By Théo Lemarchandel
Eight hours, 40 minutes and 22 seconds.
That’s how long Luke Evans, 29, took to complete the inaugural Ironman Canada-Ottawa race last August, becoming the first of 2,500 competitors to cross the finish line in one of the sporting world’s ultimate tests of endurance : 226 kilometres of cycling, running and swimming.
The 29-year-old Toronto-based engineer played hockey growing up and was a member of Carleton University’s water polo team. Sport was not unfamiliar territory for Evans.
But he says he never thought he would win the national capital’s 2025 Ironman race, especially as he had to learn long-distance cycling and running from scratch just a few years earlier.
“I was never a top-level athlete. I was always better than average, but never amazing or exceptional. So it’s kind of wild to me that I’m even this fast,” he said in an interview ahead of the 2026 race on Sunday, Aug. 2.
Evans returns this weekend to defend his Ottawa title against an expected 3,000 athletes from 65 countries.
The race starts at 6 a.m. Sunday with a 3.8-kilometre swim in the Ottawa River from Britannia Beach, followed by a 180-kilometre bike ride and a 42.2-kilometre run through the city before finishing at Major’s Hill Park.
‘Like a full-time coach in your pocket’
Unlike many triathletes, Evans uses an artificial intelligence-powered endurance platform called Athletica.ai to help build his training plan and prepare for races.
He said his rapid progression in the sport came when he started using the system in 2023.
“It’s almost like having a full-time coach in your pocket,” Evans said.
Developed in British Columbia by Dr. Paul Laursen, Athletica.ai creates an adaptive training program for athletes based on sport science across a range of disciplines, including running, cycling, rowing or HYROX — an alternating running and intensive exercise regime that’s been described as the “World Series of fitness racing.”
By simply connecting to a wearable device and a fitness-tracking app — Strava, Garmin or Coros —Athletica.ai analyzes not only fitness but also fatigue, recovery, training history, personal schedule and goals.
“I use it 95 per cent of the time,” said Evans. “The AI schedules my workouts each day and manages the load and the stress . . . It manages whatever time you have available effectively.”
The platform essentially serves as an AI coach that combines sports science expertise and an individual athlete’s performance data. It allows users to get advice on what aspect of fitness they should focus on improving.
Evans said he trusts Athletica.ai more than his own instincts because of its consistency and reliability.
‘Sometimes I wake up and I don’t want to do anything. I want to roll over and go back to sleep, but it knows me often better than I know myself.’
— Luke Evans, defending champion, Ironman Canada-Ottawa
“Sometimes I wake up and I don’t want to do anything. I want to roll over and go back to sleep, but it knows me often better than I know myself,” he said.
But after winning gold at the inaugural Ottawa Ironman last year, Evans also decided to opt for a traditional coach: Dr. Laursen.
“The human coach provides context, the AI provides analysis,” said Laursen.
Before launching Athletica.ai in 2020, Laursen said he spent more than 20 years learning how to move the levers of training so athletes can maximize their performances without spending thousands of dollars on a coach.
“I’ve always been a failed athlete who wanted to help people like Luke,“ he said. “That’s where my passion comes from.”
The success story began by accident when Laursen learned about Evans after his Ottawa Ironman victory. At the time, he heard Evans was using Athletica.ai as part of his training.
“We built Athletica hoping we could help athletes like Luke — but honestly, we never imagined a story like that,” said Laursen.
Evans later decided to work with Laursen as a coach because the B.C. exercise physiologist and author had trained high-level athletes in the past. For example, Laursen helps Evans with nutrition, which the coach considers a “science and an art”.
Laursen said he doesn’t believe AI will replace good coaches, but coaches who use AI will be better at guiding the athletes they train for optimal performance.
“The human coach provides context, the AI provides analysis,“ said Laursen.
“It is democratizing elite coaching,“ he added, “because Olympic-level sports science is now within reach of almost anyone.“
As for Evans, this year’s Ironman Canada-Ottawa event is a test for trying out new nutrition strategies, pacing and equipment. And the Aug. 2 race comes in the context of his preparation for the Ironman world championships in Hawaii on Oct. 10.
On Sunday, added Evans, his goal is to keep the same pace as last year without having to stop, walk or use a porta-potty.
“It’s really the joy of pushing myself and continuous improvement.“
