August Triathlon Highlights in Canada
As the kids go back to school, swims become ‘wetsuit mandatory’.
In Triathlon, Canada’s best in August deserve review as leaves fall.
1. Kiyan Sunderji
Lionel Sanders. Trevor Wurtele. Peter Reid. Kiyan Sunderji.
Which name doesn’t belong with the others?
Trick question. They all belong.
They’re the four Canadians who have won Ironman Canada, with each one claiming the title on a different version of this revered race.
Multiple World Champion Peter Reid won on the “Classic” Ironman Canada course in Penticton back in the 1990s. Trevor Wurtele won during the Whistler era. Lionel Sanders conquered what was arguably the toughest version of the course — the revised post-Covid course in Penticton.
And now there’s Ottawa, a new champion and a new name on the list.
Early in August, Kiyan Sunderji put together a 57-minute swim, 4:27 bike and 2:56 run to become the newest Ironman Canada champion — and Fitspeek’s top Canadian athlete for August.
When I recently had Kiyan on Fitspeek for a Q&A, I learned he’s fresh out of the University of Calgary. He’s juggling two full-time careers, and Triathlon training fits around his schedule.
Somehow, he’s also finding the time to train — and not just enough to finish an Ironman. Enough to win one.
There are no plans to turn pro at this point. But if that ever changes, his first sponsorship call should probably be to mattress company rather than bike company.
Because seriously… imagine what this guy could do if he ever got some sleep.
2. Jackson Laundry
Jackson Laundry earns his spot on this month’s Fitspeek Top 5 not because of hype, but because of the kind of hard‑won momentum that only comes from clawing your way back into form. June was quiet — the kind of quiet that tells you an athlete is rebuilding, recalibrating, and getting ready to swing hard. July gave us the first glimpse: a tough day at 70.3 Boise, a 20th‑place finish that didn’t turn heads but absolutely mattered. It was the race he needed to shake off the rust, test the hip, and remind himself what race pain feels like again.
And then came August. Northern California. A field stacked with world‑class long‑course hitters. Jackson didn’t just show up — he detonated the race. A 2nd‑place finish, a 3:41:13, and a performance that put him ahead of Sam Long and Lionel Sanders. It was the kind of race that redefines a season, the kind that tells the rest of the Canadian long‑course scene: the anchor is back. Jackson Laundry didn’t just earn his place on this list — he stamped it in bold ink.
3. Tyler Mislawchuk
First off, yeah we know about the crash – but this is AUGUST’s list.
If you know what the numbers 78, 45, and 33 have in common, you’ll understand the next reference—and why I’m starting to sound like a stuck record when I say that Tyler Mislawchuk is one of the most consistent athletes in the sport. Once again, Canada’s king of consistency in the short-course world finds himself on the Top 5 list.
This time he lands at number three, which also happens to be the position he earned on the podium at the World Triathlon Championship Series race in Weihai, China, on August 29. At 32, Mislawchuk is one of the veterans on the WTCS circuit, but performances like this suggest there won’t be an Ironman tattoo appearing on his calf anytime soon, but maybe Supertri?
4. Sophia Howell
Sophia Howell first cracked the Top 5 back in May, largely on the strength of a breakthrough 2025 season that included a World Triathlon Cup podium in South America. Since then, the Airdrie, Alberta athlete has had to battle through more than her share of adversity.
When I had Sophia on the Fitspeek podcast this spring, she was working her way back from a leg injury that had disrupted her training. She came close to returning at the World Triathlon Cup Mixed Team Relay in Edmonton in July, but Team Canada doctors advised her to wait a little longer.
Once she finally got back on the start line, she wasted no time reminding everyone what she can do. At the World Cup sprint race in Rio, she exited the water with the second swim pack, stayed in the hunt on the bike, and then ran her way past three athletes to finish 12th. A few weeks later, back on home soil at the Canadian Super Sprint Championships in Victoria, she rode away from the competition and claimed the women’s title. If these recent performances are any indication, Sophia is setting herself up for another memorable fall campaign.
5 Sophie Forsythe
This month’s list started with a new name and it’s ending with another new name you should remember, Sophie Forsythe. Her long-course competition in the female 20-24 age group, however, are very aware of her, but to them she’s mostly just a dot on the horizon.
Take for example when she did the T100 in Vancouver, her margin over the next closest female was nine minutes, and in her age-group, her margin was almost a half hour, enough time to shower, change, order a ham and pineapple, and greet second place at the finish line.
Although not in August, Forsythe also had impressive performances, winning her age group at 70.3 races in Calgary and Victoria. Having only been in the sport seriously for a couple of years, no doubt Forsythe’s best years are still in front of her. This week, she is in Nice France for the 70.3 championships. After that she returns to “real life” at UBC where she is in her final year of an Honour’s Degree in cellular and developmental biology.
