Local hero Lisa Perterer makes the fans cheer with 2nd place
From 29 to 31 August 2025, Zell am See-Kaprun offered triathlon at the highest level: A total of 2,500 athletes took part in the 13th edition of IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun, Bruck, Maishofen, Piesendorf, tackling the demanding course in front of 24,000 spectators over the entire weekend. Carinthian Lisa Perterer (AUT) gave all Austrian fans something to cheer about with her second place in the women's competition. Kat Matthews (GBR) and Fabian Kraft (GER) were crowned the winners, impressively prevailing against strong competition.
Swimming, running and cycling between glacier, mountain and lake: Once again, the international triathlon scene turned its attention to Zell am See-Kaprun in SalzburgerLand, where 2,500 athletes competed for the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 title in perfect weather conditions and in front of a record crowd of 24,000 spectators. This year's competition was already completely sold out in December 2024 – an impressive sign of the exceptional quality and popularity of the venue. Thanks to the contract extension signed in August 2024 between IRONMAN and Zell am See-Kaprun, IRONMAN 70.3 will remain an integral part of the tourism region's event calendar for the coming years until 2029. The date for the 14th edition has already been set: 30 August 2026.
SENSATIONAL SECOND PLACE FOR LISA PERTERER AND FIRST VICTORIES FOR MATTHEWS AND KRAFT
This year, the IRONMAN 70.3 in Zell am See-Kaprun was part of the Pro Series for the second time, an exclusive series with a points-based ranking system for professional athletes. As a result, a particularly high-calibre field of 2,500 athletes, including 110 professionals, took part in Sunday's sold-out main competition. The course consisted of a 1.9 km swim in Lake Zell, a 90 km bike ride through Zell am See, Kaprun, Bruck, Piesendorf, Taxenbach, Lend, Embach, Dienten, Maria Alm, Saalfelden and Maishofen, and a 21.1 km run along the Lake Zell promenade.
Kat Matthews and Fabian Kraft are now two new winners to add to the list of IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See-Kaprun champions. Matthews took the lead during the first few kilometres of the cycling stage and defended it in superior fashion all the way to the finish line. Local hero Lisa Perterer also secured a sensational second place early on in the race. The women's podium was completed by Solveig Løvseth from Norway. In the men's race, Fabian Kraft was among the leaders throughout the race, took the lead at kilometre 80 of the bike course and ultimately secured the fifth consecutive German victory in the men's race. Last year's third-place finisher Gregor Payet (LUX) took second place, while Nick Thompson (AUS) came in third.
ACTION, EMOTIONS AND GOOSEBUMPS AWAY FROM THE MAIN COMPETITION
The IRONMAN 70.3 is considered one of the top events in the region and is celebrated accordingly: Night Run Austria once again marked the start of the big triathlon weekend, with around 500 runners completing 4.2 kilometres, exactly one tenth of the marathon distance. Afterwards, an Ö3-Disco on the town square ensured a great atmosphere. On Saturday, it was the turn of the youngest participants to take centre stage: at IRONKIDS, almost 100 children between the ages of 6 and 15 demonstrated their skills in an aquathlon. In addition, throughout the weekend, all the latest triathlon products awaited participants and visitors at the IRONMAN Expo with its new IRONMAN Village.
Manuel Resch, CEO of Zell am See-Kaprun Tourismus GmbH: "The 13th edition of IRONMAN 70.3 has once again demonstrated the extraordinary atmosphere that is created in Zell am See-Kaprun when world-class triathletes encounter the enthusiasm of an entire region for this sport! With the event completely sold out since December 2024, we were able to send an international signal about the exceptional quality and popularity of our venue. Today, we would like to congratulate the beaming winners and all the athletes who completed the IRONMAN 70.3 with impressive stamina and great passion. We are also particularly pleased about the successful side events, which attracted a large number of participants. A big thank you goes to all the volunteers, the entire IRONMAN team and the partner communities, without whom such an event would not be possible."
See results: https://proseries.ironman.com/races/im703-zell-am-see/results
Caption Men's podium from left to right: Domenik David (Mayor of Kaprun), Verena Bebic (Councillor for Sport, Zell am See), Gregor Payet, Fabian Kraft, Nick Thompson, Manuel Resch (CEO, Zell am See-Kaprun Tourismus GmbH)
The images may only be used in the context of the press release.
Press contact for further information t.eder@zellamsee-kaprun.com
