Canadian Jackson Laundry took the win this past weekend at Ironman 70.3 Augusta, putting together what may have been the best 70.3 performance of his career at the age of 33 and building on the momentum from his runner-up finish at the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Northern California in August.

“I absolutely believe my best is still ahead of me,” he said when we sat down to catch up with him post-race. “I’ve also refound my love for the sport after opening my mind to doing things differently,” he added, alluding to training and coaching changes that he believes can help him continue to improve over the seasons to come.

Here’s a look at his dominant win in Augusta, where he’ll race next, and why, at 33, Laundry believes there’s still more to come.

A Dominant Win at Ironman 70.3 Augusta

Laundry won Augusta by more than four minutes, but the path to that victory was a bit…bumpy.

He was initially part of the group of men set to start the inaugural men’s pro race at the popular Ironman 70.3 New York before the Nor’easter resulted in its cancellation.

“We were at the pro men’s briefing Friday morning when they announced the cancellation,” Laundry shared. “Then one of the pros asked if we could instead race in Augusta.”

It turns out several of the pro men reached out to Paula Newby-Fraser, who is responsible for setting Ironman’s pro racing schedule, and Ironman ultimately supported athletes making the switch, offering a $500 travel stipend to help cover the additional costs.

Laundry wasn’t particularly stressed by the last-minute disruption. After all, as he put it, the other men were dealing with the same circumstances. His weekend totalled 40 hours of driving: first from his hometown in Ontario to New York, then a 14-hour drive to Augusta with his buddy Nick Chase, followed by the trip back home, but clearly, it was worth it.

The swim was downriver and non-wetsuit, and Laundry had hoped to stay with the leaders but emerged from the water about a minute back. He promptly got to work on the bike with a clear objective: get to the front as quickly as possible, then establish a gap.

There was a psychological component to the strategy as well. By the U-turn at kilometre 73, Laundry wanted his advantage to be significant enough that the athletes behind would see him heading in the opposite direction and mentally register him as too far out of reach.

True to that objective, Laundry had built a lead of more than four minutes over his nearest chaser by that point and more than five minutes over Ari Klau, whom he considered his biggest threat on the run. He added another 80 to 90 seconds to his advantage before reaching T2.

“It was a lifetime personal best 70.3 power by seven watts,” he said. “That may not sound significant, but when you’ve been racing as long as I have, about 90 pro races most of which have been 70.3, an improvement like that is huge.”

On the run, Laundry developed a stitch from miles three to five that forced him to temporarily back off the pace. Once it resolved, though, he felt strong for the remainder of the run and held on for a commanding victory.

For Laundry, the performance provided further evidence that the changes he’s been making are beginning to pay off. “The first half of this year was quite rough for me, with a parasite, followed by a hand injury, followed by a hip injury,” he shared. “I now feel like the momentum is in my favour.”

Finding Success by Doing Things Differently

Laundry’s recent momentum and success follow a broader period of adjustment.

At 33, and after years of success in the sport, Laundry has found himself having to “unlearn” some of what previously worked, as he put it. He has recently started with a new coaching team and new training plan, and believes this adaptability and willingness to keep evolving is critical.

“I’ve refound my love for the sport by opening my mind to doing something differently,” he added, also saying that he believes his best performances are ahead of him, with this race being evidence that things are working.

Ironman Florida and Looking Ahead to 2027

In terms of where Laundry will race next, he’ll head to Ironman Florida on November 7th.

Despite having raced relatively few full Ironmans recently, Laundry says some of his biggest remaining career ambitions now lie over the full distance. The limiter hasn’t been a lack of interest, but whether his body could consistently withstand the run training required to prepare for 42.2km off the bike.

For now, the pieces appear to be coming together. “I’ve been on track for Florida and am really excited to race that,” he said. “Kona’s a big priority for me next year. As are 70.3 Worlds in Chattanooga. I raced there in 2017 and have historically done well in Chattanooga.”

“I would say my top priority for 2027 is championship racing, including hopefully securing a Kona slot out of Florida. And I may also consider the Pro Series.”