Lionel Sanders says he is determined to do things “the right way” as he rebuilds his body and his confidence following his long-awaited return to racing.
The Canadian star was back in competitive action for the first time in four months at the inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Northern California on Sunday, finishing fourth behind Jason West, Jackson Laundry and Sam Long.
But for Sanders, the result was almost secondary.
After what he describes as two-and-a-half years blighted by injuries, the 38-year-old is effectively starting a new chapter under coach Mikal Iden – and is prepared to be patient if it means finally getting himself back onto the start line for the sport’s biggest races.
“Everything’s moving in the right direction”
Sanders was encouraged by several aspects of his comeback performance, particularly given how cautiously he has approached his return to training.
Speaking on his Instagram channel, he explained: “I’ve only been able to do one kind of week of hard training just because I’ve been so gun shy.
“I’ve spent the last two and a half years injured, so it’s like I don’t want to take any risks. I’ve been very conservative.”
That caution was reflected in his expectations for the run. Sanders believed he was in roughly 1:13 half-marathon shape and deliberately set out to produce an even effort rather than chase those ahead.
“Not my best run, but for everything that I’ve done and for the last four months that it’s been, I’m happy with the run,” he said.
“I’m happy with the effort. Everything’s moving in the right direction.”
There were inevitable signs of rust. Sanders admitted he was particularly tentative on the more technical sections of the bike course, while a sluggish transition saw the lightning-fast Long immediately take around 30 seconds out of him heading onto the run.
But there was also plenty to encourage him.
Sanders rebuilding with Mikal Iden
Perhaps more significant than any individual split was Sanders’ assessment of the work he is now doing with Iden.
The pair have reunited as Sanders attempts to find a sustainable route back towards the top of the sport – and his description of their work together sounds very much like a return to first principles.
“I want to give a big thanks to Mikal Iden, who’s got me back building a good base, back focused on the basics, doing them really well, making me feel confident again,” Sanders said.
Rather than rushing towards a major championship, Sanders plans to use the remainder of 2026 to gradually rediscover his racing legs.
He hopes to race next in 70.3 Cozumel on 20 September and expects to make more competitive appearances before the end of the season.
That means sacrificing the biggest races of 2026. But Sanders is viewing that as an investment in making sure he doesn’t have to do the same thing again next year.
“I’m going to do probably three or four more races this season,” he explained.
“Unfortunately, I’m going miss all the big ones. I’m just not ready.
“It’s two years in a row where I’ve missed all the big ones. I don’t want to miss the big ones anymore, so I have to kind of do things the right way.”
“The first stepping stone”
Sanders also offered a revealing assessment of how his relationship with his own body has changed as he has got older.
For much of his career, he felt almost indestructible – able to subject himself to enormous training loads without paying the price.
That is no longer the case.
“I won’t say starting from scratch because I definitely have a lot of muscle memory, but the tissue tolerance clearly isn’t that high,” he admitted.
“It’s a bit cruel because I had like a crazy resilient body and I was able to beat the heck out of it for like 10 years and not get injured.
“As I’ve gotten older, and maybe a combination of diet and decision making, I’ve lost some of that resilience. So I have to rebuild that resilience.”
It makes this latest Sanders comeback feel rather different.
The temptation after an encouraging return might once have been to accelerate the process. But this time, the aim appears to be building something sustainable enough to ensure he is still racing when those big opportunities arrive.
“That’s the process that I’m on and this was the first stepping stone in building that back,” he added.
“I’m definitely doing that. I’m healthy and so I’m excited to keep doing that.
“Every race I’m going to get better this season and I’m excited to do that.”
