As if finishing the Ironman World Champions wasn’t enough of a feat in and of itself, 135 triathletes, including six Canadians, ran marathon legs fast enough to qualify for the 2018 Boston Marathon.
There aren’t many who are able to say they’ve qualified for such a prestigious race after enduring a gruelling 3.8K-swim, cycled for 180K, then proceeded to run another 42.2K, while coping with sweltering heat and wind and hills of the Big Island’s lava fields.
Among the 135 were six Canadians: Lionel Sanders, who placed second overall, David Matheson, Sarah Casaubon, Kimberly Fabian, Sharon Gallant-Pierce and Kate Stebbings.
“It means a lot to me to finally have had a good race in Kona and be qualified to do Boston again. That was such an incredible experience to share with my mom and a memory we will both cherish forever,” says Sanders, who ran the 2017 Boston Marathon with his mother.
