This morning’s Ironman Challenge was treated to beautiful conditions. Under a clear blue sky, swimmers set off at 9am with the tide pushing in toward high at 9:27am. The wind gradually picked up as the morning unfolded but the sea remained relatively calm, setting the stage for quick times and some very close racing across both the 3.8km long course and the 1300m short option.

The 3.8km race delivered an exceptionally tight finish. Max Stanton claimed the win in 49:01.5, with Eduardo Swainjust 2.2 seconds behind in 49:03.7. Only five seconds separated the top three, with Mia Pugh crossing in 49:06.7 to take third overall and first female. After 3.8km of open water swimming, that kind of finish speaks volumes about the depth and competitiveness of the field.

Over the 1300m short course, Chloe Styles led the way in 26:55.8 with a strong, composed swim. Roger Mathesonfollowed in 27:57.6, and Chris Vincent rounded out the podium in 29:48.3. A great mix of youth and experience across the short course results.

Thank you to all of our volunteers who supported safety and logistics across the longer course — events like this simply don’t happen without you. We are also very grateful to our series sponsor Rylock Windows & Doors for their continued support of endurance swimming in Nelson.

Click here for full race results
Photos by Pete Marshall coming soon.

Our final endurance swim of the season is just around the corner: Race 4: Rylock Windows & Doors 5km Challenge 2026 on Sunday 29th March. Entries are open online — we look forward to seeing you on the start line for the last big swim of the season.