Home > Personalities

2022 Canadian female long-distance triathlete(s) of the year

Kona wins make the difference

Photo by: Nils Nilsen
February 4, 2023
Share on SMS

When it comes to long-distance triathlon racing, the Ironman World Championship remains the pinnacle of high performance. Last year two Canadian women were the class of their age-group fields in Kona, which, as far as we’re concerned, is more than enough to earn them the nod as our Triathletes of the Year.

Penticton, B.C.’s Yvonne Timewell completed her run of Kona podium spots (she finished second in 2018 and third in 2019) to take the win in the women’s 55 to 59 age group, winning in 11:07:19. Earlier in the year she won her age group at Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, too.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Yvonne Timewell (@y_von33)

Hamilton, Ont.’s Sharon Mackinnon (full disclosure – she is married to Triathlon Magazine editor Kevin Mackinnon) capped off an big 60th with her second full-distance Ironman title of 2022 – she took the victory at Ironman Lanzarote in May (to go along with her 70.3 win on the Canary Island in March), then took her first title in Kona in the women’s 60 to 64 category. Mackinnon ended up winning the category (12:25:47) in Kona by just 70 seconds over fellow Canadian Sharon McDowell-Larsen.

Mackinnon and McDowell-Larson were back at the 70.3 world championships just three weeks after their duel in Kona – Mackinnon would take sixth, with McDowell-Larson finishing 10th in the 60 to 64 category.

More age-group excellence

Deborah Eckhouse from Surry, B.C. won the women’s 35 to 39 age category at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St. George.

Angela Lilly, from Stirling, Ont., finished second in the 45 to 49 age group in St. George, while Ottawa’s Leslie Sanderson finished second in the 55 to 59 age group.

Windsor’s Jame McLeod took second in the women’s 65 to 69 category in Kona.

Halifax’s Francie Comeau also finished second in the 70 to 74 category in Kona, while North Vancouver’s Cullen Goodyear was third in that category.

Thanks to Barrie Shepley, Kyla Rollinson, Pierre-Yves Gigou, Lance Watson, Gary Pallett and Carolyn Murray for their input on our Triathlete of the Year awards.