Course records fall at IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-en-Provence

A cool but sunny day in southern France and a run of course records at once, that was IRONMAN 70.3 Aix-en-Provence 2026 in short. Michele Bortolamedi finished in 3:38:54, taking more than two minutes off Kristian Blummenfelt’s mark of 3:41:08 from last year. Marjolaine Pierré defended her title by almost four minutes. One piece of context matters: this was the first year disc wheels were allowed in the pro field at Aix.

Bortolamedi wins a tactical race

The Italian raced it his own way. The bike course at Aix is demanding, close to 1100 metres of climbing through the hills of Provence, so how the field sorted itself on the climbs mattered. Bortolamedi came into transition in the lead group and the race was settled on the run. He held contact with Rico Bogen, a former 70.3 world champion, for a long stretch and only broke away in the finish.

The German finished second, 32 seconds down. Lasse Nygaard Priester (GER) took third after working his way through the field, and his half marathon of 1:07:05 is a new course run record. The podium was entirely European.

This is the biggest win of Bortolamedi’s career. He took his first IRONMAN 70.3 title a year earlier in Hradec Králové, Czechia. The swim was led by Jamie Riddle (RSA), out of the water in 21:48, another course leg record.

Pierré gives her rivals nothing

Marjolaine Pierré (FRA) left her rivals no opening. She defended her 2025 title, crossing the line almost four minutes ahead of Imogen Simmonds (SUI). Laura Philipp (GER), the 2024 IRONMAN world champion crowned in Nice, took bronze.

Disc wheels and the effect of the new rules

What Aix had never seen before was disc wheels in the pro field. Organisers allowed them for the first time this year, giving athletes an aerodynamic gain, particularly on the flat, fast sections of an otherwise rolling course.

How many seconds the discs were worth is hard to estimate. A rear disc is typically a saving of something over ten watts on the faster sections, which accumulates across more than 90 minutes of riding. The fact that so many athletes broke leg records at the same time means this year’s results should be read with that caveat in mind.

It does not diminish the value of Bortolamedi’s win. Everyone raced under the same rules, and he won on tactics as well as on form.

Results

Men, top three:

1. Michele Bortolamedi (ITA), 3:38:54 (course record)
2. Rico Bogen (GER), 3:39:26
3. Lasse Nygaard Priester (GER), 3:39:35

Women, top three:

1. Marjolaine Pierré (FRA), 4:08:27 (course record)
2. Imogen Simmonds (SUI), 4:12:10
3. Laura Philipp (GER), 4:12:46

More on this: IRONMAN 70.3 Gdynia: The Course Explained. Racelify lists triathlons worldwide with dates and organiser links.