In 2013 Sanders began to race local Ontario Multisport Canada triathlons. Sanders officially began his professional triathlete career in September when he continued his win streak by taking first place in 70.3 Muskoka.[citation needed] The following year Sanders went on to have a successful 2014 Ironman 70.3 season with notable wins at the Ironman 70.3 races in Muncie, Racine and Steelhead.[9] After his 4th-place finish at the 2014 Ironman 70.3 World Championships Sanders finished his first Ironman distance race as a professional at Ironman Florida on November 1, 2014; an event he won. In that race, the swim was cancelled due to poor conditions.[10]
Sanders had a string of 70.3 victories in 2015, combined with some learning experiences at the Ironman distance. At Ironman Texas, Sanders struggled under the oppressive heat & humid conditions, fading on the run and taking fourth. At Ironman Mont Tremblant, Sanders had a disappointing performance, finishing fifth. This was Sanders's first time competing at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii where he finished 14th. Sanders went on to Ironman Arizona, finishing with a time under 8 hours to take his first official full distance victory (a year before he won Ironman Florida, however the swim was cancelled).[citation needed]
On November 20, 2016, Sanders set a new world record for the full distance triathlon at Ironman Arizona, with a winning time of 7:44:29. The previous record, held by Marino Vanhoenacker, had stood for five years.[citation needed] Sanders' 2016 Record was broken by Tim Don in 2017 Edition of Ironman Brazil in Florianopolis.[11]
In 2017, Sanders won ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. Sander's won all but one 70.3 race that he entered, the exception being 70.3 St. George, where he finished second to Alistair Brownlee.[12] Sanders led the Ironman World Championship in Kona Hawaii through mile 23 of the marathon before being passed by Patrick Lange. Lionel would hold on to finish second.[13] In 2018 Sanders continued his success, winning most of his races, except Oceanside 70.3, which he lost to Jan Frodeno. In June, he won Challenge Family "The Championship" again against Sebastian Kienle in a time of 3:44 before winning Mont-Tremblant 70.3.[citation needed] In full distance racing, Sanders placed 2nd at Ironman Mont-Tremblant and 29th at the Ironman World Championships.
Record attempts
On October 23, 2020, Sanders broke the Canadian national hour record with a distance of 51.304 kilometres.[14]
On the 18th of July 2021 Lionel Sanders joined Jan Frodeno in Allgäu, Germany trying to beat the long-distance world record in triathlon. This was a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike and 42.2 km run. Frodeno broke his own record while Sanders came within eight minutes of the old record while also setting two personal best splits with the swim and the bike. His results were: 50:59 – 4:00:26 – 2:50:31 with a final time of 7:43:28.[15][16]
Personal
Sanders has been public about the substance abuse problem that eventually led him to sign up for the 2010 Ironman Louisville in late 2009.[17] He finished in a time of 10:14:31.[18] The Hamilton Spectator wrote an in-depth article detailing his substance abuse past and how he will be telling this story for the rest of his life. He was quoted as saying, "I want to prove to anyone who has ever battled addiction that not only can you beat it, but you can turn yourself into something great in the process."[19]
Sanders is married and has a son who was born in 2022.[20]
^ a b"Biography". Lionel Sanders – Triathlete. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^"Ironman Mont Tremblant Training Block Part 1". Lionel Sanders – Triathlete. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
^"Lionel Sanders | IRONMAN Pro Series". proseries.ironman.com. 2025-11-08. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
^"2017 Ironman World Championship Results". triathlonamagazine.ca. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^"2021 Ironman World Championship Results". www.ironman.com. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
^"2014 Ironman 70.3 World Championships Results". Ironman.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
^"2013 Muskoka 70.3 Results". Ironman.com. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
^"Mac cross country finishes strong at CIS championships". The Silhouette. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
^"Ironman Website". Ironman.com. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
^Hichens, Liz (1 November 2014). "Sanders, Van Vlerken Win Shortened Ironman Florida". Triathlete. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
^Hichens, Liz (28 May 2017). "Tim Don Breaks Ironman World Record in Brazil". Triathlete. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
^"Biography". Lionel Sanders – Triathlete. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
^Hichens, Lziz (17 October 2017). "Patrick Lange Breaks Course Record to Earn First Ironman World Title". Triathlete.com. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
^Spencer, Donna (Oct 23, 2020). "Ironman triathlete Lionel Sanders sets Canadian record for distance cycled in an hour". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
^Spencer, Donna (Jul 19, 2021). "frodeno-and-sanders-solid-in-the-swim". Triathlon Magazine Canada. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^Spencer, Donna (Jul 19, 2021). "Frodeno vs Sanders results: Jan takes a fall, and the record". tri247. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
^"About Lionel Sanders". lsanderstri.com. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
^"2010 Ironman Louiseville Results". Ironman.com. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
^"The near-fatal agony, ecstasy of Mac runner, aspiring Olympian". TheSpec.com. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
^"Erin and Lionel Sanders celebrate the arrival of their first child". Retrieved 25 July 2024.
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