Jelle Geens is heading back to the full-distance well. The PTO World #2 has added Ironman Lake Placid — scheduled for July 19 — to his 2026 race calendar, giving him a second crack at cracking the format and, more importantly, securing one of the coveted qualifying slots for the Ironman World Championship in Kona on October 10.
The announcement came on May 12, less than a month after Geens’ full-Ironman debut ended in agony at the Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas North American Championship on April 18. He’d been running near the front through the 30km mark of the marathon — a brilliant long-distance debut by any measure — before severe cramping brought him to a walk. He eventually pulled out entirely, missing all six Kona slots on offer.
Texas — A Debut That Showed Promise and Exposed Limits
The Texas field was as deep as any non-championship Ironman ever assembled. Geens had been in contention across the 3.8km swim, 180km bike, and into the early marathon before the wheels came off. Kristian Blummenfelt won in 7:21:24 — the second-fastest Ironman in history, just behind his own 7:21:12 at Cozumel — with Marten Van Riel second in 7:22:56 and Casper Stornes third in 7:23:50. The six Kona slots went to Van Riel, Vincent Luis, Rudy Von Berg, Brock Hoel, Jonas Schomburg, and Kieran Lindars.
Geens reflected on the collapse in a YouTube video posted May 6, titled Ironman Texas Didn’t Go to Plan…Now What? He was characteristically honest about it.
“[It was] obviously not how I envisioned it or thought it would go. I was up there for probably six hours, maybe a little more, doing a really good job, but very quickly it went downhill from there.”
He pointed to muscular endurance and a more pronounced taper as the key limiters — a self-diagnosis that suggests Lake Placid will come with different preparation behind it.
Lake Placid — A Different Beast Than Texas
Texas was a flat, humid sufferfest in The Woodlands. Lake Placid is its alpine antithesis. Now in its 27th edition, the course features a 3.8km swim in Mirror Lake, a 180.2km bike through the Adirondack Mountains, and a 42.195km run that finishes on the Olympic Oval used at the 1932 and 1980 Winter Games. The 2025 men’s course record stands at 7:50:00, set by Matthew Marquardt — a reflection of the climbing demands relative to a flat course like Texas.
Geens has been direct about his approach this time around.
“I might race more conservatively [in Lake Placid] and really go for the Kona slot.”
He added that he hopes to accumulate more full-distance race intelligence at Lake Placid, arriving in Kona — should he qualify — as “a bit of a wiser man already.”
He won’t be alone chasing slots on July 19. Lionel Sanders is redirecting his season toward Lake Placid after a difficult Texas outing. Paula Findlay recently confirmed her entry, posting that “Operation Lake Placid is on.” Youri Keulen has also listed the race as a likely start, depending on his result at Ironman Brazil.
A Packed Schedule Before He Gets There
Getting to Lake Placid won’t be a quiet build. Geens lines up first for the Sokin San Francisco T100 on June 6, then Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley the following week — a deliberately heavy block for a man who entered 2026 having never run a standalone marathon and having completed just one 180km ride before this season.
His stated season structure has always been binary: qualify for Kona first, then target the 70.3 World Championship in Nice on September 13. On where his ambitions actually lie, he’s left no room for interpretation.
“It doesn’t add that much value to me, winning another 70.3 title. I would rather, if I can choose, win the Ironman World title.”
The reigning two-time 70.3 World Champion has the engine. Lake Placid will tell us whether he has the execution.
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