Previous Winners
| Year | Male Winner | Time | Female Winner | Time |
| 2005 | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 08:20:15 | Joanna Lawn (NZL) | 09:30:14 |
| 2007 | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 08:26:33 | Joanna Lawn (NZL) | 09:20:02 |
| 2008 | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 08:24:49 | Joanna Lawn (NZL) | 09:16:00 |
| 2009 | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 08:18:05 | Gina Crawford (NZL) | 09:18:26 |
| 2010 | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 08:21:52 | Joanna Lawn (NZL) | 09:14:35 |
| 2011 | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 08:31:07 | Samantha Warriner (NZL) | 09:28:24 |
| 2012 | Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) | 03:55:03 | Meredith Kessler (USA) | 04:22:46 |
| 2013 | Bevan Docherty (NZL) | 08:15:35 | Meredith Kessler (USA) | 09:17:10 |
| 2014 | Marko Albert (EST) | 08:17:33 | Meredith Kessler (USA) | 09:08:46 |
| 2015 | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 08:22:13 | Meredith Kessler (USA) | 09:05:45 |
| 2016 | Cameron Brown (NZL) | 08:07:58 | Meredith Kessler (USA) | 08:56:08 |
Last Year’s TOP 3
Male Race Results
| Rank | Name | Nation | Swim | Bike | Run | Time |
| 1 | Cameron Brown | NZL | 00:48:37 | 04:29:13 | 02:44:54 | 08:07:58 |
| 2 | Joe Skipper | GBR | 00:53:11 | 04:25:11 | 02:45:51 | 08:09:37 |
| 3 | Callum Millward | NZL | 00:46:49 | 04:31:13 | 02:48:01 | 08:10:57 |
Female Race Results
| Rank | Name | Nation | Swim | Bike | Run | Time |
| 1 | Meredith Kessler | USA | 00:47:49 | 04:56:40 | 03:06:03 | 08:56:08 |
| 2 | Lucy Gossage | GBR | 00:55:45 | 04:51:39 | 03:12:10 | 09:05:08 |
| 3 | Carrie Lester | AUS | 00:52:14 | 05:01:22 | 03:08:13 | 09:07:19 |
Course Records
| Leg | Gender | Record | Athlete | Date |
| Total | overall | 08:07:58 | Cameron Brown | 2016-03-05 |
| Swim | overall | 00:44:26 | Dylan McNeice | 2015-03-07 |
| Bike | overall | 04:22:13 | Dougal Allan | 2016-03-05 |
| Run | overall | 02:41:20 | Matt Hanson | 2016-03-05 |
| Total | female | 08:56:08 | Meredith Kessler | 2016-03-05 |
| Swim | female | 00:46:30 | Monica Byrn | 2005-05-03 |
| Bike | female | 04:51:39 | Lucy Gossage | 2016-03-05 |
| Run | female | 02:59:10 | Jess Draskau-Petersson | 2004-03-06 |
Course Rating
The Course Rating for IM New Zealand is 05:55.
Race Adjustments for IM New Zealand
| Year | Adjustment | Swim Adj. | Bike Adj. | Run Adj. | # of Finishers | Rating | Swim Rating | Bike Rating | Run Rating |
| 2007 | 08:39 | 00:56 | -00:21 | 06:30 | 24 | 08:39 | 00:56 | -00:21 | 06:30 |
| 2008 | 09:27 | 01:37 | 02:46 | 04:33 | 36 | 09:03 | 01:16 | 01:13 | 05:31 |
| 2009 | 08:06 | -00:01 | 03:19 | 03:03 | 38 | 08:44 | 00:51 | 01:55 | 04:42 |
| 2010 | 06:18 | 01:04 | 04:33 | 03:28 | 22 | 08:07 | 00:54 | 02:34 | 04:23 |
| 2011 | -02:24 | 00:31 | 00:28 | -00:58 | 24 | 06:01 | 00:49 | 02:09 | 03:19 |
| 2013 | 01:37 | 00:43 | 04:14 | 01:08 | 24 | 05:17 | 00:48 | 02:30 | 02:57 |
| 2014 | 04:18 | 01:05 | 00:08 | 02:35 | 31 of 41 | 05:09 | 00:51 | 02:09 | 02:54 |
| 2015 | 07:50 | 01:13 | 03:03 | 05:36 | 22 of 27 | 05:29 | 00:53 | 02:16 | 03:14 |
| 2016 | 09:28 | 01:56 | 09:17 | 03:28 | 37 of 49 | 05:55 | 01:00 | 03:03 | 03:16 |
KPR points and Prize Money
IM New Zealand is a P-2000 race. It has a total prize purse of 80.000 US$.
