Canadian Men to watch for at Kona

Brent McMahon and Lionel Sanders are Canada's podium hopefuls in 2018

Cam Mitchell October 12, 2018

On October 13th, two Canadian men will compete in the men’s professional race – Brent McMahon and Lionel Sanders.

With one of the most competitive fields ever assembled in Kona, both McMahon and Sanders are legitimate contenders for a podium finish.

Brent McMahon

After years of racing on the International Triathlon Union circuit, McMahon made his Ironman debut at Ironman Arizona in 2014. In his first full-distance race he went sub eight hours (7:55:48) and he took the win. Since then, McMahon has been a regular on the Ironman and 70.3 podiums around the world.

Despite his achievements, McMahon is searching for Kona success.

Last year, McMahon was stung by a jellyfish before the start and was forced to DNF. In 2016, all he could muster was a disappointing 30th place finish. His best result on the Big Island, a ninth-place finish, was at his Kona debut in 2015.

This year, McMahon enters the world championship in good condition and ready to challenge for a podium spot.

Lionel Sanders

One of the main favourites this weekend is the 2017 runner-up finisher, Lionel Sanders.

Last year, Sanders used the 180K bike to go to the front of the race with Cameron Wurf and Sebastian Kienle. Coming off the bike, Sanders took the lead and pulled away from the contenders, all except for one man, Patrick Lange. The super runner ran a 2:40 marathon split to catch Sanders in the final kilometres and win the 2017 Ironman World Championship.

Following last year’s race, Sanders made it his mission to win in 2018.