New mom Kessler seeking her 4th title
One thing we know for sure about Ironman Arizona is that the 2017 champions will not defend their titles in the 15th edition Sunday.
Three-time defending men’s champion Lionel Sanders of Canada and 2017 women’s champ Kaisa Sali of Finland are not in the professional field. Both competed at the Ironman World Championship on Oct. 13 and chose to pass on a five-week turnaround to race again like what Sanders did last year when he was second in Kona, Hawaii, and first in Tempe.
But Sanders had a much tougher time at 2018 World, finishing 28th among pro men, while Sali was seventh on the women’s side.
There will be pros doing the World/Arizona double including Great Britain’s Joe Skipper (seventh in Kona) and Heather Jackson (14th). The top women’s contenders include Meredith Kessler and Australian Carrie Lester, both of whom were unable to finish at World.
Kessler, 40, is an Ironman Arizona fan favorite, winning from 2014-16 and finishing in the top four in five preceding years. Jackson has three top-five finishes (2015-17) in Kona and was third at 2014 Ironman Arizona.
For Kessler, racing in Arizona is almost a pilgrimage, going back to 2008 when she still was an amateur. She earns a pass for skipping last year since on the day before the race she gave birth to her son, Mak.
“Last year at this time, I was literally in the hospital room having just had him after 20 hours of labor via an emergency Csection,” Kessler said Friday. “I was holding him, loving new life as a mom even though I was a little high on pain meds and we were watching the race. It’s great to be back a year later and bring him here.”
Kessler competed for the first time postpartum in late April at Ironman Texas, finishing a respectable sixth, then won two Ironman 70.3 races and was third at Ironman Mont-Tremblant in August.
“I’ve still got several more years left,” Kessler said. “I’m so happy to get the little human out and be able to be a mom. To have the best of both worlds now has been very rewarding to me.
Ironman Arizona
6:40 a.m.-midnight Sunday. Tempe Beach Park and surrounding area.
2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run.
“For any new mom, it’s never going to be sunshine all the time especially coming off the labor. I really wanted to race three months after I had him and there was no chance. I was surprised I even got to Texas when he just turned five months. I had to build into the racing until my body recovered from having him. That was a little bit of a challenge, then you have to deal with stuff outside of training. So as a pro athlete who’s 40, it took awhile to adjust to. Now we’re finally getting settled so hopefully it’s up on the racing front.”
The pro men’s field includes 2013 champion Victor Del Corral and Eneko Llanos, runner-up at the 2008 Ironman World Championship. The Spaniards are 38 (Del Corral) and 41 (Llanos).
American TJ Tollakson, who like Jackson trains in the winter in Tucson, also is a top contender. He has five Ironman Arizona top-three finishes including third behind Sanders and Brent McMahon in 2016.
“I love this town,” said Tollakson, 38, who lost by 17 seconds here in the April 2008 race (there were two Ironman Arizona races that year). “When I get off the plane in Arizona, I feel at home. I’m still coming back trying to win.”