Male Race Participants
| Rank | Bib | Name | Nation | Expected Time | Rating | Exp. Swim | Exp. Bike | Exp. Run | Consistency | Overall |
| 1 | 4 | Marino Vanhoenacker | BEL | 08:14:06 | 08:18:37 | 00:49:11 | 04:28:30 | 02:51:25 | 62% +11% -27% (25) | 4 |
| 2 | 1 | Cameron Brown | NZL | 08:18:16 | 08:29:10 | 00:49:24 | 04:36:36 | 02:47:16 | 60% +1% -39% (33) | 25 |
| 3 | 3 | Terenzo Bozzone | NZL | 08:18:26 | 08:26:06 | 00:46:41 | 04:32:44 | 02:54:01 | 40% +27% -33% (12) | 18 |
| 4 | 2 | Marko Albert | EST | 08:21:52 | 08:33:04 | 00:45:46 | 04:34:30 | 02:56:36 | 94% +4% -2% (16) | 33 |
| 5 | 5 | Cyril Viennot | FRA | 08:26:09 | 08:32:02 | 00:49:54 | 04:34:08 | 02:57:07 | 75% +16% -9% (17) | 28 |
| 6 | 10 | Mark Bowstead | NZL | 08:35:27 | 08:54:17 | 00:47:19 | 04:36:54 | 03:06:14 | n/a (1 IM Pro race) | (107) |
| 7 | 9 | Per Bittner | GER | 08:37:22 | 08:41:55 | 00:48:51 | 04:42:28 | 03:01:02 | 57% +11% -32% (20) | 71 |
| 8 | 19 | Philipp Koutny | SUI | 08:39:42 | 08:56:02 | 00:50:35 | 04:41:19 | 03:02:48 | 36% +0% -64% (3) | (114) |
| 9 | 7 | Clayton Fettell | AUS | 08:40:37 | 08:50:08 | 00:46:07 | 04:38:26 | 03:11:04 | 7% +18% -74% (9) | 93 |
| 10 | 16 | Simon Cochrane | NZL | 08:42:29 | 09:09:00 | 00:49:29 | 04:44:56 | 03:03:04 | 56% +24% -19% (17) | 163 |
| 11 | 6 | Braden Currie | NZL | 08:43:57 | 09:00:25 | 00:49:55 | 04:52:27 | 02:56:35 | n/a (1 IM Pro race) | (134) |
| 12 | 25 | Diego Van Looy | BEL | 08:48:27 | 08:59:40 | 01:04:51 | 04:47:14 | 02:51:21 | 100% +0% -0% (2) | (131) |
| 13 | 24 | Carl Read | NZL | 08:50:35 | 09:06:05 | 00:51:42 | 04:54:25 | 02:59:28 | 67% +10% -23% (10) | 155 |
| 14 | 17 | Scott Defilippis | USA | 08:50:57 | 09:17:40 | 00:54:56 | 04:55:05 | 02:55:56 | 26% +23% -51% (23) | 187 |
| 15 | 11 | Guy Crawford | NZL | 08:51:19 | 09:15:58 | 00:47:50 | 04:38:05 | 03:20:25 | 42% +29% -28% (13) | 182 |
| 16 | 8 | Bryan Rhodes | NZL | 08:56:50 | 09:17:39 | 00:46:49 | 04:45:39 | 03:19:22 | 22% +0% -78% (27) | (187) |
| 17 | 13 | Todd Skipworth | AUS | 08:59:25 | 09:34:08 | 00:44:54 | 04:53:34 | 03:15:56 | 18% +0% -82% (7) | (228) |
| 18 | 20 | Cedric Lassonde | FRA | 09:00:59 | 09:08:30 | 00:54:12 | 04:52:42 | 03:09:05 | 85% +0% -15% (8) | 160 |
| 19 | 18 | Guillaume Jeannin | FRA | 09:07:00 | 09:30:02 | 00:52:04 | 04:54:00 | 03:15:56 | 13% +22% -65% (6) | (222) |
| 20 | 15 | Sam Clark | NZL | 09:12:08 | 09:20:31 | 00:55:49 | 04:56:48 | 03:14:32 | 24% +42% -33% (3) | 194 |
| 21 | 22 | Young Hwan Oh | KOR | 09:18:40 | 09:33:35 | 01:01:13 | 05:04:10 | 03:08:18 | 37% +38% -25% (6) | 227 |
