Kiyan Sunderji is just back from Ottawa after winning the 2026 Ironman Canada. The 23-year-old, who beat approximately 3,000 athletes in the triathlon event, says it’s definitely the biggest win of his career. “It was so amazing to take the tape there and win,” he said. “It’s like really a dream come true because I’ve been watching Ironman Canada since the day I was born.” Ironman Hurts This was Sunderji’s 10th full Ironman. He does two to three a year. He says competing in Ironman isn’t easy and “takes a lot out of the body.” “It normally takes a week to start to recover. Walking up the stairs, driving and everything is hard after the first couple of days.” Rewarding Sunderji’s winning time in Ottawa was eight hours, 26 minutes and 53 seconds. Obviously it’s a gruelling test on both your body and your mind. So why does Sunderji keep doing it? “It’s so rewarding,” he said. “It’s so amazing when you have friends around you and people that keep pushing you and it’ such a great community.” “Especially when you’re able to do your best and something like Ironman Canada when I can get to the finish line first and have thousands of fans and people around me it’s just so amazing.” Next up Despite the pain he went through, Sunderji doesn’t have much time to get ready for his next Ironman. His next challenge is the Ironman World Championship on Oct. 10 in Kona, Hawaii. “I’m looking forward to that,” Sunderji said. “The best of the best come to the Big Island and give it everything that they’ve got. That’s my short-term goal and then just take it one race at a time and see how it comes.” Secret weapon Sunderji trains a lot to compete in Ironmans. He needs to eat between 6,000 and 7,000 calories a day just to keep up. He says during competitions he has a secret weapon. “Candy is my go-to,” he said with a laugh. “Every race at the halfway point of the run we have something called special needs where you can get some nutrition or something to keep you going. “Every time I grab my bag of candy and I don’t eat it. I just hold onto it and it gives me power to finish the race strong and know that when I’m finished I’m going to crush that bag of candy and probably some more back in the hotel room.” Sunderji comes from an athletic family. Last year he, his father and his 77-year-old grandfather climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.
