Lionel Sanders bids for IRONMAN Kona glory again, will Chris McCormack bet against him this time?

It was one of the triathlon soundbites of 2021, Chris McCormack saying he would be prepared to match the prize money won by Lionel Sanders if the Canadian superstar claimed IRONMAN World Championship glory in Kona.

Two-time Hawaii champion McCormack was speaking in the midst of a crazy Ironman season which saw Sanders racing a full-distance race what felt like every weekend. Nailing Hawaii off that build-up was, he felt, a mountain too steep to climb and he was not afraid to say so.

The Aussie great explained: “You can go to Kona, and you’ll finish and you’ll race, but you’re not gonna win the event. And that’s a guarantee.

“Ask yourself, in the last 25 years, what male athlete has won Kona off more than two Ironmans in a season. None, zero, it doesn’t work. You can’t dig that deep and expect to perform in Kona – it’s a special beast.

“When you’re cramming three Ironmans in the back end of the year when you’ve got an October race – he’s gonna be there, he’s gonna be on the start list, you’ll see Lionel Sanders’ name. But if he wins Kona I’ll match his prize money, it’s not happening, it won’t happen.”

The race of course did not take place in Kona in 2021 due to the lingering impact of the COVID pandemic, but fast forward three years and the 2024 renewal definitely will happen on Saturday week – October 26. And a stellar field will line up including the likes of Kristian Blummenfelt, Gustav Iden, Sam Laidlow, Magnus Ditlev and Patrick Lange among others.

Macca on Lionel Sanders and Kona 2024

This year we appear to have a very different Lionel preparing for the battle on the Big Island – he has flown relatively under the radar by his standards so far in 2024. In a season impacted by a rib injury, he has raced only four times – starting with 70.3 wins in Oceanside and Mont-Tremblant.

Sanders has raced twice over the full Ironman distance this year – a third place in Lake Placid followed by a win in his native Canada in a race which was downgraded to a duathlon due to bad weather.

Lionel says he is just having fun as he prepares to take on the sport’s Holy Grail once again, but there is a steely focus underneath the surface. And McCormack – unlike 2021 – very much likes what he sees.

“Look, I’m a massive fan of Lionel, and that [what he said in 2021] was at a time when he was chopping and changing between coaches. I think Lionel’s found his balance and his place in the sport. Now he seems to be racing well. He seems to be sticking to things. I’m not prepared to match his prize money because Lionel’s capable of doing anything. And they always say, don’t bet against an old lion. And betting against an old Lionel would be even tougher.

“But I think Lionel can be very, very strong in Kona. We still all go back to that brilliant day when he nearly got away with it when he finished second, only caught at the end by Patrick Lange [in 2017].”

Sanders can play major role in Hawaii showpiece

So McCormack is not prepared to write off the chances of a Sanders victory, and he absolutely believes the 36-year-old can play a major role in how the big race plays out.

“I do believe that Lionel can definitely shape this race. And if he puts himself in the game and puts his head right, he’s got the mongrel and the will to do it. So I’m not going to bet against him, but I would love to see him do well just for himself.

“And I just know that maybe it’s the old mentality that you have to perform in Kona. He’s done that, and winning Kona is everything. You win Ironman World titles all around the world. You have to win one in Kona.”