Jason Fonger
Jason has developed into an impressive triathlete and has secured some amazing results in his native Canada and abroad. He's a World Championship qualifier and has multiple victories, excelling in sprint and half-Ironman distances.
- Multiple category wins
- Triathlon Ontario Long Course Series Champion
- World Championship Qualifier
Self-described as “an average athlete at best” when he was growing up, Jason is enjoying success in his sport.
His first overall win was the 2017 Bangsaen Sprint Triathlon in Thailand and he followed this with a win at the 2017 Orillia Triathlon in Canada. In the same year he won the Challenge Kanchanaburi Olympic distance race in Thailand.
In 2018 Jason was the overall sprint distance race winner at Tri-Factor Triathlon Hua-Hin in Thailand, and in 2018 he stepped up to racing half-ironman distance and was the fastest amateur at Challenge Kanchanaburi.
2019 saw Jason win his age group at Ironman 70.3 Bangsaen, qualifying for the 70.3 World Championships. He also won his age group at the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific.
Emerging from the pandemic, in 2022 Jason had some good races with age group wins and top 5 overall finishes while setting some PRs.
“The last two seasons were pretty good I would say, since I’ve been able to claim multiple provincial titles” Jason told us in 2025. “In 2023, I was the Triathlon Ontario Long Course Provincial Champion. In 2024, I won the Triathlon Ontario Long Course Series, and was named Triathlon Ontario Long Course Triathlete of the Year. I am proud of those achievements!”
Vegan
“I realized dairy was not good for my health and decided it made sense to be vegan.”
All of those results were achieved as a vegan, as Jason made the change in 2009. He was 19 then, although the process started a lot earlier.
“I went vegetarian in high school after I read the liner notes to a punk rock album that depicted the horrific things humans do to animals for food. The album is called ‘Open Your Eyes’ by Goldfinger, be sure to check out at least the title track! That motivated me to become a vegetarian.
“A few years later I realized dairy was not good for my health and decided it made sense to be vegan. It wasn’t until later that I found out more about the connections to the environment, zoonotic diseases, and so many other reasons for being vegan.”
It’s now something he sticks to completely.
“First thing in the morning I usually go for fruit – bananas, oranges, grapes, apples… these foods are easy to take on the go and I will often eat them before morning workouts. After the morning training session I will usually make oatmeal with some berries and ground flax seed. Smoothies are also common post workout.
“Later in the morning, a couple of sandwiches on whole grain bread. Some days they are peanut butter and jam, others they are breakfast sandwiches with vegan egg and sausage, and I usually have this with a glass of juice, plant-based milk or sometimes a cup of coffee.
“Then for lunch my go-to option is burritos or wraps on whole grain tortillas. These are rarely anything fancy but are a great quick option. I tend to fill them up with hummus, rice, beans, veggies, sprouts, and/or whatever leftovers there might be in the fridge.
“Usually I’ve got a second training session in the afternoon or evening. Right after that session, I tend to have a fruit smoothie before preparing dinner. Mango-banana or strawberry-banana are two of my top choices, blended with soy milk.
“Dinner varies a lot but I eat a lot of rice and curry, pasta, pizza, potatoes and burgers. Dessert is anything from ice cream to cake or cookies.”
As you may expect, Jason spends a lot of the time on the move when he’s training, and that includes 15-20 hours per week of swimming, cycling and running. He also fits in 2-3 strength sessions per week to pack on the muscle.
Jason doesn’t always train with other vegans, but nobody questions his choices.
“It has never been an issue at all! Sometimes people are curious and I’m always happy to share what I know.”
“I really believe that vegan athletes are such an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to building momentum in the shift towards plant-based food systems. It is an honor to be listed on this site along with so many other incredible Great Vegan Athletes! Something I am focusing on more and more these days is building my professional speaking business to get the word out about all these amazing athletes and the transformative potential of plant-based eating.”
Jason is still enthusiastic and looking to build on his successes.
“I feel proud to represent vegan athletes every time I get to stand up on a podium…I know that a lot of my success in triathlon has been a result of my plant-based diet.”
“I hope to be competitive enough to be in the mix for the overall win when I show up to triathlon races for another decade at least. And, perhaps more importantly, I hope to be swimming, biking and running for the rest of my life!”