The last dance in the dessert at the Ironman 70.3 St. George North American Championship was nothing short of legendary. Fans tuned in early Saturday morning to see an epic battle as athletes vied for the final champion title in Utah. What they got was a masterclass on how to make a win look easy, as Canadian pros Lionel Sanders and Paula Findlay seemingly fought only their inner demons on a blistering hot day to break the tape.
Neither Sanders nor Findlay ever looked in danger of being caught once they hit the run. Both races came down to a one-man, one-woman show. Despite the anticipation of seeing Sanders grimace as he battled back-and-forth with reigning champion, American Sam Long, it was just as satisfying to watch Sanders drop the hammer early on and enjoy a long victory lap to the finish.
It’s no contest on the run for Sanders
After a decent swim, he came out of the water in 20th place and took charge on the bike from the outset, never really looking back. Neither did fans, as the media coverage was all but oblivious to what was brewing behind where heavy hitters like Denmark’s Magnus Ditlev and Justin Riele continued to fall back. In the aftermath, as race debriefs when up on Instagram, turns out there was a lot of carnage in Sanders’ wake as the chase pack tried and failed to keep pace. His epic bike performance left bodies all over the run after athletes blew themselves up on the bike.
It was Sanders’ fourth victory in St. George, and as if it weren’t enough to win, he set a new and final course record on the bike, beating the record Long set last year. Well clear of Long on the run, he lost only seconds over the course of the half marathon, besting Long by two minutes and fourteen seconds in the end in a final time of 3:37:54. In third was American Colin Szuch.
No blood in the water
Commenting at the finish line, Sanders said he knew he was having a good swim when he could see fellow Canadian Jackson Laundry’s cap the whole time. Close to the front on the bike he was motivated to take the lead. Cruising past Ditlev and onto a course record, it came with a price.
“I rode really hard, probably too hard, and paid for it,” said Sanders. “And I felt absolutely horrible on the run, every single step. I was just fortunate enough that everyone else rode hard.”
From the bleachers, Sanders looked strong and in control, not letting it show how far he was actually digging. As for his nemesis, Long, Sanders said it was imperative that he stay well ahead.
“If I let him taste blood, I was done.”
Findlay’s win was never in doubt by the run
Findlay also never delivered on a second show-down with American Jackie Hering, who failed to challenge Findlay on the run. Instead, Findlay made it look easy as she rode strong with only Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes circling on the bike. While Lopes eventually took the lead, running out of T2 first, she quickly pulled up as a nagging foot injury caused her to DNF.
That left the course wide open for Findlay, who settled in and cruised over the course with nary a nip at her heels. She’d had a great swim, exiting the water in third place. Ironman World Champion Chelsea Sodaro was right behind her, but on the bike Sodaro vomitted and DNF’d. Though the media coverage also stayed focused on Findlay at the front, similar struggles to the men’s race were unfolding behind the lead motorcycle.
The battle for second and third was a distant dual
Hering rallied on the run, clocking a slightly faster time than Findlay but finishing six minutes back in third. American Danielle Lewis finished second about four minutes behind Findlay.
Findlay and Sanders are both coming off wins only weeks ago at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside. The dreaded “Oceanside Curse” has been broken. The curse was known to plague winners of the California race, presumably because they had peaked too soon and would spend the rest of the season struggling. For the Canadians, their dominance has been solidified and will stand in history like the ancient red rock that painted the backdrop of their legendary performances.
The post The Canadians break the Oceanside Curse as they put on a clinic and go down in history in at Ironman 70.3 St. George appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.