Weekend recap: Canucks enjoy huge weekend in Michigan and Maryland
Hanging on for dear life with Lionel Sanders chasing you down, PB bike power efforts, an amazing 50-year-old and more
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Tamara Jewett Instagram
It was quite a weekend for Canadian pro triathletes with big wins by Tamara Jewett and Jackson Laundry, runner-up finishes by Lionel Sanders, Mel McQuaid and Jason Pohl, and fourth-place finishes by Cody Beals and Danielle Fauteux. Here’s a recap of the big weekend with thoughts from some of the athletes:
“Hang on for dear life”
Jackson Laundry claimed his first 70.3 title of 2023 with a dramatic win at Ironman 70.3 Michigan today, holding off a spirited charge by countryman Lionel Sanders to take the win. Laundry provided a bit of an update on Instagram today, providing some insights on how today’s race went.
Jackson Laundry holds off Lionel Sanders by 11 seconds to win Ironman 70.3 Michigan
“I had a good swim, kind of settled in that second group … and felt pretty controlled the whole swim,” Laundry said.
After the swim Laundry trailed the lead group that included countryman Matt Sharpe and Sam Appleton by about 1:15, and was about the same time up on Sanders after the bike.
“I got on the bike, felt solid, didn’t really push too early cause I knew that group up the road, it was going to be a bit of a longer chase,” Laundry said. “I saw they had about 75 seconds on me at the first turn, and then, once I could see them, I started working pretty hard and caught them somewhere between 30 and 40 km, then put in a really solid surge to get the lead. I just worked really hard for the whole bike, with personal best power and stayed super-aero and rode the course as best I could.”
“The run was ‘hang on for dear life’ and my legs felt good enough and I was able to pus through and Lionel was coming and I never really felt safe, but I was able to hold him off. I actually puked at the finish, which I’ve never done before because it took everything for me.”
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Power PB
Tamara Jewett had another fantastic run to take the win at Ironman 70.3 Michigan, too, but her impressive “power PB” bike ride set the stage for her win. Jewett led her pack for a good portion of the ride (which meant she didn’t have to worry about penalties), coming off the bike in second place.
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Chasing sub-9 hours
We’re already so impressed with Mel McQuaid that we put her on the cover of our September issue! The 50-year-old wonder took second overall at Ironman Maryland on Saturday. How’s that for a tune-up for Kona in a month, where she’ll be the first 50-year-old pro qualifier.
McQuaid found herself in the thick of things, riding in a legal-distance pace line for most of the bike, then nailing a PB 3:13 marathon split to take second. Her pre-race goal was to go sub-9, but a shortened swim made all that moot. Even a slow swim, though, would have got her well under nine hours – she finished in 8:07.
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Incredible comeback
Jason Pohl’s runner-up finish in Maryland included a blazing-fast 4:06 bike split and an even more impressive 2:39 marathon. That was eight weeks after he’d sustained a concussion and neck injury. It’s also coming off a tough year in which he’d almost given up on the sport after dealing with torn achilles tendons and hip issues. (Yet another step in the guy’s incredible Ironman journey – read below!)
From elite hockey goalie to professional Kona qualifier – Jason Pohl’s incredible Ironman journey
Pohl has now nailed his Kona slot for next year, too, giving him lots of time to focus on continued improvement before he races on the Big Island.
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Excited for the rematch
Lionel Sanders felt he had a “solid day” in Michigan, but it wasn’t quite enough to catch Laundry. That’s only going to make Sanders even more motivated next weekend at Ironman 70.3 Augusta, where all three of the podium finishers from yesterday’s race will be competing again.
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