Victories for Osborne & Salthouse at 2024 Ironman 70.3 Geelong

New Zealand’s Sam Osborne wins epic run battle with Englishman Tom Bishop, Australia’s Ellie Salthouse claims her second Ironman 70.3 Geelong title.

Outstanding quality and depth in both the pro men’s and women’s fields delivered thrilling racing at the 2024 Ironman 70.3 Geelong.

Over 1,600 elite and age group athletes featuring exceptional local and international talent took on the 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run under clearing skies from Geelong’s Eastern Beach.

Pro Men: Front Pack Duelling Sets Scene For Classic Run Finale

Swim

A front pack of nine emerged from the deep water start to lead the men’s pro race, with New Zealander Sam Osborne, Chilean Martin Ulloa, Englishman Tom Bishop, Tahiti’s Benjamin Zorgnotti and Finland’s Henrik Goesch forging ahead with Australians Kurt MacDonald, Steve McKenna, Mitch Kibby and Caleb Noble.

About a minute back, New Zealander Mike Phillips and Australian Nic Free were firmly within striking distance.

Bike

A fascinating duel emerged on transition to bike, with first ten men separated by only just over twenty seconds throughout the bike leg.

Race leader status changed regularly on the two lap course, between Bishop at 27kms, MacDonald at 45kms and McKenna at 72kms, but, despite attempts at strategic manoeuvres and headwinds on the return to town, the front group remained at ten.

All ten were in close proximity as T2 approached, with Phillips just in front of Kibby. The scene was set for an epic run showdown with less than thirty seconds between the first nine men as they left T2.

Run

Whilst McKenna and Kibby held the front early on the run, there was still less than twenty seconds separating the top eight men at 3.5 kilometres.

Osborne and Bishop then made their move, surging by the 8.5 kilometre mark to a clear and potentially decisive sixteen second lead to Goesch in third, with a break to over thirty seconds on McKenna and nearly a minute to Kibby just under half way.

Into the second lap, Bishop and Osborne continued to match each other stride-for-stride, with supporters willing them on in now fierce contest.

With just over 2.5 kilometres to go, Osborne edged ahead of Bishop by four seconds, but the race still hung in the balance, and a potential sprint to the finish loomed.

However, showcasing his strength and resolve, Osborne held firm and triumphed, securing victory by twelve seconds from a courageous Bishop, with Goesch continuing his successful Australian season to round out the podium in third.

Pro Women – Wilms & De Vet Surge on Bike, Salthouse Shines on Run

Swim

With a highly successful Australian summer to date, featuring podium finishes at Ironman Western Australia, Ironman 70.3 Taupo and the recent Mooloolaba Triathlon, Lotte Wilms from the Netherlands came to Geelong in great race shape.

Moving quickly to the swim lead, Wilms had opened a handy gap of just under thirty seconds to Belgian Hanne De Vet by the swim exit, with a chase pack featuring Grace Thek, Chloe Hartnett, Radka Kahlefeldt, Ellie Salthouse and Hannah Berry over a further thirty seconds back.

Bike

Wilms and De Vet continued to lead from the front on the bike, maintaining a nearly forty second advantage over Salthouse by the 27 kilometre mark, with Australian Aleisha Wesley, Thek, Kahlefeldt, Hartnett and Berry just over a minute back.

By the end of the first lap, Wilms and de Vet had extended their lead to the third placed Salthouse to just over a minute, reinforcing their intent to take the race on. 

Wilms then made her move, upping the ante from early in the second lap to pull away from De Vet by over thirty seconds at the 72 kilometre mark, with Salthouse over 90 seconds back, and Hartnett, Thek, Berry, Kahlefeldt and Penny Slater a further 30 seconds back.

As T2 approached, Wilms had extended her lead to over a minute. The chasers, however, featuring noted runners Salthouse, Thek, Kahlefeldt and Berry, however, remained in touch, setting the scene for another exciting run contest and finish.

Run

Straight out of T2, Salthouse signalled her intentions, quickly going past De Vet and cutting into Wilms’s lead. Holding a consistent pace of well under 4 minutes per kilometres, Salthouse then took the lead, opening up a lead of over 20 seconds to Wilms by the 8.5 kilometre mark.

By this point, Thek, last year’s champion, having also passed de Vet, now loomed ominously, moving quickly up to Wilms and trailing Salthouse by just under 30 seconds.

However, Salthouse, asserting her run strength, gradually pulled away from Thek on the second run lap, extending her lead to over 40 seconds by the 14kms kilometre mark.

Salthouse continued to capitalise in the final kilometres, holding her form and advantage to claim her second Ironman 70.3 Geelong title.

Returning to racing from injury, Thek came a strong second, with Wilms recording yet another successful result in Australia by finishing third.

Top Finishers – Ironman 70.3 Geelong (1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21.1km run)

Men

1. Sam Osborne                       3:41:26
2. Thomas Bishop                   3:41:38
3. Henrik Goesch                    3:42:36
4. Mitch Kibby                         3:42:53
5. Steve McKenna                    3:43:19
6. Mike Phillips                        3:44:21
7. Benjamin Zorgnotti             3:44:26
8. Caleb Noble                          3:44:56
9. Jarrod Osborne                    3:47:11
10. Calvin Amos                          3:52:22

Women

1. Ellie Salthouse                     4:07:18
2. Grace Thek                           4:08:16
3. Lotte Wilms                          4:10:22
4. Radka Kahlefeldt                 4:11:31
5. Hannah Berry                       4:11:44
6. Hanne De Vet                       4:12:59
7. Penny Slater                         4:14:00
8. Jasmine Brown                    4:19:14
9. Chloe Hartnett                     4:19:28
10. Vanessa Murray                  4:22:21

Full Results

Full results from the day’s racing can be found here.