Brent McMahon of Victoria fulfilled a lifetime ambition by winning Ironman sa国际传媒 on Sunday in Whistler.
鈥淚鈥檝e had some pretty special wins in my career, but being Canadian, it鈥檚 truly special to win this race,鈥� he said.
McMahon recalled that Ironman sa国际传媒, when it was held annually in Penticton, being the first Ironman race he saw live as a fan. That moment never left him.
鈥淟ater, I saw my friends [fellow-Victoria triathletes] Peter Reid and Jasper Blake both win Ironman sa国际传媒,鈥� he added.
It was on his bucket list.
On Sunday, McMahon delivered, winning Ironman sa国际传媒 in his first attempt at the race: 鈥淚t is so great to be one of those Canadians who has won Ironman sa国际传媒.鈥�
McMahon hopes it sets him up well for the one other big race title that has so far eluded him 鈥� the Ironman Hawaii world championship in Kona. His latest setback at Ironman Hawaii came last fall when No. 3-ranked McMahon was stung by a box jellyfish in the swim portion and had to abandon the race.
鈥淸Three-time Ironman Hawaii-champion Reid] used to race Ironman sa国际传媒 before winning in Kona, so I will use that as confidence and goal-setting as I look to Kona in October,鈥� said McMahon.
Two-time Olympian McMahon went from the shorter Olympic distance at the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Summer Games to transition successfully as a major world racer in the longer Ironman races.
The two-time Pan American Games medallist set the course record in winning Ironman Lake Placid in New York state last year in 8:14:04 and recorded the third-fastest all-time Ironman, clocking 7:46:10, in 2016 in Brazil. The 37-year-old Islander also holds the course record for Ironman Arizona.
McMahon elevates Sunday鈥檚 victory in Ironman sa国际传媒 up to any of those he has previously won.
鈥淭o be able to share it all on home-country soil, with so many family and friends cheering me on and seeing me in best form, is something I will always remember,鈥� he said.
It more than makes up for the disappointment of not winning his hometown Ironman Victoria 70.3 (half-Iron distance in miles) in June at Elk Lake as Marko Albert of Estonia took the win.
McMahon was determined Sunday in Whistler as he completed the Ironman distance of a 3.86K swim, 180K cycle race and full 42.2K marathon run in eight hours, 31 minutes, 33 seconds over a very challenging mountain course on a hot day. Fellow Canadian Jeff Symonds was second in 8:40:27 and American Matt Russell third in 8:45:33.
McMahon has one more race before Ironman Hawaii. He hops a plane at YVR for the Asia-Pacific Ironman 70.3 this weekend in Cebu, Philippines.
鈥淵ou want to do it right away because your body is not yet in full recovery and showdown mode,鈥� said McMahon, about the quick back-to-back racing.
