Having gone almost seven years without a full-distance win, Lionel Sanders will line up at IRONMAN Lake Placid on Sunday knowing that he has done everything in his power to taste success.
The 36-year-old, who has wins at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside and IRONMAN 70.3 Mont-Tremblant so far this season, said his preparations have been near perfect in his most recent YouTube video.
With IRONMAN World Championship qualification, IRONMAN Pro Series points and a substantial prize purse on the line, Sanders will start on Sunday as the favourite for the win.
Time to take the tape
Having finished as the runner-up at seven Ironman races, including the IRONMAN World Championship, since his last win in 2017, Sanders underlined the potential he has to win big.
[Photo – Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images]
“I finished second at the IRONMAN World Championship and the only guy ahead of me was Kristian Blummenfelt, and one race before that, I finished second behind Gustav [Iden] and went toe-to-toe with him and he went on to win the world title, so mentally I don’t think that I’m not there.”
At his last long distance race, the Windsor native was 34th at the 2022 IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii, and will be looking to put that result to bed when he takes to the start line in New York.
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Learning from the past
Well known for his transparency online, Sanders has shared the trials and tribulations of trying to be the best in the world for close to a decade, and says that all the mistakes he has made in the past have led to where he is today.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I think it’s an asset now, and it’ll be an asset when I’m a coach. I can’t wait to race an IRONMAN, I can’t wait.
“The team and the programme now, it’s not perfect, there’s a learning process, but I’m confident that I’m going to race good Ironmans.
“I’m very confident that I’m going to put together much better Ironmans than I’ve ever put together and I can’t wait.”
Whilst the goal on race day is to take home the win, Sanders said he will be satisfied with just performing to his potential.
“I already know that I’m going to be happy with whatever the outcome is, because I couldn’t have trained any better than I have already done. If you train the best you can, […], you can’t ask any more of yourself and whatever happens, happens.”
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