He is a phenomenon: Daniel Hofer becomes the Iron Man

On Sunday evening, Daniel Hofer drove home satisfied. The man from Bolzano had been the figurehead of South Tyrolean triathlon for many years until he ended his professional career seven years ago. Last Saturday he attempted an Ironman for the first time and immediately placed second in the all-time South Tyrolean best list.

"It's easy to talk about the Ironman, but you have to do one at some point. Now I felt like I was in my prime," says the 41-year-old from Bozen. For non-experts: Ironman means 3,86 kilometers of swimming, 180 km of cycling and running a marathon - that's 42,2 kilometers.

For his debut, Hofer chose the Ironman Emilia-Romagna in Cervia on the Adriatic, which is known for fast times. "The conditions were almost perfect," said the Bolzano native, who was also the only South Tyrolean to win the men's race at Lake Kaltern in 2011 and was part of the elite in Italy on the Olympic distance for years before ending his career in 2017.

Hofer's result is impressive. He reached the finish line after 8:44.31 hours, placing 14th overall, second best in his age group (41 to 45 years) and second best "Azzurro".

Daniel Hofer at his first Ironman in Cervia.

However, he did not accept the slot (starting place) for the Ironman World Championships next year in Nice. Cervia is said to be his last Ironman for the time being. "Nice is not my course, next year I have other priorities in my life. To do well in an Ironman, you have to be well prepared," says Hofer.

He took Cervia quite easy. "I didn't prepare in any special way, nor did I train excessively. I probably did exactly the right thing. The swimming wasn't easy. It was very wavy, you couldn't really see anything in the sea and many people gave up before the first changeover. I got out of the water after 53.47 minutes." “I drank a Coke and ate a banana, then I was fine at the finish line.” daniel hofer He also had a good feeling on the bike for 120 kilometers. "After that I got a bit tired, but I ate well, pushed myself, and then I was fine again. I rode at an average speed of 39 km/h (part-time cycling 4.37 hours)."

Then came the marathon. "Everything went as planned for the first 13 kilometers. At kilometer 15 I had a small crisis, at kilometer 30 I had a cramp in the back of my thigh. That happens quickly. But I drank a Coke, ate a banana, and then I made it to the finish line." Hofer is also happy with his marathon time (3:03.56). "I wanted to stay around 3 hours, and I managed that."

Hofer is the 7th South Tyrolean in triathlon history to complete an Ironman in under 9 hours. He is even second in the all-time best list. Only Christian Haas from Karneid was faster two years ago, also in Cervia, in 2:8. But Hofer left Werner Überbacher and Klaus Runer behind in his debut. Überbacher, with whom Hofer has trained a lot in recent weeks, was also one of the first to congratulate him. The 31.19-year-old from St. Pauls will take part in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii on October 50th, having qualified for it in June.

Steinwandter also becomes an Ironman In a few weeks, South Tyrol will have another “Ironman”. On October 12, former professional Matthias Steinwandter (31) from Innichen will compete in his first Ironman in Langkawi, Malaysia and will also try to stay under 9 hours.

Daniel Hofer is also the fastest Ironman in the family. He beat the best time of his father Gottfried (64). The innkeeper of the Schwarzen Katz' in St. Magdalena in Bozen managed a time of 1999:9 at the 40.14 Ironman in Klagenfurt. The fastest South Tyrolean Ironmen: 1. Christian Haas (Karneid) Ironman Cervia (2022) 8:31.19 hours 2. Daniel Hofer (Bozen) Ironman Cervia (2024) 8:44.31 3. Werner Überbacher (St. Pauls) Ironman Klagenfurt (2003) 8:48.43 4. Klaus Runer (Bolzano) Ironman Roth (1993) 8:48.44 5. Stefano Paoli (Tesimo) Ironman Frankfurt (2013) 8:56.35 6. Daniele Irsara (Val Badia) Ironman Klagenfurt (2003) 8:58.28 7. Andreas Casotti (Laives) Challenge Mergozzo (1999) 9:06.51 8. Franco Prezzi (Bozen) Ironman Klagenfurt (2011) 9:12.47

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He is a phenomenon: Daniel Hofer becomes the Iron Man

Daniel Hofer is one of the best endurance athletes that South Tyrol has produced in recent decades. Now, at the age of 41, the former world-class triathlete is suddenly climbing a whole new ranking.

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