Today’s Ironman World Championship professional press conference was possibly the most entertaining one we’ve ever witnessed here on the Big Island. There was a race favourite wearing a bison hat, lots of jokes and even a two-time champion putting on his reporter hat.
Considering all the triathlon experts are anticipating the most competitive race we’ve ever seen on the Big Island, the men on the stage were remarkably loose and relaxed. There was no trash talking and the main favourites were quite happy to chat about their strategies for Saturday.
If anything, it’s a sign of just how far the sport has come over the last decade. Two years ago, when Olympic gold medalist Kristian Blummenfelt and his countryman Gustav Iden arrived in Kona, there was a feeling that their “Norwegian method” was changing the dynamics of the sport.
“All of us have been trying to keep up,” reigning Ironman world champion Sam Laidlow (FRA) said today. “Keeping up” seems to be a bit of a stretch – Laidlow finished second two years ago.
“It’s great to see the sport developing so rapidly,” said two-time champ and last year’s runner-up in Nice, Germany’s Patrick Lange. “The Norwegian guys keep the pressure on us to keep developing. It keeps raising the level.”
“I am pretty certain we’ll see the best race of all time because we’ll have so much competition for the top five,” Lange continued.
So why is everyone so relaxed and getting along so well, all while preparing to push each other to the limit on Saturday?
The Norwegians take the heat
As we noted in the story below, all eyes will be on the Tokyo and Ironman World Championship St. George champ on Saturday. His impressive run in Frankfurt just two weeks after competing in the individual and mixed relay at the Olympics has everyone talking. Add to that the impressive posts we’ve seen on Strava and social media, and Blummenfelt is on everyone’s list as the man to watch. (Iden has been holding back a bit as he works his way back to fitness after his injury.)
So with all eyes on the Norwegians, life has been a bit simpler for everyone else in the field. Whether they win or lose is dependent on how they do compared to Blummenfelt and Iden.
Of course, there’s more to the equation, too.
Sam Laidlow is so … chill
Laidlow came to this race two years ago considered an exceptional talent, but as an athlete who wasn’t able to finish things off. His second was a breakthrough day that surprised everyone. His win last year proved that he’s much more than just a one-off, talented athlete.
Laidlow has also managed to put himself in the right head space to handle the pressure – determined to “be happy and keep balance in my life.”
He’s not trying to make dramatic changes, and he’s not worried about whatever the Norwegians are doing.
“I’ve been on an upward trajectory,” he said. “I just need to keep doing what I’m doing. To just be in the conversation alone is enough for me.”
That attitude has helped him stay focussed despite all the pressures that come for a reigning Ironman world champ.
Magnus Ditlev is so calm
If Laidlow is “chill,” Ditlev has ice running through his veins. According to him he has nightmares about his race here in 2022 when he was given a penalty on the bike and ended up eighth. He also has nightmares about how much Laidlow dominated at last year’s race in Nice – “not being good enough for the win – that really hurt,” he said.
Ditlev delivered that info as if he was politely putting a coffee order together. He’s not getting anyone riled up pre-race, presumably even himself.
Can we say Magnus Ditlev holds the full-distance world best?
Patrick Lange is in a really good place
The German has struggled with the pressure of being the Ironman World Champion in the past – welcome to the pressure-cooker life as a German Kona champion. He’s put lots of things in place to relieve all that pressure, and it certainly appears to be working. (It probably also helps that he doesn’t have any big-name German rivals to deal with at present.)
He’s already won here twice to go along with second and third. He doesn’t have anything to prove – so he might as well have fun, right?
The sport is so competitive
At the end of the day, it is the level of competition that makes it easier for the sport’s best to remain calm and relaxed heading into race day. The days when an athlete like Mark Allen or Dave Scott could have an “OK” day and still win in Kona are long gone. You need to be at your best to win. So, if it’s not your day, c’est la vie.
All of which ends up giving us an entertaining press conference where athletes joke with each other. Where the guy who came fourth at this race last year wears a bison hat to the press conference. Where three of the favourites were happy to chat about their race strategies:
“We both think we can run faster than the other,” Ditlev said of Laidlow, “So we won’t be afraid to try to head off together on the bike. It’s good for both of us.”
Oh, and if you’re wondering how much Laidlow thinks he needs to be ahead of Blummenfelt to win the race? Four minutes if the bike pace isn’t too crazy, six minutes if it’s on.
All of which was said in the best of spirits. Even the athletes are looking forward to Saturday’s race.
The post It’s supposed to be the most competitive Ironman World Championship ever … so why is everybody being so nice? appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.