Vancouver triathlete Joshua Monda opened his 2023 season on a triumphant note Saturday. He placed first among nearly 2,400 amateurs at the Ironman 70.3 Oceanside north of San Diego. Monda, 41, finished third in the 40-44 age group nationally during the 2022 Ironman season. Saturday’s result shows he’ll be a top contender among amateurs this year as well. Monda finished the event in 4 hours, 13 minutes and 30 seconds, which was 35th fastest overall including professional competitors. Monda completed the 1.2 mile swim in a personal best time of 28:37 seconds. He moved into second place overall during the 56 mile cycling portion, which he completed in 2:22:29.

Monda moved into the lead shortly into the 13.1 mile run. He completed that in another personal best of 1:16:43, a pace of 5:52 per mile. Monda has already qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland in August.