Sunday, May 3, belonged to two athletes. Matt Marquardt and Daisy Davies didn’t just win at IRONMAN South Africa in Gqeberha (Nelson Mandela Bay) — they rewrote the record books at the African Championship, with Kona 2026 qualification slots on the line.
Marquardt Runs to a Course Record
Marquardt crossed the line in 7:42:57 — a new overall course record, bettering Magnus Ditlev’s 2025 winning time by two minutes. The American Trek Factory Racing athlete posted the fastest bike (4:09:35) and run (2:39:07) splits of the day among the men. He finished more than thirteen minutes clear of Joe Skipper (GBR, 7:56:19) in second. Tristan Olij (NED) took third in 7:58:29, edging Mikel Ugarte Ramos (ESP, 7:59:01) in a tight battle for the final podium spot.
South African Jamie Riddle — racing at home, and vocal before the start that nothing short of a win would satisfy him — led out of the water and held the front through much of the bike. Marquardt reeled him in with 40km remaining, powered clear, and arrived at T2 with a two-minute buffer. Riddle deteriorated badly on the run. He eventually finished 21st and last among the professional men, more than 90 minutes down.
What makes the victory remarkable is what Marquardt had done in the weeks before. Twenty-eight days out, he completed the ABSA Cape Epic — one of the most gruelling mountain bike stage races on earth. Ten days out, he sat a nine-hour Step 2 medical school exam.
“Today I set a new Ironman South Africa course record. 10 days ago, I took a 9-hour medical school exam. 28 days ago, I completed the ABSA Cape Epic.”
“This was the first race that I’ve done in almost 18 months where I had no cramping problems. I tried to have a very even-split race and not do anything too crazy or too heroic, because I knew that as long as I could stay steady, that I would be able to bring home the title.”
It’s Marquardt’s third IRONMAN title in under 12 months. The result rockets him from fifth to second in the PTO USA rankings, leapfrogging Trevor Foley, Sam Long, and Jason West — only Morgan Pearson sits ahead of him now. Next up: 70.3 Happy Valley in mid-June, then IRONMAN Lake Placid.
Davies — Dominant from Gun to Tape
Daisy Davies (GBR) led from start to finish. She exited the water in 55:05 with a 4:16 cushion, stretched that to 11 minutes at the halfway point of the 180km bike, and arrived at T2 more than 15 minutes clear. Her bike split set a new women’s bike course record — nearly four minutes faster than Anne Reischmann’s 2025 best. She came home in 8:46:30, running a 3:08:11 marathon and earning her Kona slot in the process.
Katrine Christensen (DEN) recovered from a mid-bike mechanical that cost her approximately 20 minutes to claim second in 8:57:59. Daniela Bleymehl (GER) — the 2022 champion here, racing back to full fitness after the birth of her third child — rounded out the podium in 8:59:55.
Davies, 23, races for the Bianchi Pro Team aboard a Bianchi Aquila with Rotor 165mm cranks, a 56/44 chainring, Cadex wheels, and Pirelli P Zero SL-R tyres. The result is her second full-distance win — she previously won Challenge Almere by nearly 15 minutes. Her racing philosophy is built on simplicity.
“I’ve realised how much I enjoy racing on my own — just me and the race course, seeing how fast I can go. I’ve also learned how important fueling is. In short course the fourth discipline is often seen as transition, but in long course I’d say it’s nutrition.”
Race Conditions and Series Context
Race day brought 26°C temperatures, 32 km/h winds with gusts to 64 km/h, and a 19°C water temperature. Demanding conditions — yet TriRating’s post-race analysis noted the day ran approximately two and a half minutes quicker than the long-term average for the course, driven largely by a slightly faster bike. Of 54 professional starters, 38 finished. A 30% DNF rate that underlines exactly how unforgiving the Nelson Mandela Bay course remains.
With Kona 2026 slots distributed and two new African champions crowned in the absence of defending titleholders Ditlev and Reischmann, the benchmark for the rest of the IRONMAN season has been firmly set.
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