Although Lisa is primarily regarded as one of the best IRONMAN athletes in the world, Lisa spent the first 8 years of her triathlon “life” racing Olympic distance and raced on several National Elite Teams at the World Championships and at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. Shortly thereafter in 1997, Lisa switched her focus to the IRONMAN distance winning her first long distance event, Strongman Japan, breaking the course record by 19 minutes. From there, she placed 9th in her first IRONMAN World Championships. This began a progressive rank improvement to 3rd place at the 2006 Ironman World Championships and 11 IRONMAN victories on several continents with at least one IRONMAN victory each year from 2000 to 2007.
- 5 Straight IRONMAN Australia Victories – (’02-’06), 3 IRONMAN Canada victories (’03, ’04, ’07), 2 IRONMAN New Zealand victories (’00, ’01), 1 IRONMAN Germany (’05)
- 11 IRONMAN 70.3 victories
- sub 3-hour IRONMAN marathon at IRONMAN Canada and IRONMAN Australia
- 11 races at the IRONMAN World Championships with several top-10 finishes – 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 6th, 9th
- 5th in the 1998 I.T.U. World Long Course Championships
- 2nd fastest Ironman debut (9:29:45 – IRONMAN Canada 1997) in history. 2nd to Natascha Badmann
- Represented Canada at the Pan American Games, Argentina, 1995 placed 6th, Canadian women’s team won gold
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Articles
2007 Ironman Canada
Lisa Bentley’s third Subaru Ironman Canada title did not come with the apparent ease of her 2003 and 2004 Ironman Canada wins. At this year’s Ironman Australia, Bentley suffered a lower leg injury that side-lined her run training for three months and threatened her chances of even competing in the race.
Bentley came into the 25th Subaru Ironman Canada displaying a different “race face” from previous appearances in the Okanagan Valley. Gone was the subtle confidence usually displayed in her pre-race comments and appearances. Yes, the words, responses, and comments were similar to those of years past, but there was a noted restraint in her tone. It was more of an “I am just glad to be here” attitude.
Throughout April, May, and June, Bentley replaced her seven-day-a-week running program with sessions lying motionless in the hyperbaric chamber, having physiotherapy, active release therapy, acupuncture and injections into the tendon on her heel. Her focus during in her recovery turned to her bike training, which paid off in spades for her in the race.
2006 Ironman Australia
Chris McCormack and Lisa Bentley made it five in a row at Panthers Ironman Australia this weekend, the first time the race took place in the new site of Port Macquarie. Ironman live’s Nick Munting was there to cover the action.
Australia’s Chris McCormack and Canada’s Lisa Bentley re-wrote the triathlon history books at Panthers Ironman Australia in winning the race an amazing fifth time each.
Over 1,500 athletes entered the Hastings River this morning to begin their road to Ironman and it immediately became clear we were about to witness an awesome race and an incredible day of racing.
The women’s race was an extraordinary event topped by the awesome performance of Lisa Bentley who also captured her fifth successive title in Australia.
Behind her, Melissa Ashton was the model of efficiency pushing hard throughout the bike and well into the run, but it was Granger who seemed to be in a winning position with her solid 11:55 lead over Bentley going into the marathon.
In the end, though, Bentley prevailed thanks to her 52:30 swim, 5:26 bike and 3:01 marathon (“I had 2:59 on my watch”, she told us), which, on the day, was the best effort of all.
“Winning an Ironman is so tough, but to win five is extraordinary and each one is special,” said Bentley. “This was a tough course and my legs were really sore at the end of the bike but once I was out on the run, well!”
2005 Ironman Australia
The Forster dynasty of the Ironman Australia triathlon ended yesterday as Chris McCormack and Lisa Bentley confirmed they were the last king and queen of the era.
They won their fourth-straight titles at the mid-north NSW coastal town of Forster, which hosted the day-long event for the last time before it moves north to Port Macquarie.
There is much behind-the-scenes bitterness between the local organizing committee and Ironman Australia promoter IMG over the move away from the town, which first staged the race in 1985.
A huge pack of age-group cyclists also swallowed up the lead women today to emphasize the drafting problem that has dogged the race for many years.
But the outstanding performances from McCormack and Bentley over the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km run overshadowed these troubles.
Sydney’s McCormack, 31, became the first four-time men’s winner here since Finnish legend Paul Kiuru dominated the race between 1991-94.
Australian Louise Bonham had also won four titles, but Canada’s Bentley became the first woman to win four successive Forster titles.
2004 Ironman Canada
Bentley defends her title, while Evans goes wire-to-wire to record first win for a local athlete in race history.
Tom Evans led from start to finish today, holding off a dramatic charge by Gordo Byrn over the closing miles of the marathon to win Subaru Ironman Canada today. While Evans had to hold on to his lead during the marathon, Lisa Bentley proved yet again that she is one of the best runners the sport has ever seen as she moved from third to first during the first half of the marathon, and never looked back as she defended her title here in Penticton.
A record field started the race here today … 2,170 athletes were on the beach at Okanagan Lake to start the swim. That broke the record for a one-wave swim start set here two years ago when 2,032 athletes started the race.
It didn’t take long for Bentley to assert her control, though. Starting the marathon 10-minutes behind Bakker, the defending champion was in front by the turn-around in Okanagan Falls and never looked back.