Having decided not to defend his Oceanside 70.3 title last weekend, Lionel Sanders is now ‘excited’ to put his latest comeback to the test against some of the biggest names that long-distance IRONMAN has to offer.
Victory at the Dallas Little-Elm 70.3 heralded a brave new chapter in the Canadian’s career as he marked his return from illness and injury in the best possible fashion. However, he fully admits the forthcoming challenge in Texas will be on a whole new level.
Indeed, as he prepares for the April 18 showdown against a field expected to include the likes of Kristian Blummenfelt, Casper Stornes, Gustav Iden, Sam Long and Jelle Geens, he accepts that this first full-distance race of his year will go on to determine the remainder of his season.
Chasing an elusive world championship
A good performance, which sees him challenging the leaders, could well be enough for him to put a pin in the longer format, content with knowing that his meticulous preparations for another tilt at winning that elusive first IRONMAN World Championship title are on track.
Talking on his latest YouTube vlog, which is embedded below, he starts by explaining the Oceanside omission before going into more detail about what he clearly regards as a landmark race for not only the season but also for his entire career in Texas.
“Oceanside? Been there, done that. Tastes great. I need something else. I need more taste. Different taste,” he says. “I’m training myself to be the best long-distance triathlete I can be.
“I’m excited for it. It’s all going to come to an end soon. So, yeah, you know, it’s time for me to do what gets me excited. And this gets me excited. The pressure is on. You can post as many workouts as you want on the internet. At the end of the day, it’s irrelevant. What happens in Texas is what’s relevant. And what happens in Kona is what’s relevant.
“So, having a good day there starts a long, long time before you get there. It’s not built in a session. It’s not built in two sessions. It’s not built in a week. I’m on six months of consistency, and that is the absolute name of the game.”
Battling back from RED-S complications
Having struggled for much of last season fighting illness and injury brought on by the nutritional condition medically known as ‘Relative Energy Deficiency’, or RED-S, he has not only changed his diet to increase his calorie intake to above 7,000, but he has also honed his training regime.
The improvements have been so vast that Sanders now believes his body and mind are the best they have been for many years.
While he has won 70.3 Texas twice in his long and illustrious career, the full-distance option has remained on his hit list since way back in 2015, when the 27-year-old relative newcomer to triathlon looked to be well set for a podium finish before ‘absolutely imploding’ to finish fourth.
“I’m itching to race. It’s been a minute since I was so fit and confident,” he says. “It’s one thing to think you’re going to do good; it’s another thing to know you’re going to do good. And I’m in the knowing level of confidence. I am really looking forward to it.
Preparations for Kona
“Texas is going to be a real interesting test because I haven’t done well since 2022 against the top guys, but I also haven’t trained well either. I got unfinished business there, and that will shape the rest of my season for sure.
“If I prove to myself that I can compete… I don’t have to win, but I have to prove to myself that I can… that there’s a chance, that there’s a possibility. That will shape the rest of my season for sure. A really good performance in Texas, then I don’t know if I’d do another IRONMAN until Kona. If I had a real good day in Texas, I’d probably just save it for Kona.
“If it goes horribly, and I know I’ve trained really well, and then it still goes horribly, then that would shape the season as well. But it is not going to happen. I just know it’s not going to happen because it’s not how this works.”
