Lionel Sanders hints at 2019 season debut
There will be another Frodo-Sanders showdown at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside in 2019
In 2018, Lionel Sanders gave his fans unprecedented access to his training and racing through his social media presence and YouTube videos. This year, we can expect more of the same. Already in 2019, Sanders has shared many of his training sessions in Palm Springs, Cali., Windsor, Ont. and Tucson, Az. In his most recent video, Sanders explains his approach to 2019 and how he plans to make his season debut.
Sanders’ 2018 debut race came at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside and based on his Instagram post on March 12th, he plans on doing the same in 2019. This means it will be another showdown between Sanders and Jan Frodeno. (Frodeno has already announced he will race Oceanside on April 6th.) At the 2018 edition of 70.3 Oceanside, Frodeno took the win by over three minutes. Sanders finished second. Frodeno led from start to finish with a race-best bike split, bettering Sanders by 22 seconds and a blistering 1:10 half marathon to open his 2018 season with a win.
The 2018 Oceanside race was to be a sneak peek of things to come for Frodeno, who went on a ‘vengeance tour’ after his disappointing 2017 Ironman World Championship. Despite the form shown at the 2018 Ironman 70.3 World Championship – possibly the greatest performance ever – Frodeno was forced to withdraw from the Ironman World Championship due to a sacral stress fracture.
Related: Jan Frodeno withdraws from Kona
For Sanders, 2018 was a season of highs and lows. At The Championship in Samorin, Slovakia, Sanders proved better than Sebastian Kienle in an epic footrace, but by October, Sanders limped across the line to a 30th place finish in Kona. With both men coming off disappointing finishes to 2018, Ironman 70.3 Oceanside is sure to draw a lot of eyes in the triathlon world.
