Kat Matthews of Great Britain is Crowned Inaugural IRONMAN Pro Series Winner Following Historic Day of Racing at 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand

December 14, 2024

- Matthews finished second at the 2024 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, adding 2,925 IRONMAN Pro Series points to her score, knocking Jackie Hering (USA) from top spot to claim $200,000 USD Bonus Payout - Jackie Hering (USA) and Lotte Wilms (NLD) completed the first ever IRONMAN Pro Series female podium earning big pay days

TAUPŌ, New Zealand /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – Kat Matthews of Great Britain has gone down in IRONMAN history as the first ever winner of the IRONMAN Pro Series™, taking home a bonus payout of $200,000 USD. Jackie Hering (USA) and Lotte Wilms (NLD) complete the IRONMAN Pro Series podium, receiving a bonus payout of $130,000 USD and $85,000 USD respectively.

The VinFast IRONMAN^® 70.3^® World Championship in Taupō served as the series finale of the IRONMAN Pro Series, meaning it was the last chance for professional athletes to score points towards their end of year standings. Matthews went into the race second on the leaderboard with 17,836 points, needing to finish within 34 minutes of the leader in order to gain on Hering and finish atop of the rankings. In the perfect climax to an epic year of racing, Matthews put it all on the line in a quest for VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship victory, coming an impressive second, just 1 minute 15 seconds behind eventual winner, Taylor Knibb.

Hering, who had led the IRONMAN Pro Series since her second place at Athletic Brewing IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon back in July had already completed her five required races, meaning today’s race was an opportunity to capitalize on the points premium and improve on her lowest scoring IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon. While Hering’s 18th place position and 16-minute deficit from the winner at today’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship wasn’t quite enough to improve on her existing score, her incredible season to date, inclusive of four podium finishes and an IRONMAN European Championship title, meant she finished the IRONMAN Pro Series in second place.

Completing the IRONMAN Pro Series women’s podium was Lotte Wilms, whose performance at the VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon saw her clock 1,975 points and move up the leaderboard by one place in the final standings.

The top three athletes were presented with their trophies by CEO of The IRONMAN Group, Scott DeRue, during a dedicated IRONMAN Pro Series ceremony following the race in Taupō.

At the post-race press conference, Kat Matthews commented: “I’m really proud to finish the year with the goal that we set out at the start and I think…pulling that together with everything else going on has been a real logistical challenge, as well as a physical one. The funding behind it [IRONMAN Pro Series] and our reward, really enables us to travel to places like New Zealand, and do these races properly, with professionalism and considering our health and performance on race day… Hopefully I’ve set a good benchline for the future years of the IRONMAN Pro Series.”

Matthews’ incredible IRONMAN Pro Series season saw her clock five podium finishes, inclusive of victories at Memorial Hermann IRONMAN North American Championship Texas and IRONMAN Vitoria triathlons. At the latter, she dominated the run course, clocking a 2:54:40 marathon for the fastest run of the day, going on to enjoy an eight-minute victory.

An incredible performance at the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship triathlon in Nice, France also saw Matthews earn her second IRONMAN World Championship runner-up spot and earn 5,515 points which moved her up three places in the IRONMAN Pro Series standings to second.

Matthews also came second at the IRONMAN 70.3 European Championship Tallinn triathlon, where she pushed hard to chase down Germany’s Caroline Pohle who went wire-to-wire for an impressive victory.

Today’s performance in Taupō was the perfect culmination of Matthews’ year-long triathlon brilliance, unwavering determination and unfaltering consistency, as she sets an unbelievably high bar of performance for future years of the IRONMAN Pro Series.

The top 10 female and male athletes in the series share a prize purse of $1.3 million USD, which is weighted according to ranking. Athletes ranking 11-50 all receive a bonus of $5,000 USD each, with the total prize purse $1.7 million USD. The bonus pay out is in addition to any pro prize money earnt at individual races throughout the season.

Top 10 Female Professional Results – IRONMAN Pro Series

*Inclusive of bonus and 2024 individual IRONMAN Pro Series event prize purses

Following a successful first edition of the IRONMAN Pro Series, the IRONMAN Pro Series will be returning in 2025, and will kick off down under at IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong in Victoria, Australia on 23 March 2025 and finish at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain on 8th – 9th November 2025.

For more information on the IRONMAN Pro Series, visit proseries.ironman.com. Media inquiries may be directed to press@ironman.com.

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About IRONMAN Pro Series 

The IRONMAN Pro Series™ is a year-long performance-based world series that showcases and rewards top professional triathletes as they vie for points and event prize money, on their way to claiming the title of IRONMAN Pro Series champion and a lion’s share of the lucrative $1.7 million USD year-end bonus prize pool.  Along the way, athletes will battle for the prize money offered at each individual IRONMAN Pro Series triathlon, equating to over $2.5 million USD, as well as coveted world championship qualifying slots. Open to approximately 1,000 eligible professional triathletes worldwide, the IRONMAN Pro Series ushers in a new era of IRONMAN racing where Every Second Matters – every second behind the race winner equates to a point earned or lost. Incorporating iconic distances, challenging courses, and stunning destinations, every IRONMAN Pro Series race will be broadcast live and free to a global audience. In 2025 IRONMAN Pro Series will be contested over 18 events and 17 race locations around the globe, including a combination of six IRONMAN^® and eight IRONMAN^® 70.3^® triathlons, as well as the VinFast IRONMAN World Championship^® women’s and men’s races and VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon. An additional 40 events outside of the 2025 IRONMAN Pro Series will also offer IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 professional racing fields with world championship qualifying opportunities, and over $1.8 million USD in prize money., This creates a total professional prize purse of over $6 million USD in 2025. For more information, visit proseries.ironman.com.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Running Series, IRONKIDS^®, World Triathlon Championship Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and City2Surf^®, UTMB^® World Series trail-running events including the Canyons Endurance Runs™ by UTMB^®, Tarawera Ultra-Trail™ by UTMB^® and Ultra-Trail Australia™ by UTMB^®, Epic Series™ mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world, providing participants the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Catering to the full athlete experience, the company portfolio also includes FulGaz^® virtual cycling, the most realistic indoor riding experience connected fitness application aimed at preparing athletes for real-world events. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance, a private, family-owned business, and Orkila Capital, a growth equity firm focused on building great brands. For more information, visit www.ironman.com/about-ironman-group.

About Advance

Advance is a private, family-held business that owns and invests in companies across media, entertainment, technology, communications, education and other promising growth sectors. Our mission is to build the value of our companies over the long-term by fostering growth and innovation. Advance’s portfolio includes Condé Nast, Advance Local, Stage Entertainment, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Leaders Group, Turnitin, and Pop. Together these operating companies employ more than 14,000 people in 29 countries. Advance is also among the largest shareholders in Charter Communications, Warner Bros. Discovery and Reddit. For more information visit www.advance.com.