It remained unclear until almost the very last moment, but Sam Long made the call: he’s not racing Ironman 70.3 Oceanside this weekend. It would be tempting after his winning strike – as he won Clash Miami and Challenge Puerto Varas – but it’s better to skip this one, he explains: “After coming back from Chile I have come down with a cold. With this, my Oceanside intentions have to be cancelled.”
“It’s been quite the change from feeling like Superman and never feeling tired to being unable to train for four days”, he continues to say. “I’m back on the rise, and it has given me a renewed sense of focus (and a sense of just fragile the line of fitness is) for St. George.”
Earlier this week, Long mentioned to focus on the Ironman World Championship in St. George this year, while also racing Challenge Roth and later the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, again in St. George. That means he decided to skip Kona and focus on Middle Distance racing towards the end of the season.
