As of late, Lionel has been faced with some obstacles that any athlete will face throughout their careers. At Ironman Racine 70.3, Lionel struggled through the race that was shortened to a 30km bike and a run that started 3 hours after the scheduled race start; inclement weather forced the convenors to scratch the swim and alter the race format. Having GI and hydration issues resulted in Lionel's first loss since Kona back in October. (Read his full race report on his blog by following this link). This performance lead him to register for one more race before the WC - a tune up race so to say. Ironman Wiesbaden 70.3 would be it - a tough course that would push Lionel's limits (Wiesbaden was also the European Championships which would be a great race to serve as prep for the Championships only a few short weeks later).
Hailing from Southwestern Ontario and one of the flattest areas in the province, Lionel was faced with something he doesn't have much experience with - a hilly course with sharp hairpin turns and narrow descents through small villages, as opposed to the wide open highway descents he is accustomed to. Having his doubts, and almost cancelling the trip, he persevered and perhaps had one of his greatest races in our opinion. Though he finished 2nd at Wiesbaden, he had the best swim of his career, pushed stellar bike speeds in between the hills, had a solid run to move back into second place, and adapted well to unfamiliar territory - looking sharp leading into the WC if you ask us.
It's no secret that every great race starts with a solid plan. Heading into the World Championships, Lionel has his eyes set on the big prize.
We're hoping to see a repeat of this on Sunday!. Lionel winning Ironman 70.3 St. George |
"Come race day, he is going to race how he normally
does; have the best possible swim to his ability and try to catch some good
feet and ride as steady and hard as his body allows without sacrificing good
run legs. The only thing he may do differently this time around is take
the leash off on the run sooner then he normally would. The field is
stacked and it is going to take someone digging very deep to prevail and come
out a world champion. Could this be Lionel? We think so.
"The cherry on top could be his Dad, Doug, celebrating a second Father’s Day with Lionel as Father’s Day in Australia is the day of the race."
Best of luck to Lionel this weekend - we have a great feeling about this race! Want to cheer him on and follow the race? You can find all the race details here.