Magnus wins first ever T100 race in Miami and leads new Series

Press release - March 9 2024:

In unbearable heat in Miami, Danish triathlete Magnus Ditlev remained cool as an ice cube in Antarctica as he steadily biked his way into contention during the 80 km cycling leg after trailing the front group by 1 minute following the 2 km swim. Eventually, he ran to an impressive victory, the first for a Dane in the new 100 km-distance and the first in the new T100 Triathlon World Tour series, where an overall world champion will be determined in November after 8 intense battles worldwide.

Ditlev completed the 2 km swim, 80 km cycling, and 18 km run in 3 hours, 9 minutes, and 8 seconds—34 seconds ahead of American Sam Long and 1 minute ahead of Frenchman Mathis Margirier. Along the way, he posted the fastest cycling time of all athletes with a time of 1:41:45—averaging over 47 km per hour.

With this victory, Magnus Ditlev leads the new World Tour series with 35 points, while second-place Sam Long has 28 points, and Frenchman Mathis Margirier sits third with 25 points. The second Danish competitor in the series, Daniel Bækegård, finished eighth. Each athlete's four best scoring competitions count towards the overall standings.

"I'm thrilled to win here in Miami. It's both the first race of the season and the first in the new World Tour series, which I now lead, so it's truly a fantastic victory on a very hot and tough day where we all suffered. I had devised a really good cooling strategy with my team, and it worked perfectly today, where I was in control all day despite the heat and humidity," said Magnus Ditlev in Miami.

The best vie for the World Championship title in the new World Tour triathlon series
The top 16 in the world rankings (Magnus Ditlev is ranked second) are invited to the new series along with 4 wild cards, making it 20 of the sharpest triathletes on the planet competing for both individual victories and the title of world champion after 8 100 km races: 2 km swim, 80 km cycling, and 18 km run.

Magnus Ditlev was approximately a minute behind the leaders after the 2 km swim, and the strong Dane, whose cycling prowess is his greatest asset, steadily closed the gap on competitors on the racetrack in Miami, which is typically used for Daytona racing.

The heat was a constant source of exhaustion on the scorching racetrack, and it literally meant keeping a cool head and executing one's game plan without overheating.

This is exactly what Magnus Ditlev did to perfection—first during the 80 km cycling leg, where the tall Dane controlled his pace and cooled down to achieve the day's fastest cycling time, and especially during the final 18 km run, where cooling became an even greater factor as the temperature on the tarmac exceeded 40 degrees—without any shade to seek.

The last to succumb to the Dane's relentless pace was double Olympic gold medalist Alistair Brownlee, who broke after about 12 km of running. Ditlev could cruise to victory with a solid margin of 34 seconds and roar his joy at the finish line.

Close to victory before
Dane Ditlev has been close to victory at this distance, with a 2nd place in the US Open in 2022 and a 3rd place at the European Open in Ibiza last year. This is his first victory at the distance—even after it has become an official World Championship series sanctioned by the International Triathlon Union, World Triathlon.

About the T100 Triathlon World Tour:

8 events in total:
  1. March 10, Miami - Winner: Magnus Ditlev
  2. April 13/14, Singapore
  3. June 8/9, San Francisco
  4. July 27/28, London
  5. September 28/29, Ibiza
  6. October 19/20, Las Vegas
  7. November 16/17, Dubai
  8. November 29/30, in the Middle East, Grand Final

How to win the T100 World Championship:

  • Points are awarded in each of the eight races, and each athlete's four best results in the series constitute the overall World Championship standings.
  • The first seven races give 35 points to the winner, then 28 to the runner-up, 25 to 3rd place, and so on down to 20th place: 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point.
  • At the year's final race, the Grand Final, 55 points are awarded to the winner, followed by: 45, 40, 35, 30, 27, 24, 21, 18, 16, 14, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4 for 20th place.
  • The overall world champion also wins a bonus of 210,000 US Dollars, while there are also significant cash prizes for the remaining 19 athletes who achieve four scoring competitions.