IRONMAN races are one of the few events where complete amateurs compete side by side with triathlon champions. That’s exactly what will happen in Kraków.
The spotlight of Polish fans will surely be on Kacper Stępniak. The triathlete from Bydgoszcz won IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw in 2023, and this year he’s been chasing success in the IRONMAN series in the USA, France, and Germany, where he placed 8th at the European Championships. In 2024, Kacper fulfilled his sporting dream by competing at the IRONMAN World Championship on the legendary course in Kona, finishing 14th. In Kraków, Stępniak has a real chance to fight for a spot on the podium.
Serbian Champion
A serious challenger for the Polish triathlete in Kraków might be Ognjen Stojanović. The Serbian athlete performed very well at this year’s race in Warsaw, where he finished 7th. His triathlon stats are impressive: he has competed in 150 triathlons, reached the podium 40 times, and won 22 of them. He is also the Serbian national triathlon champion.
Poland’s Queen from the Netherlands
On the streets of Kraków, we’ll be cheering for an athlete who races in Poland every year, even though, as she says, she practically lives on Dutch trains. Diede Diederiks won in Gdynia two years ago (and before that in Warsaw and Poznań), and last year she finished 7th in Poznań. The 34-year-old is in great shape—this year she made it to the podium at IRONMAN Les Sables d’Olonne-Vendee.
The list of professional triathletes registered to race in Kraków is a long one. There’s no doubt the competition in the capital of Małopolska will be fierce—everyone will want to go down in history as the winner of the very first IRONMAN event in this city.
Fan Challenge
Spectators waiting for the athletes won’t be bored. Cheer zones with plenty of attractions will be set up along the running course. It’s worth moving around and joining the city game. First, pick up a map at the Info Point on the Main Square. Then follow the route from one cheer zone to another, collecting stamps along the way. Anyone who collects them all will get special IRONMAN Poland gadgets.
The triathlon weekend in Kraków will kick off on Saturday morning. At 9:00, runners will set off on the Good Morning Run. The 5-kilometer route will take them along the Vistula River and around Wawel Castle. The finish line is set in the heart of the city—the Main Square.
The Host City of the event is Kraków. The Official Sponsor is Citi Handlowy, and the Strategic Partners are the City of Bochnia and the Regional Government of Małopolska. Sponsors include Enterprise Rent a Car, Pho3nix Foundation, Nutrend, and sportano.pl. Media partners: Trójka, WP Sportowe Fakty, and Akademia Triathlonu.
