Search
shop

Jackson Laundry on how he beat Alistair Brownlee at Oceanside

Canadian star on how he ran to glory in California
News Director
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

That epic win for Jackson Laundry at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside also brought a notable first for the rising Canadian star – his first victory over two-time Olympic Champion Alistair Brownlee.

The 28-year-old looked for a moment like he might have to settle for second best when Brownlee kicked clear during the run in trademark fashion. The move would not be decisive though as he began to struggle.

Alistair was passed first by Laundry as the field entered the last 3k and then by the fast-finishing Lionel Sanders and Rudy Von Berg.

Laundry joined six-time Kona king Mark Allen on his regular ‘Mondays With Mark Allen’ series to talk about his rise to stardom, and also that battle at Oceanside.

Advertisement

Laundry on Brownlee battle

“For the first 7 or 8km it was basically me, Alistair and Rudy running together. At the time it felt it was definitely the right kind of move for me to be running with those guys. I was feeling comfortable – I knew the pace was hot and probably that I wouldn’t hold that exact pace.

“I think if you went and looked that was probably the fastest 7k of my run but it still was so important to stay there and I knew it wasn’t a pace that was going to totally blow me up so I kind of thought ‘alright, let’s go with these guys, see what happens’.”

Jackson knew that at some stage Brownlee would try to make a decisive break and inject pace which his rivals couldn’t live with. When it came the Canadian decided smartly he would not try to match it.

“Obviously with Alistair there, you’re just waiting for him to make a move because you know how aggressive he is when he races. And when he did, probably a pretty smart move on his point. I was kind of right at my limit of where I wanted to go and he just upped it and I knew it wasn’t the right move for me to go with him at that time.

“It was a little bit, kind of ‘okay, here he goes, it’s Alistair Brownlee, it’s not surprising’. I kind of held my pace and really stayed patient. I noticed after a few k that he wasn’t getting any further away. I thought okay, he’s struggling here, just keep on it and see what happens.”

As the race entered the final 5k Laundry knew he had more in the tank, and that thought was emboldened by the hunch that up front Alistair was starting to throw out distress signals.

“I sort of kept that gap and with around 5k to go I had another gear that I was able to find and upped it probably another 5 seconds a k or so. Rudy wasn’t able to hold onto that pace and then once I dropped Rudy I really was quite a bit closer to Alistair and I knew that I could get him. It was just a matter of keeping to the pace and keeping relaxed, not getting too excited and not going by too hard or blowing up.”

When Jackson knew

As Laundry drew upsides with the British star in the closing stages, he knew this wasn’t the race-sharp short-course king of previous years. Not on this occasion at least.

“I figured when I caught him 2 or 3k from the finish that he probably was struggling because he doesn’t really give up a lead, he doesn’t let other people make a move typically. He’s the one who wants to control the race so I figured at that point he was a little bit in the hurt box and I had an opportunity to go by him and that’s how it ended up playing out.

“I think he was probably hanging on for dear life and kind of bluffing towards the end there because that’s a lot and obviously he’s a guy who likes to win no matter what. He probably got discouraged as well, but he was probably trying just to hang on with the lead and hope that we would give up.”

Don’t write off Alistair

Next up Brownlee will move up to the full distance for that eagerly-awaited IRONMAN World Championship at St George on May 7. Laundry for one will not be writing off his chances there.

“Once he got passed he obviously didn’t have much left and he ended up losing quite a bit because he didn’t even end up on the podium. He was really really struggling,

“I mean he hasn’t done a long-distance race in quite a long time so he’s probably got some rust that he’s scraped off and I wouldn’t be surprised if his next one is right back to being flawless.”

Jonathan Turner
Written by
Jonathan Turner
Jonathan Turner is News Director for both TRI247 and RUN247, and is accustomed to big-name interviews, breaking news stories and providing unrivalled coverage for endurance sports.  
Discover more
TRI247 podcast p/b Challenge Family episode 2
Go behind the scenes at Challenge Roth with the latest episode of the TRI247 podcast
Cadomotus Chronos triathlon cycling shoes
The triathlon cycling shoe that promises a 10-watt saving: Cadomotus Chronos Aero triathlon cycling shoes review
Challenge Family Roth
Five things you need to know about the Challenge Roth bike course
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
latest News
Lisa Tertsch Cassandre Beaugrand Beth Potter Hamburg WTCS 2024 Photo credit: Tommy Zaferes / World Triathlon
WTCS Hamburg 2025: Start time, preview and how to watch live
IRONMAN CEO Scott DeRue Women For Tri 2024
‘The more co-operation the better’ – Challenge Roth chief welcomes IRONMAN CEO’s visit
joe-skipper-kona-2022-bike
Joe Skipper says his Challenge Roth experience proves just how high the bar now is in triathlon
Anne Haug wins Challenge Roth 2024 [Photo credit: Simon Fischer | Challenge Roth]
Anne Haug on inspiration ahead of comeback, sub-eight and no intention of retiring just yet
Caroline Pohle Ironman 70.3 Zell Am See 2024
CHAOS as Lena Meissner wins amazing sprint finish to become 70.3 European Champion and is then DEMOTED
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...