One-Hour Workout: Lionel Sanders' Pre-Race Run Session

After his second-place finish at the 2021 Ironman World Championship, Lionel Sanders shared one of his pre-race run workouts for this week’s One-Hour Workout. Sanders made a late-stage pass on Braden Currie to take the runner-up spot in St. George, racing with great patience and precision to clock a 2:42:25 marathon and an overall time of 7:54:03, about five minutes behind race winner Kristian Blummenfelt.

The workout below is the final run workout that Sanders typically undertakes pre-race. It features a two- to three-mile easy warm-up jog followed by a main set of five rounds of 1K at race pace, taking one minute rest between each repeat. He’s sure to stick tightly to his race-pace effort and not exceed it, he said.

“The purpose of this workout is to keep some speed in my legs, but obviously not overdo it,” he said. “It’s typically my final workout before a big race.”

He’ll wrap up the session with another two- to three-mile easy jog, rehydrate and refuel, and then return to resting and tapering.

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One-Hour Workout: Lionel Sanders’ pre-race run session

Warm-up

2-3 mile easy jog

Main set

5 x 1K @ race pace, 60 sec rest between each repeat

Cool-down

2-3 mile easy jog