Samantha McGlone Claims The Title

Kevin Mackinnon profiles the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 winner

She might have represented Canada at the Olympic Games in 2004 and won prestigious Olympic distance races like the Accenture Chicago triathlon, but, despite her short course success there was a real feeling going into the race in Clearwater last weekend that Samantha McGlone was ready to become the first world champion over the longer Ironman 70.3 distance.

Despite the impressive race wins, McGlone always felt that short course racing wasn't her best distance. "I've always run out of room," she said of those races in an interview before the race in Clearwater. "I've always needed a bit more room on the bike and run course. I really like the 4 ½ hour race distance to utilize my strengths, but it's not too long that I start dozing off."

McGlone’s race record over the Ironman 70.3 distance made her a clear favorite going into the World Championship. After setting a course record at Wildflower in May, she followed that win up with another course record at the Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida.

McGlone is no stranger to world class competition. At 17 she was a member of Canada’s national rowing team, but soon switched her focus to triathlon. It was a good career move – at 27 McGlone has become a world champion triathlete, and many feel she is destined for even greater achievements in the years to come.

McGlone was all-too-aware of how competitive the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 was. Before the race she made it abundantly clear that she felt the event would be one of the most competitive of the year.

“The 70.3 [distance] really combines the long and the short course … so you get the absolute best athletes from both disciplines,” she said. “You get Ironman champions, you get Olympic gold medalists, you get duathlon champions, you get ITU racers … This is arguably the most competitive event on the circuit because you get absolutely everyone coming out for it.”

In the end McGlone proved to be the best of the bunch on a race day that saw her reach the line ahead of a 10-time Ironman champion, Lisa Bentley, and a number of former short course specialists who are moving their way up in distance like Mirinda Carfrae and former Olympic Distance World Champion Leanda Cave.

McGlone attributes her success over the Ironman 70.3 distance to “her strength.” While she doesn’t feel that she excels in swimming, biking or running, she is solid in all three disciplines. In Clearwater she found herself just two minutes behind the leaders at the end of the swim, with them off the bike and then simply ran away from her competition during the half-marathon run to take the championship.

Now the question is: will she move up to the Ironman?

Thanks to her win in Clearwater, McGlone qualified for the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona next year. She has long expressed a desire to compete over the full Ironman distance, and appears ready to take on that challenge. If she does end up in Hawaii next October, she’ll arrive as a dark-horse contender in the eyes of many.

McGlone’s sponsors are probably quite happy to see her move towards the Ironman, and the enhanced exposure that race can provide. For many she has everything it takes to become one of the most successful women in the sport, both in terms of competition and sponsorship. Her talent and drive are apparent from her results. Sponsors like working with her because she’s attractive, well spoken, has an upbeat personality and exudes a positive attitude about the sport whenever she speaks. Just take her comments on Ironman, for example. When asked to comment on what Ironman means to her, she is quick to point out how the sport has affected the average athlete, not just pros like herself.

“Ironman is the pinnacle of endurance sport,” she said in an interview in Clearwater. “It’s become an icon as a test of endurance. It’s taken over the whole marathon craze as something that people can achieve and do this really substantial athletic achievement. It’s an event that almost anyone can do, but it takes a special person to achieve it. It’s one of the few sports that mixes the professional and age group athletes all together. You see so many people out there who enjoy the sport and are healthy and fit and enjoy the lifestyle.”

McGlone obviously enjoys the lifestyle, too. Her lifestyle choice has made her a world champion. Most of us who spend a lot of time observing the sport are fairly confident it won’t be the only one she’ll ever win, either.