Lionel Sanders family dream is alive again as triathlon’s IRONMAN World Championship heads home to Kona

Canadian triathlon superstar Lionel Sanders is overjoyed by the news that the IRONMAN World Championship will be returning to a one-day event at the sport’s spiritual home Kona from 2026 onward. For a very special reason.

In 2022, the pinnacle of the sport became a two-day event on the big island before IRONMAN elected to split the men’s and women’s World Championships, alternating between Nice and Kona in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

However, that experiment has now concluded following research conducted by the event’s organisers. They found the majority of professional and age group athletes prefer a single-day event in Hawaii.

Sanders has Kona dream with Mom

Sanders, who enjoyed a strong start to the 2025 season by winning IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside before withdrawing from IRONMAN Texas last weekend following a bout of illness, is very excited by the big news.

The 37-year-old expressed his desire to complete the Kona course on the same day as his mother, and that opportunity could arise in 2026.

“It’s always been a dream of my mom and I’s to compete in Kona on the same day,” he posted on his Instagram account

“@ironmantri announced that world champs are headed home and back to one day of racing. Looking forward to pursuing that dream with her again!”

The post garnered a playful response from the IRONMAN admin, who asked: “Will she beat you out of the water?”

The charismatic Canadian has certainly had his ups and downs on the Big Island – Lionel crossed the finish line as runner-up in 2017 but has finished outside the top 30 on his last two visits to Hawaii.

For now, all roads lead to Nice for the men’s iteration of the 2025 IRONMAN World Championships – perhaps the final time the event will be held outside of Kona.