Laura Philipp Is Ready to do What So Many Have Struggled With: Defend the IRONMAN World Championship Title

Laura Philipp at her pre-Kona press conference. Photos: Kevin Mackinnon

Make no mistake – Germany’s Laura Philipp is more than a little determined to defend her world title this weekend, but she’s also fully aware of just how hard it is to repeat as an IRONMAN World Champion. That’s especially true in this new ere of uber-competitive women’s racing – and one of the reasons she is so aware of that fact is because she has been part of some of those insanely competitive races we’ve seen of late. A year ago Brit Kat Matthews managed to push Philipp through the first of four flat, fast loops of the Nice run course. Then, in Hamburg this year, it was Matthews, again, who pushed the German star, who credits that push with her world-best IRONMAN time set that day (8:03:13). About a month after than Philipp finally won her first Roth title. She arrives in Nice looking to complete the perfect season that includes those titles along with 70.3 Kraichgau, which took place a week before Hamburg.

Philipp has been mentally preparing for another tough battle here in Kona on Saturday, visualizing chasing 2023 champ Lucy Charles-Barclay (who was absent the worlds in Nice last year) for much of the day, all while also facing the fierce competition that’s likely to come from Matthews (and who knows how many others in this strong field). Which is why she cherishes the experience she gained from the Hamburg event.

“It was different and we experienced different scenarios (and weather conditions), but it was still kind of similar in terms of the pressure that you feel and the intensity,” Philipp said in an interview on Tuesday. “I think those are the experiences you only get over time, because you need to enter races and then see how they play out and then see how you react to those scenarios. And, I think, at the end, this is nothing you can 100 percent prepare for because it will test you in the moment, especially if you maybe feel bad and that’s the moment where you feel ‘now it’s getting decided.’ You need to convince your body that you’re not done and that there needs to be an extra gear. I think it’s a combination of having those race experiences like Hamburg, and having a lot of solo training where I’m on my own, but able to create scenarios and prepare for them.”

Philipp does a lot of visualization, especially during long training days, and has imagined that Saturday’s race will be so tight that it could come down to a sprint finish. In fact, she relishes the idea that might happen.

“I hope there are some run dynamics like in Nice,” Philipp said, referring to the close men’s race which featured five men running together through the early stages of the marathon. “Racing like that is entertaining. I do believe that it will come down to a last-minute showdown.”

When you arrive with a 2:38:37 marathon to your credit, a last-minute showdown is something to look forward to, but considering how well Charles-Barclay has run in her last few races, Philipp isn’t taking anything for granted.

What if You Can Fly?

Philipp admits that she’s not always the most confident of athletes.

“I am always someone who is questioning myself,” she said. “I am not the kind of person who really believes in myself. I need my team to tell me that I can do it. There will always come a moment where you enter unknown territory, where you have to jump off a cliff. You get asked the question: ‘how much are you willing to risk?’ I know this moment will come in the race where I won’t know the outcome, but I will have to take a chance. You should not be afraid of failure – there’s also a chance you will fly.”

It’s that type of mental preparation that will certainly give Philipp a good chance to defend her title. She’s also choosing a different perspective for a lot of the pressure that’s being heaped on her as she comes into the race with an unbeaten record this year.

Philipp on her way to the Roth title.

“I heard some people talk about this being Laura Phillip’s world champion title to lose … and I feel like this is a completely weird way to look at it because my title will stand forever – even if I come last this weekend that Nice title won’t be taken away from me,” she said. “So I see it as a great opportunity to test myself again on a different course, because this is something I really enjoy. I am someone who is in favour of rotating courses around the world because I want to prepare for new challenges. Right now, I feel like even though I’ve been to Hawaii, it still feels like a new challenge in a way because I feel like I’m a better athlete. I’m now a way more experienced athlete. And so it feels exciting to be back, right? And to try again. But the challenge here is definitely the conditions that are really tough.”

Seeking a Challenge

Suffice it to say that Philipp appears to have arrived in Kona in the perfect headspace to take on Matthews, Charles-Barclay and any of the other top women set to race on Saturday. Rather than get caught up in the end result, she’s focused on the process of the race, and has set up some specific goals for race day.

“I want to work hard in the swim,” she said. “After winning Nice, what is the next thing I want to achieve? I want to try to improve my swim. I’ve done a lot of work on it, but it doesn’t always show on race day. I want to be calm … I want to prepare for the chase, and keep pushing.”

Fully aware that she and the rest of the field will likely be chasing super-swimmer Charles-Barclay for much of the day, Philipp said she’s done a lot more hill training than years pace, in hopes that it will pay off.

Ultimately, though, Philipp seems most primed for success because, while she’d obviously love to win on Saturday, she’s more interested in testing herself.

“Honestly, when I saw the Nice course, I felt more like, oh my God, this is my course, right?” she said. “Where here (in Kona), on paper, I’m probably not the most suited athlete for this course, in terms of body weight, power to watts and so on. But this is part of the challenge. I want to be good at every race. And this is why I decided to race in Hamburg, because it’s a completely flat course. I wanted to show myself I can also do that – I’m not only able to climb and descend. So I think that is what I bring to the table here. I think, at the end, I might not be the most suited athlete for this course
because I’m don’t come out of the water in the front, and so on. But that is part of the challenge. And that’s what I’m here trying to find out.”

And we’ll be happy to watch and see exactly what Philipp finds out about herself come Saturday. And we’ll be even happier if she finds out what it’s like to run most of a marathon with some stiff competition.

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