Go figure – Lionel Sanders dominates swim-less Ironman Canada

Put Canadian triathlon star Lionel Sanders (pictured above on his way to winning Ironman 70.3 Mont-Tremblant in June) in the position where he doesn’t have to chase after the swim, and it hardly comes as a suprise that he would dominate, right? Notoriously a weak swimmer who finds himself in full chase mode once he hits T1, Sanders took his first Ironman win in Florida in 2014 when the swim was cancelled and dominated at Ironman Canada today after the swim was cancelled due to cold water conditions.

Sanders is routinely one of the strongest bike/ runners at any event that he competes at, and today was no different.

Breaking news: Ironman Canada swim cancelled due to cold water

Sanders was in the lead pretty much from the get go of the bike/ run event – through 5 km he was five seconds up on fellow Canadian Jason Pohl and by 110 km the lead was up to a shade under 5 minutes. By the end of the bike Sanders’s 4:09:07 bike split put him 10:24 ahead of Aussie Sam Appleton, with Pohl at 14:01 back, and Cody Beals (CAN) at 18:11.

Out on the run course Appleton would make up a bit of time, but Sanders was never even remotely threatened as he cruised through a 2:45:52 marathon split to take the win in 6:57:09. Appleton’s race-fastest 2:44:31 marathon netted the runner-up spot (7:05:37), while Pohl (7:15:44) rounded out the podium. Beals would remain in fourth (7:17:48) and American Adam Leigh (7:20:53) finished fifth.