| 22 | 21 | Samuel Murphy | AUS | 09:20:09 | 09:55:44 | 00:55:44 | 05:10:57 | 03:08:28 | 49% +0% -51% (2) | (268) |
| 23 | 12 | Graham O’Grady | NZL | 09:25:34 | 09:49:25 | 00:45:01 | 04:47:47 | 03:47:46 | 56% +0% -44% (3) | (258) |
| 24 | 14 | Allister Caird | AUS | 09:27:28 | 09:53:56 | 00:55:20 | 04:56:23 | 03:30:44 | 21% +0% -79% (4) | (265) |
| 23 | Cameron Paul | NZL | n/a | unrated | unrated | unrated | unrated | n/a (no IM Pro race) | (n/a) |
Female Race Participants
| Rank | Bib | Name | Nation | Expected Time | Rating | Exp. Swim | Exp. Bike | Exp. Run | Consistency | Overall |
| 1 | 31 | Meredith Kessler | USA | 09:04:46 | 09:20:24 | 00:48:24 | 05:01:59 | 03:09:22 | 60% +10% -30% (26) | 11 |
| 2 | 32 | Carrie Lester | AUS | 09:12:17 | 09:25:23 | 00:53:05 | 05:05:03 | 03:09:09 | 57% +31% -12% (20) | 18 |
| 3 | 33 | Yvonne Van Vlerken | NED | 09:14:20 | 09:16:20 | 00:57:09 | 05:00:26 | 03:11:45 | 77% +0% -23% (28) | 6 |
| 4 | 36 | Laura Siddall | GBR | 09:18:16 | 09:37:36 | 00:56:32 | 05:01:15 | 03:15:29 | 46% +44% -10% (8) | 40 |
| 5 | 34 | Annabel Luxford | AUS | 09:25:23 | 09:32:02 | 00:51:28 | 05:01:16 | 03:27:39 | 65% +0% -35% (4) | 29 |
| 6 | 37 | Emma Bilham | SUI | 09:26:34 | 09:44:46 | 00:53:29 | 05:12:43 | 03:15:23 | 64% +0% -36% (3) | (52) |
| 7 | 45 | Jocelyn McCauley | USA | 09:27:22 | 09:47:29 | 00:55:53 | 05:17:18 | 03:09:11 | 28% +30% -42% (5) | 57 |
| 8 | 39 | Michelle Gailey | AUS | 09:41:15 | 09:52:26 | 00:53:33 | 05:24:56 | 03:17:45 | 70% +0% -30% (10) | (66) |
| 9 | 35 | Kate Bevilaqua | AUS | 09:44:10 | 10:11:07 | 00:54:47 | 05:19:03 | 03:25:20 | 22% +6% -72% (28) | (99) |
| 10 | 43 | Mackenzie Madison | USA | 09:45:17 | 09:54:57 | 00:58:05 | 05:17:51 | 03:24:21 | 53% +0% -47% (12) | 68 |
| 11 | 48 | Vanessa Murray | NZL | 09:48:53 | 10:02:44 | 00:53:26 | 05:24:23 | 03:26:04 | 100% +0% -0% (3) | 83 |
| 12 | 40 | Alyssa Godesky | USA | 10:00:39 | 10:15:06 | 00:59:33 | 05:31:10 | 03:24:56 | 52% +36% -13% (14) | 105 |
| 13 | 41 | Yvette Grice | GBR | 10:02:27 | 10:08:08 | 00:55:59 | 05:36:03 | 03:25:25 | 71% +20% -9% (24) | 94 |
| 14 | 44 | Wendy McAlpine | AUS | 10:07:07 | 10:20:31 | 00:56:39 | 05:25:09 | 03:40:19 | 28% +0% -72% (2) | (116) |
| 15 | 38 | Erin Furness | NZL | 10:08:10 | 10:24:40 | 01:00:36 | 05:31:31 | 03:31:02 | 61% +11% -28% (6) | (120) |
| 16 | 42 | Tamsyn Hayes | NZL | 10:09:57 | 10:23:26 | 01:00:15 | 05:23:47 | 03:40:56 | 52% +7% -41% (12) | 119 |
| 17 | 47 | Tracy Morrison | AUS | 10:21:47 | 10:30:40 | 01:00:25 | 05:45:19 | 03:31:03 | 100% +0% -0% (3) | 132 |
| 18 | 46 | Jessica Mitchell | AUS | 10:37:45 | 10:57:47 | 01:01:03 | 05:38:04 | 03:53:38 | n/a (1 IM Pro race) | (146) |
