While Ironman Texas was the biggest race of the weekend, and the only Pro Series event, Ironman South Africa carried South African Championship status and, as previewed, featured a highly anticipated matchup between Jamie Riddle racing on home soil and Matthew Marquardt. Combined with a wire-to-wire, record-breaking victory from Daisy Davies on the women’s side, the day was one to remember.
Here’s how the action unfolded as triathlon racing continued across the weekend.
Men’s Race
Not only was Riddle racing in his home country, but he had also shared pre-race that he would be satisfied with nothing less than a win. He is known as a fierce competitor with both the fitness and courage to fully commit to the front of a race, as demonstrated at the 2025 Ironman World Championship in Nice, where he intentionally aligned with other strong swimmers to drive a record-paced swim and lead much of the race.
Meanwhile, Marquardt has beaten Riddle both previous times they have raced head-to-head, and arrived with momentum after claiming victories last season in Cairns and Lake Placid. He also took a unique path to this start line: racing the Absa Cape Epic (while continuing his swim and run training alongside the stage efforts), then completing a major medical exam, followed by more than 41 hours of travel to reach South Africa.
In the swim, as many predicted, Riddle pushed the pace, leading solo and exiting the water 2:52 ahead of Marquardt. Over the course of the bike, however, Marquardt patiently erased the deficit, making the pass around the 150km mark.
By T2, the momentum had fully shifted. Marquardt entered transition first with nearly a two-minute lead over Riddle, and more than 10 minutes on the rest of the field.
While it appeared the pair would race for first and second, the day took a difficult turn for Riddle. Marquardt delivered the fastest Ironman marathon of his career, running 2:39:07 to stop the clock in 7:42:56 and set a new course record. Riddle, meanwhile, moved backward through the field, ultimately finishing 21st (the final professional male finisher), more than 90 minutes behind.
Joe Skipper ran his way into second, while Tristan Olij rounded out the podium in third.
Women’s Race
Continuing the theme of the day, the women’s race also began with a commanding swim, as Daisy Davies led out of the water in 55:05 with an over-four-minute gap on the rest of the field. It was an emphatic opening statement, and she would only build upon it as the day progressed.
Over the course of the bike, Davies extended her lead to more than 15 minutes, then held strong through the marathon to take a tape-to-tape victory (Lucy Charles-Barclay style), while also setting a new course record of 8:46:30.
Behind her, Katrine Christensen ran a 2:56:04 marathon to move into second place, finishing 11:28 behind the winner. Daniela Bleymehl rounded out the podium in third.
