In previous years he’s posted a retirement video after a race similar to the one he had in Kona last weekend. (Sanders finished 32nd in a time of 8:22:06.) This year, though, the message from Canadian triathlon star Lionel Sanders was considerably different – he’s determined to come back to the Big Island and even to race in Nice next year. (You can watch the video below.)
“It wasn’t as deeply suffering as normal, which is positive,” Sanders said. “Have I conquered Kona? No, Kona has conquered me yet again.”
Sanders acknowledged that his “propensity might not be as an Ironman athlete,” but remains determined to explore his limits over the full distance.
Lionel Sanders bounces back from broken rib with another huge win at Ironman 70.3 Mont-Tremblant
“Do I think that I have more?” he asked. “I know I have more. I’m not even looking at the others anymore. I would just like to feel internally like I’m doing the best that I can. I don’t feel like I’m anywhere near doing that. The journey continues. I’m not discouraged, I’m not even upset.”
“God willing, I will be here in 2026,” the 2017 Kona runner-up continued. “I want to do Nice, as well. I know I can’t handle the bike, and that’s one of the motivating pieces of it. I intend to go out there, I intend to learn the course – do a camp, do some more testing with Canyon. Maybe Clement Mignon (the French pro who lives in Nice) can help me out learning to descend.”
Sanders feels that he is competitive over the 70.3 distance, but still needs a lot of work to master the full distance.
“In the 70.3 it’s game on (with the other athletes),” he said. “In the Ironman, focused on my self. First I need to conquer it internally.”
Sanders also said that while he’ll do one more race this year, it won’t be at the 70.3 worlds in Taupo, New Zealand.
“I’m going to do another 70.3, very likely Indian Wells,” he said. “Because I spent all my money on the Kona trip and can’t afford to go to New Zealand anymore because I didn’t make any return on this trip, but I am definitely excited for Marbella, 2025 (the site of next year’s Ironman 70.3 World Championship).”
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