Perfect weather and a flat course made for fast racing in Poznań. Until now, the best time at Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Poznań was 3:36:17 — Valdemar Solok beat it by nearly 2 minutes.
The 24-year-old Dane set a strong pace right from the start in Lake Kierskie, exiting the water in first place. He held onto the lead throughout the bike course, building enough of a gap to control the final stage — though it cost him a lot of energy.
I’m incredibly happy, but when I crossed the finish line, I just couldn’t stay on my feet. The run was the hardest part for me. I already felt tired after the bike, but then on the run course I gave everything I had — and honestly, it took a lot out of me.
Valdemar Solok – winner of Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Poznań
The women’s champion, Rebecca Anderbury, competed in Poznań for the first time, but right after the flower ceremony, with a big smile, she praised the finish line atmosphere and the enthusiasm of the supporters.
Honestly, I was surprised by how hot it was today. I thought I was going to die — just kidding! (laughs). But seriously, it was really hot on the bike, and then the run course with all the cheering fans and the route through that beautiful park… it was just amazing.
Rebecca Anderbury – women’s winner of Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Poznań
Tomasz Szala was the fastest Polish athlete, finishing today’s race in 6th place. Not long ago, he admitted on social media that he was struggling with motivation to train. But today, he delivered a great performance — and not even a broken zipper or new shoes could shake his positive mindset.
I ran in new shoes today and I guess I didn’t lace them up properly — I had to slow down on the turns so they wouldn’t roll under my feet. But I really enjoyed it, there were lots of fans and friends on the course cheering me on. I’m really happy with my result. Of course, I’d love to do even better, but there’s still a lot of work ahead.
Tomasz Szala – fastest Polish athlete at Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Poznań
Today’s race featured 226 women at the starting line, and the fastest Polish female athlete among them was Agnieszka Gadomska from Zielona Góra. She completed the 70.3 distance in 4 hours, 11 minutes, and 58 seconds.
I’m over the moon! This was only my third half-Ironman and my second race as a pro, so I really didn’t expect this kind of result at the finish line. It wasn’t a perfect race for me, so it can only get better from here.
Agnieszka Gadomska – fastest Polish female athlete at Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Poznań
Sunday’s races were kicked off by athletes competing in the Olympic distance (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, and 10 km run). Absolutely unbeatable today was Igor Siódmiak from Szczecinek, who completed the full distance in 2:00:08. At the finish line, he said he had raced at about 90 percent of his full effort.
I had some cramping on the bike and during the run. I held back a bit, but I was also keeping an eye on my lead over the second-place guy. I had a good gap, so I didn’t need to push too hard. The conditions were great all along the course.
Igor Siódmiak – winner of Enea 5150 Poznań
The fastest woman on the Olympic distance finished in just 2:13:56. Representing the Poznań-based club Citizen, she praised the course setup and safety. She highlighted that every stage of her race went exactly as she had planned.
The swim went really well — perfect temperature, no waves, and a clearly marked course. The bike felt absolutely amazing today. And the run was just the cherry on top. It honestly couldn’t have gone any better.
Martyna Witecka – fastest woman at Enea 5150 Poznań
The 5150 distance also featured a record number of relay teams today — 56 in total. The most talked-about team included a city official, an actress, and a former track and field athlete. Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz, a multiple World and European Championships medalist, crossed the finish line full of enthusiasm and made some serious declarations right after the race.
I’ll be back next year. It’s a bold statement, but the atmosphere here is so amazing that I’ll definitely do the relay again. And if Darek Łapawa keeps motivating me like he has so far, I might even go for the Olympic IRONMAN distance.
Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz – multiple World and European Championships medalist, member of the “Kulturalnie i Sportowo” relay team
The biggest triathlon fan among city officials — Dariusz Łapawa, Deputy Director of the Sports Department at Poznań City Hall — was once again motivating Patrycja today. He was the second member of the “Kulturalnie i Sportowo” relay team. But the biggest surprise in the lineup was Dagmara Rybak — an actress at the Musical Theatre by profession. Not only can Dagmara sing and dance, but she also happens to be a phenomenal swimmer.
Kids Battled the Rain
Saturday’s Pho3nix IRONKIDS races took place in pouring rain. But the weather didn’t bother the youngest athletes at all. Kids of all ages, from the smallest to the oldest, were running through puddles with full energy. Cheered on by their parents, they raced distances ranging from 200 to 1400 meters — completely unfazed by the rain.
Pho3nix IRONKIDS Poznań Winners:
- Girls 3–4 years old – Idalia Jedynak
- Boys 3–4 years old – Oliwier Fabiszewski
- Girls 5–6 years old – Oliwia Jabłońska
- Boys 5–6 years old – Wojciech Śliwiński
- Girls 7–8 years old – Nico Havlova
- Boys 7–8 years old – Filip Górny
- Girls 9–10 years old – Maria Walkowiak
- Boys 9–10 years old – Maksymilian Polaczek
- Girls 11–12 years old – Lea Vasileva
- Boys 11–12 years old – Leon Żurowski
- Boys 13–15 years old – Jarzy Walkowiak
Balance Bike World Volunteer Champion
The Balance Bike World Champion title went to volunteer… Kacper Chwalisz. In the final race, he defeated Łukasz Zaleski, who made a critical technical mistake. During an intense and closely matched battle for the title of the best balance bike rider, Zaleski’s foot slipped off the pedal — almost causing him to crash. He managed to stay upright, but Chwalisz seized the opportunity to take the lead and never gave it back. The Balance Bike World Championships were sponsored by Sportano.
Watch the final race:
A Thousand Lights – Night Run in Poznań
Poznań’s triathlon weekend kicked off with a 5K night run. Nearly 1,000 runners lined up at the start. While the time limit for the course was 45 minutes, the winner crossed the finish line in just 15 minutes and 47 seconds. Szymon Belgrau, representing the Manufaktura Mieszkań club, admitted at the finish that he ran even better than he had planned.
I didn’t really have a clear strategy before the run — it all came together during the race. The first part of the course was against the wind, and the three of us ran at a steady pace. In the last two kilometers, the wind died down and that’s when I decided to go for it. I ran really fast, which helped me break away and finish solo.
Szymon Belgrau – winner of Night Run Poznań
The IRONMAN-branded race in Poznań wrapped up this year’s triathlon weekend series. Locations and dates for next year’s events will be announced soon.
It wasn’t an easy season, but the amazing feedback we received from athletes in Kraków, and the positive comments already coming in from athletes and partners in Poznań, make us believe we’re doing a good job. Of course, we’re already starting work on the next season. We’ve got some surprises in store — but for now, I’ll keep the details to myself…
Michał Drelich – Director of IRONMAN Poland
This year, more than 8,000 athletes took part in IRONMAN-branded events.
The title sponsor of the event is ENEA. The host city is Poznań, and the strategic partner is the Poznań International Fair. The official sponsor is Citi Handlowy. Other sponsors include Enterprise, the Pho3nix Foundation, Nutrend, and Sportano.pl.
The ENEA IRONMAN 70.3 Poznań was held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Sport and Tourism, Jakub Rutnicki.
