‘I knew that if I let him taste blood, I would be done’ – Sanders on how he repelled Long at St. George

They’ve now won six IRONMAN 70.3 St. George races since 2016 between them but their latest showdown on Saturday arguably saw Lionel Sanders and Sam Long hit new heights.

The sometime training partners bossed it from the bike onwards in what was the final edition of this iconic event in Utah.

But it was Sanders, who proved strongest – he bossed the bike leg, taking Long’s course record from last year in the process, and then stayed super-solid to close it out on the run.

That made it two wins out of two for him this season after 70.3 Oceanside and this was his fifth title at 70.3 St. George.

‘I felt absolutely horrible’

Recapping his race he said at the finish: “I swam well. For me, I swam well. I could see Jackson Laundry’s cap the whole swim, which means I was swimming really good, well above my capacity, which you can only ask for.

“And then on the bike, I was close to the front. And when I’m close to the front, I mean, I’m very motivated to get there.”

That’s exactly what happened as he powered past uber-biker Magnus Ditlev and never looked back.

He added: “I rode really hard, probably too hard, and paid for it. And I felt absolutely horrible on the run, every single step. I was just fortunate enough that everyone else rode hard.”

Mind games

Long was another man on the charge and he was up to second by T2, around two-and-a-half minutes back.

Sanders was fully aware of that fact as he explained: “I had to flick my watch to tell me what the K’s were because I knew that if I let him taste blood, I would be done.

“I remembered the K’s that I ran on the first lap and I said, just give me very close to those K’s again and very likely he’ll begin to fade. And then when he senses that he’s not making up any more time, then he will crumble.”

Long didn’t crumble, but equally he didn’t close either as Sanders kept the gap constant and notched another impressive victory – his fourth – at the final 70.3 St George.

He added: “It feels fantastic. I love this place. I’m a little bit sad, if I’m being honest.

“I love coming to this race. It’s a staple on my calendar. I love coming here, and I’ll definitely be coming back to St. George if it’s not for the 70.3, certainly to visit. I hope it comes back again one day.”