Lionel Sanders sets sights on Ironman Texas, second clash with Kristian Blummenfelt
After facing off at 70.3 Oceanside, Sanders and Blummenfelt will go head to head once again in just a couple of weeks
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Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images for IRONMAN
Lionel Sanders had an incredible showing at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside last weekend, and with just three weeks to go before his first full-distance Ironman of the year in Texas, he is analyzing what it will take to beat the world’s best triathletes once again. In particular, he has his eyes on Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt, who finished 15th in Oceanside after a flat on the bike course. Both men, along with a suite of other fantastic athletes, will be lining up at Ironman Texas on April 26.
Sanders won 70.3 Oceanside in 2024, but he followed that result up with several lacklustre results that he himself left him feeling disappointed and defeated. At the end of 2024, he made a YouTube video setting his sights on Oceanside once more, detailing exactly what it would take to win there once again and beat the top-end talent that always shows up for the California race.
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In the video, Sanders said he knew it wouldn’t be easy to win in Oceanside again, but he set rigid goals for the training leading up to the event, and as he reached these, they gave him newfound self-belief. As he said in his most recent race report on YouTube, believing in one’s self is “the foundation of high performance,” and it is what lifted him to such a big win over the weekend.
However, Sanders also noted that, while the win was encouraging, it is now in the past. “Who cares who wins Oceanside if you [don’t do well] at world championships?” he said. He has now turned his attention to Texas, where he will face Blummenfelt. After the flat tire in Oceanside, Blummenfelt ran a 1:07 half-marathon, so he is clearly in amazing shape.
“I’ll do an analysis of how much time Kristian lost in the flat tire, and what it would have taken to beat Kristian if he didn’t get a flat tire,” Sanders said, “because I want to be the best, and he’s one of the best guys in the world, and certainly a contender for the world title.”
Sanders had some rather low lows in 2024, but he looks to be in great form, both physically and mentally, to start this season. It will take a lot to beat Blummenfelt for a second race in a row, but Sanders says he is aware of that and eager to give it another shot.