Sam Long dominates the bike and Kirsten Casper returns to the race to claim the 70.3 Boys’ Ironman win

This was a highlight win in North America for Sam Long (USA) who said before the race that he had not shown what he can do recently. The unusual bike ride effectively ended the competition before he even reached T2, with Long covering the bike course in 1:52:37, with an average speed at times approaching 30 mph.

On the women’s side, relative newcomer to middle-distance racing Kirsten Kasper (USA) claimed her second Ironman 70.3 win in just three starts. A brilliant comeback stroke on the run erased a five-minute deficit and overtook Hannah Berry and Hanne de Wit in the closing miles.

How to play the race

Although the swim was canceled for age group athletes due to high winds and adverse conditions, professionals were allowed to race on a modified two-lap course.

The cut created an opportunity for the stronger swimmers to open up large gaps, while putting the weaker swimmers under pressure from the start.

On the men’s side, it meant that strong swimmer Ben Fayeh (SUI) established early separation and split the field. One of the best swimmers in the history of the sport, Vincent Lewis (FRA), even briefly lost his feet before eventually returning to normal before the end of the swim.

That gave the pair a huge lead of more than four minutes over Ironman 70.3 Mont-Tremblant winner Ari Klaw (USA), while Long, on the other hand, produced a strong swim, emerging just 2:32 behind.

Starting the bike, Long, as always, immediately went into chase mode. However, this time he chose not to start the race using the bike’s computer, which raised some eyebrows before the race. Instead, he decided to trust his instincts, listen to what he felt, and do it. Just like he did at Ironman 70.3 Oceansidewhere he gave one of his best performances ever on a bike.

He entered the race calling it a “revenge game,” though he made clear it was a game of revenge against himself. He thought he hadn’t shown what he could do for some time, and that attitude started to show immediately on the bike course.

He got to the front faster than anyone probably expected, sat behind Fay and Lewis briefly to refuel, then made his move and never looked back.

At that moment, he may not have known it at the time, but he won the race. Because from there, the 30-year-old father of two kept turning the screw until the final disassembly at T2 — a smooth ride at that. He then produced the quickest transition and settled on a very traditional Ironman 70.3, achieving his goal of racing at the level he knew he could when he crossed the line in a thrilling five-minute interval.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a heater like this,” Long said after the race, describing the performance that earned him the 22nd professional win of his career.

But behind him, things were not so simple.

When Fay and Lewis entered the transition behind Long, they may have thought they had secured the remaining podium places. However, strong riders like Claw and Matt Hanson (USA) were chasing them. And while they were likely dismayed when they heard the size of the gap with Long, they were probably hungry, knowing they weren’t too far away from the podium in the Ironman Pro Series.

There was movement in the top ten as athletes swapped positions, but Klaue remained consistently quickest. He eventually overtook Hanson and worked his way into second place, with no response from Lewis or Fay as he led with the fastest split of the day.

Then things went from bad to worse for the early leaders. Racing with bib number 46 and entering as a dark horse after a podium finish in the Ironman 70.3 Mont-Tremblant, Blake Harris (CAN) passed Lewis in the final miles to claim the final podium spot and steal some glory from the Frenchman in one of his final races in professional triathlon.

IRONMAN 70.3 BOISE 2026 MEN’S RESULTS

For the women, the swim was all about the gaps at the front. As in the men’s race, a rapid descent from the tank with a tailwind means that even a small advantage can completely change the bike’s dynamics.

Coming out, it was a typical swimmer from New Zealander Rebecca Clarke (NZ), but the highlight was all the candidates there. Casper was right on her heels, while Han de Wit (Belgium) and Hannah Berry (New Zealand) were just under 20 seconds behind.

The quick turnaround saw Kasper start the bike with a small gap, but it was quickly swallowed up by De Wit, who said in the lead-up to the race that she wanted to ride more conservatively than in previous races to prepare herself for the half marathon in the heat.

However, even conservative riding was enough for the Belgian to build a healthy advantage throughout the bike. She consistently made time for Kasper, who also trailed behind the powerful horse Berry, and it looked as if De Vet had created exactly the lead she needed to hold off two of the strongest riders in the field.

Perry was coming out of a long stretch of altitude training in Utah, and said afterward that she could see De Wit ahead of her for most of the trip, but simply didn’t have the legs to get any closer.

Once she got away, it quickly became clear that Casper’s five-minute deficit would not deter her and that her short track speed would shine. She immediately started taking a big time from the two women in front of them.

Despite the podium setting, the standings were anything but, with Perry also moving within around 30 seconds of De Vet while Kasper steadily made her way.

By eight miles, Casper was within a minute of the lead.

In the end Perry was able to catch De Vet, but Kasper continued to set the fastest pace. She overtook both women in the final few miles to take the ribbon and her second middle distance win out of three.

Perry held on to second place ahead of De Vet and earned valuable Pro Series points as she looks to continue the momentum towards the pointy end of the season.

After the race, Kasper said that, as a short track athlete, she “still feels tall” and is “ready to get off the bike” for about 80 kilometres. However, she is still motivated to continue improving in the distance.

Next, the Ironman Pro Series heads to Kalmar for the final full-distance race to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Kona.

Ironman 70.3 Boise 2026 Women’s Results