Canadians Paula Findlay and Lionel Sanders dominate in gold sweep at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside

Canadian Lionel Sanders, delivered a masterclass in resilience and race-day strategy at the 2025 Ironman 70.3 Oceanside. Storming back from a 2:47 deficit, the “Lion” claimed his fourth win in what was the largest Ironman pro field on record. The 37-year-old Canadian proved once again that comebacks are very much part of his playbook.

While much of the pre-race spotlight was fixed on Norwegian heavyweights Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden, it was Sanders who stole the show with a blazing 1:11:28 run split that cemented his place on the top podium step. The race was packed with drama, surprise performances, and a few unfortunate setbacks, reinforcing why Oceanside remains one of the most unpredictable and exciting stops on the Ironman 70.3 circuit.

Patience and drama dominated the bike

Coming out of the water 3:11 down, Sanders got to work on the bike but didn’t attack to the front as he often does. Instead, he held strong and steady on the bike, not appearing to take any big risks. Ahead of him, a front pack with Justin Riele, Seth Rider, Ben Kanute, Rudy von Berg, Gutav Iden and Jacob Birtwhistle were leading the charge. Not far behind were Braden Currie and Kristian Blummenfelt.

But as misfortune would have it, Blummenfelt’s day hit a major setback when he got a flat that took a whopping 14 minutes to resolve. By the time he had his front wheel replaced the field was gone. Further ahead, Jacob Birtwhistle got dinged for drafting and had to serve a three-minute penalty. This continued to shake up the positioning of the race with two strong contenders held back.

Sanders came from nowhere to overtake the lead runners

Sanders clawed back only about 30 seconds on the bike and was eighth going into T2. As the Ironman media cameras and commentators were focused on Rider, von Berg and Iden leading the run, from seemingly nowhere, Sanders appeared as a bobbing head behind the trio. To the commentators’ surprise, Sanders had quickly ran through the field and was nipping at the leaders’ heels, unfortunately while Ironman decided to go to commercial. He was on form and fiercely flying with total focus.

He took the lead and was away. From mile nine, he continued to increase the gap. Nothing stood in his way to the finish line, as he defending his 2024 title and took his fourth win at Oceanside. Behind him came Rudy von Berg and Gustav Iden.. Rider fell to fourth with Kanute rounding out the top five.

Despite Blummenfelt falling out of contention for the win with a mechanical on the bike, he ended up having the fastest run of the day. He set a new course record clocking a 1:07:19 half marathon. It was a performance on the run course that could have disrupted the eventual podium had things not gone sideways for him early in the bike. The record is a signal, though, that Blummenfelt is in fine form. With Iden’s podium finish there is strong indication the Norwegian bromance may be the power couple in 2025.

Findlay put on a bike clinic 

On the women’s side “poetry in motion,” as Canadian Paula Findlay was often referred by by commentator Craig Alexander, lead for most of the race. Findlay came out of the water in a solid position. She wasted no time taking control of the bike course, and continued her dominance until just before T2, when Lisa Becharas made a move and advanced.

Attempting to chase down Findlay were top swimmers Stephanie Clutterbuck, Lydia Russell and fellow Canadian Tamara Jewett. Not too far into the bike it would be Clutterbuck, Jackie Hering, Grace Alexander and Lisa Becharas who would apply pressure from behind on Findlay.

 

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Pacing and patience stole the win

Coming out of T2 onto the run, Findlay quickly stole the front back from Becharas. She was eventually passed by Hering, who held onto the lead for several miles. Findlay would chase Hering the first half of the run but ultimately regained control with less than 5 miles to go. Commenting after the race, Findlay said it was when her husband, Eric Lagerstrom, yelled at her from the sidelines to get her head back in the game and go get the win that helped her find that next gear. She made the pass on Hering, who couldn’t answer. Looking over her shoulder numerous times, Findlay kept her lead, putting a few more seconds into Hering, to take her second win in Oceanside. Hering held on to finish in second, with Danielle Lewis taking third.

The other strong Canadian, Tamara Jewett, ran herself through the field into fourth, while Danielle Lewis finished just ahead of her in third, and Kaida Kiviola took fifth.

When the field is so stacked, fans are almost guaranteed to see athletes take more risks for the win. For some it meant the end of their chance to podium. In previous years it’s lead to a photo sprint finish. This year, Oceanside rewarded patience and experience. Whether it was Sanders pacing himself for a killer run or Findlay timing her push perfectly, Oceanside proved that strategic execution and experience was the winning combination last weekend.