Marc Dubrick Dominates Ironman 70.3 Cozumel, Wins Wire-to-Wire

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Marc Dubrick stole the spotlight from Lionel Sanders on Sunday, leading from the first stroke to the finish line to win Ironman 70.3 Cozumel by a decisive margin.

The American, who also won the race in 2024, never surrendered the front of the field once he left the water. He finished in 3:39:18, more than seven minutes clear of his closest rival.

Dubrick emerged from the swim with a slim advantage: 19 seconds on Joaquin Pereda and just over half a minute on a chase group that included Flavio Morandini, Andrew Shellenberger, Rodrigo Gonzalez, Danilo Pimentel and Eli McWard. Sanders, the pre-race favorite, took far longer to reach his bike, exiting the water in ninth place, 2 minutes 58 seconds behind.

Dubrick stayed on the attack through the bike leg, sticking to his own pacing plan and steadily building his lead. Even Sanders, who worked his way up to second on the bike, could not match the American’s speed. The Canadian reached T2 trailing by 3:49, while third-place rider Dominik Sowieja entered transition 7:36 back. By then, the race for the title had narrowed to Dubrick and Sanders.

The expected duel never materialized. Dubrick controlled the closing half marathon as well, gaining time on his rivals with each kilometer and stretching his winning margin past seven minutes at the line.

Sanders could not hold on to second place either. Mexico’s Rodrigo Gonzalez overtook him to finish second in 3:46:34, leaving Sanders third in 3:48:56.

All-Mexican Podium in Women’s Race

The women’s field was smaller, and Mexico swept the podium. Cecilia Perez took the win in 4:21:36, ahead of Natalia Casas Gallegos (4:33:57) and Arlette Gonzalez (4:37:40).