MATT HANSON FINISHES ON THE PODIUM WITH 3RD AT IRONMAN NEW ZEALAND
It's finally here. The 2026 IRONMAN race season has arrived, down in the Southern hemisphere at IRONMAN New Zealand. For so many pros, it's the start of a long year of hunting points and chasing dreams.
In the Land of the Long White Cloud, it was longtime Quintana Roo pro Matt Hanson who kicked off the season in style with a podium finish, a pile of IRONMAN Pro Series points, and that coveted IRONMAN World Championships starting spot all locked up. He’s Quintana Roo’s first Kona qualifier of the season!
Hanson Targets the IRONMAN Pro Series Again
The pros chase not only victory at any given race, but the big prizes at the end of the year with IRONMAN’s Pro Series. The series, which began just a couple of years ago, created a huge buzz as pro athletes accrued points and hunted big dollars in this season-long series.
Last year, QR pro Kristian Hogenhaug earned a third-place podium result on the strength of an amazing season packed with big results (highlighted by runner-up finishes at IRONMAN Frankfurt and IRONMAN Lake Placid). But two years ago, Matt Hanson was the athlete in the lead and controlling the series for a large part of the year—and it was a place he wanted to get to again. Well, he sure has put himself in a great position to do so in 2026.
Hanson Shows His Pace With an IRONMAN Podium
The first race of the IRONMAN Pro Series, IRONMAN New Zealand, took place Saturday, and drew a huge pro field, including an Olympic gold medalist, former IRONMAN World Champions, the defending race champion… a total of 23 men hunting not just points, but a spot at Kona.
This year, Hanson strung together a brilliant race. While everyone assumes the marathon will be where he strikes, this year, he came out of Lake Taupo in excellent position and exerted his will early. A great 2.4-mile swim set up a 112-mile bike effort, with his brand-new Studio Next V-PRi on display frequently during the IRONMAN live broadcast on YouTube.
The run? Hanson just did Hanson things, rolling to the front—getting as close as second place in the final miles—where he threatened to take the lead. However, it required an extra gear from the eventual winner, and a recent 2023 Paris Olympics fourth-place finisher, to top Hanson.
Third place at the end of the day was a fantastic result. It not only gave Hanson a huge stack of points to start the IRONMAN Pro Series season, but it also allowed him to take one of the four spots on offer to qualify him for the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships in Kona this coming October. For Hanson, the year has started just the way he had hoped; in the driver’s seat.
