do the vast majority, and still does the vast majority. … We were doing potty training and sleep regression, and a million things and yeah, and then daycare sick, and so like training and racing, it all seems pretty simple compared to that, to be honest. … But that made me, he said. Jackie, incredibly effective at saving time, having to cut out anything excess, which is weird enough, you would think that would make you a worse athlete, because you never have a lot of time, you never have a lot of energy, but for some reason, it gives you that deep motivation and that’s what you rely on to become a better athlete.
In competition in Oceanside: “When you have to race with the best guys in the world, and you have to really see where you stand, that’s why I’m here. So, I’m going to do my best no matter what. I hope to give the best race of my life, and I hope to give the best effort I’ve ever had at Oceanside. Do I know if that’s going to win? No, in a way, do I even care? Like, if I give my best effort in the race, then, you know, maybe it wins and in the end, I want to see how close I can get to that and how much work I have to put in to that.” General.
