Despite finishing on the podium at IRONMAN Lake Placid last weekend, his third podium in as many races on the IRONMAN Pro Series in 2024, Lionel Sanders is still left wanting more.
The Canadian fan favourite, who picked up wins earlier in the season at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside and Mont-Tremblant, is targeting Kona success this season as he returns to the full distance.
However, in classic Sanders fashion, the Windsor native found plenty to improve on from his Lake Placid performance, and shared them with his fans in his most recent YouTube video.
The fourth discipline
After struggling with vomiting bouts on the run, nailing nutrition is key for Sanders in his next race, but his marathon time of 2:46 did offer a slim silver lining.
“Ironman is a long way, it doesn’t matter how much training you do, it’s still a long day. Running a marathon after riding your bike for four hours and swimming for an hour is always going to be long. I’d love to get to a point where it’s enjoyable, but I’m not there yet!
“The major positive takeaway is that two years ago I would have run a 3:15 marathon [in a situation like that], whereas here I can go without eating anything over the second half and still run a 1:27 [second half-marathon] on a hilly course.
“I want to find my full potential. Performing in that way is not my full potential, and I don’t think this is complicated, […], it’s just another instance where I’ve over complicated something that is just not complicated and it hasn’t worked out.”
Fuel to the fire
Despite coming off second best to domestic rivals Trevor Foley and Matthew Marquardt in Lake Placid, Sanders is still eager to get back out on a race course and put together the type of performance he knows he is capable of.
“It’s not disappointing, it’s frustrating more than anything, because I know I have more to give. I’m not going to sit here and be super confident off that race, but for a training standpoint, we are moving in the right direction for sure, but Ironman is a tough game.
“We’re just getting warmed up, this is a journey, and we’re just getting on it. This game, you will never figure this game out, you’re not going to figure this game out. But, that’s the beauty of it, that’s the fun part, and that’s what keeps you coming back for more.”
Hinting that he may look for one more hit out over the full distance pre-Kona, triathlon fans may spot Sanders on home turf next month, with IRONMAN Penticton on August 25 offering a good opportunity for the Canadian to do a tuneup before the Big Island in October.
