After a Big Day in Roth, What’s Next for Sam Laidlow

Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

We caught up with Sam Laidlow last week a few days before his huge day in Roth, and we followed up after yesterday’s post-race press conference. As we outlined in our post-race recap, Laidlow accidentally backed off on the bike, setting himself up for a stellar run (he ran 2:37) that saw him cruise to the win over Jonas Schomburg. Now the 2023 IRONMAN world champion needs to validate his slot for Nice if he wants to race at the IRONMAN World Championship in September.

Slowtwitch.com: So, Sam, we talked earlier this week and you were saying your dad wanted you to race conservatively, and, in a way, you kind of did. 

Sam Laidlow: I did for a bit. Yeah, not on purpose. But yeah, I did. 

Does this make think this might not be a bad way to race? Not going out super hard?  

I mean, it would be interesting to see. Obviously, I still rode 140 km by myself pretty much, so it’s very different to the pack dynamics. Maybe one day I’ll ride with the pack and see how fast I can run. But, I also know that when it when it really counts on the big days, when there’s Blummenfelt and Patrick (Lange) … I don’t fancy my chances out-running them … I’m definitely not one of those uber bikers that completely can’t run, but I I need to find a mix between the strategies. At the moment there’s two clear strategies. There’s the way that Magnus and me and Jonas now race, which is going very hard on the bike and then running roughly 3:45 per km, and then on the other hand, there’s Blumenthal and the other Norwegians and Patrick, who wait in the pack and then run very, very fast. It’s just two different ways of racing.  

How exciting is it that we’re even having a converstation about different race strategies? A few months ago you weren’t even sure where things were going to be this year – there was a chance you wouldn’t race this year at all. 

Initially, four weeks ago, I actually sent a message to my dad and my doctor and to my team saying that I wasn’t going to do Roth. They advised me to give it a try as a test. Roth was going to be a test to see if I ended my 2025 season or not. I think you asked me before what would it mean? And I said that I would definitely dedicate this victory to them because they’ve supported me more than I ever could imagine. 

Does this give you confidence that it’s more than just having a great day?  

It’s taught me that it’s not just about the numbers. I mean, in this prep, I simply haven’t been fit enough or had the time to really do a lot of training. So, I really made sure that I did all the other small things. Whether it be the core work, or the nutrition, or like literally everything. I left no stone unturned … It was a big gamble, but it also it shows that it’s not just about training loads. It’s about being smart, and that’s one of the things I’ve always liked about IRONMAN. It’s not just the most talented guy that wins. I think we also talked about that analogy of a car … The car has been in the garage for a while now, and I’ve worked a lot on it instead of just training.  

Yeah – it’s got a better stereo and all kinds of cool things.Now I guess the next step is figuring out how to get to Nice, right?  

There was a plan A and Plan B. Plan B would be if Roth doesn’t go to plan and my body shuts down like it did in Kona. I would end my season and fully res. Plan A was to do everything I can to be Nice in in the best shape possible, and so, to do that, I need to go and validate my slot. So, in three weeks, I get to do this all again in Leeds.  

Tags: