The Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas North American Championship was held April 26, an event that has brought athletes to The Woodlands since 2011 to compete in the triathlon, featuring a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.

About 2,500 athletes compete alongside professionals in the event, which organizers have said brings $15 million in economic impact to The Woodlands as well as donations of about $1.2 million total since 2011 from the Ironman Foundation. The event has been renewed through 2030 between Ironman, The Woodlands Township and Visit The Woodlands.

The takeaway

According to a news release from Ironman, among the professional competitors, the men’s winners in the event were:
  • Kristian Blummenfelt (Norway)
  • Antonio Benito Lopez (Spain)
  • Rudy Von Berg (USA)
  • Daniel Baekkegard (Denmark)
  • Casper Stornes (Norway)
The professional women’s winners were:
  • Kat Matthews (Great Britian)
  • Taylor Knibb (USA)
  • Lisa Perterer (Austria)
  • Alice Alberts (USA)
  • Sara Svensk (Sweden)
Quote of note

“I’m really proud to pull together that [performance] against this field. Seriously, I’m really happy,” Matthews said in a news release. “ ... I really feel like the depth of the women’s field is growing and grown and the competition level of the these [Ironman] Pro Series races really brings everyone together.”