ELITE MALE CODY BEALS
Triathlon Magazine Canada Long-Distance Elite Triathlete of the Year
After a stellar 2018 that saw him win his first two full-distance races, Cody Beals graced our January 2019 cover as our Triathlete of the Year. The 2019 season was much more of a challenge for the 29-yearold Guelph, Ont., athlete – he struggled to get things rolling early in the season thanks to a stomach bug in Taiwan, then found himself dealing with his first major injury as he was gearing up for Challenge Roth.
As he worked his way back to race fitness, Beals was still able to put together some solid performances including runner-up finishes at Ironman 70.3 Eagleman, Challenge Cancun and Ironman 70.3 Victoria.
Things got very much back on track by Ironman Mont-Tremblant, though, where Beals broke his own course record to take his third Ironman title in three attempts, once again beating Lionel Sanders in the process. Beals was a bit surprised at just how well that race went – leading up to it he’d been “only” able to get about 17 hours a week of training done, which is great if you’re an age group competitor, not quite the typical volume of a pro.
The big day in Mont-Tremblant, though, meant Beals arrived in Kona feeling more than a little pressure.
“I was honest about all the pressure I was feeling,” he says when reminded of an interview he did with Triathlon Magazine Canada a few days before the race. Beals found himself arriving on the Big Island considered by many to be a “dark horse for the podium.”
“It’s really, truly unlike any other race,” he continues. “You’re there with 50 or 60 of the best athletes in the world … all the triathlon media in the world.”
All of which makes for a pressure-packed race week.
A race-day bike mechanical issue sidelined his race in Kona at the turnaround in Hawi – not the result Beals had hoped for in his first Kona appearance. Despite the setbacks he experienced in 2019, though, Beals looks to the positive aspects of his 2019 season.
“I am so grateful for how this year has gone, even with the challenges,” he says. “I had my best year ever in terms of sponsorship.”
While there weren’t a lot of great results, Beals’ performance in Mont-Tremblant certainly showed he is amongst the very best long-distance racers in the world. Even with the challenges he faced, it’s not any sort of stretch to give him the nod for our long-distance triathlete of the year.