He ended up ranked fourth in the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) world ranking after a season that saw him take second in a dramatic sprint to the line against Lionel Sanders in St. George (picture above) and earn an impressive Ironman win in Coeur d’Alene. Sam Long and the PTO wrapped up his season in graphical style earlier this week. What those race-graphics don’t reveal, though, was some of the exciting KOM racing Long did last spring, too, when the American pushed Lionel Sanders to new levels for the fastest time up Mt. Lemmon in Arizona. (Long currently sits in third for the Mount Lemmon segment on Strava behind Sanders and Mathew Riccitello, son or former pro triathlete Jimmy Riccitello.)
Here are some of the stats from Long’s big year:
- He did seven races – Ironman 70.3 Texas, Ironman 70.3 St. George, Ironman Tulsa, Ironman Coeur d’Alene, Ironman 70.3 Boulder, the Collins Cup and the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
- At those races he won Coeur d’Alene and 70.3 Boulder, was second at the 70.3 worlds and 70.3 St. George (where he lost a close sprint with Sanders) and took third at 70.3 Texas.
- This year he covered (in training and racing) 954 km of swimming, 18,683 km of biking and 3,375 km of running.
- Most of his racing took place in the United States – the only race outside the US was the Collins Cup in Samorin.
No doubt Long is looking for an even bigger year in 2022.