| 49 | Fawn Whiting | CAN | n/a | unrated | unrated | unrated | unrated | n/a (no IM Pro race) | (n/a) |
Winning Odds
Male Race Participants
After he had to cancel last year’s start at IM New Zealand just before boarding the plane, Marino Vanhoenacker will try to take the win, completing his collection of Ironman wins on all continents. He is my pre-race favorite, but he faces strong competition by twelve-time winner Cameron Brown and Terenzo Bozzone who seems to have unlocked the secret to fast Ironman racing after his 7:51 at Western Australia. 2014 winner Marco Albert and Cyril Viennot won’t be too far off the front either:
- Marino Vanhoenacker: 35% (2-1)
- Cameron Brown: 24% (3-1)
- Terenzo Bozzone: 24% (3-1)
- Marko Albert: 10% (9-1)
- Cyril Viennot: 7% (14-1)
Female Race Participants
Meredith Kessler is again the pre-race favorite, she’s going for a “six-peat” after having won from 2012 to 2016. A win would also secure a Kona slot for her, allowing her to plan the year with a clear Kona focus. After finishing tenth in Kona a decent result (probably podium or better) would allow Carrie Lester to also plan her season without worrying about scoring more points. But Yvonne Van Vlerken and Laura Siddall (both backing up after Challenge Wanaka) will work hard to make things interesting with a strong bike. Jocelyn McCauley has won an IM before (IM Mallorca 2016), while some other strong racers (Emma Bilham, two time second place finisher in European IMs last year or Annabel Luxford who is still looking for her breakthrough IM performance) don’t even show up in the statistical odds but could easily finish at least on the podium:
- Meredith Kessler: 51% (1-1)
- Carrie Lester: 26% (3-1)
- Yvonne Van Vlerken: 10% (9-1)
- Laura Siddall: 7% (14-1)
- Jocelyn McCauley: 5% (18-1)
Wanaka – New Zealand Double
Last year there were nine athletes doing the Wanaka – New Zealand double at 14 days apart, five of them successful:
- Gina Crawford DNF & 09:32:51
- Laura Siddall 09:30:19 & 09:09:08
- Dougal Allan 08:31:53 & 08:24:27
- Dylan McNeice 09:10:29 & DNF
- Matt Randall DNF & 09:49:37
- Matthew Russell 08:42:53 & 08:15:25
- Chris Sanson 09:16:59 & 08:53:38
- Joe Skipper DNF & 08:09:37
- Brad Williams 09:50:44 & 09:32:59
This year there are ten athletes attempting the double, eight of them have finished Wanaka:
- Emma Bilham 09:30:39
- Alyssa Godesky 09:58:58
- Yvette Grice 10:45:01
- Tamsyn Hayes 10:08:36
- Laura Siddall 09:16:11
- Yvonne Van Vlerken 09:15:44
- Per Bittner DNF
- Allister Caird 08:46:43
- Simon Cochrane 08:48:45
- Bryan Rhodes DNF