Ironman: Sam Laidlow’s nightmare

The dream of a double in Kona turned into a nightmare for Sam Laidlow while the German Patrick Lange, on a cloud as blue as his wetsuit, became Ironman world champion by falling the record (7h35’53”). A hellish ordeal is a weak summary of what Sam Laidlow experienced. Coming out among the first in the 3.8km swim, the title holder led an extraordinary bike race. Hurtling the 180 km at an average of 45 km/h, he beat his own cycling record in 3h57. Leading by a handful of minutes at the start of the marathon, the leader was unable to widen the gap. Worse, his body machine was jammed.

The body lets go

Laidlow’s efforts naturally cause him to lose 3.5 liters of water per hour. But the heat was oppressive. Starting off on a sustained run at 15km/h, Laidlow showed signs of weakness from km 10. His loyal Catalan supporters, Raphaël, Tom, Chris, Adé and Sosso, froze in front of the screen when he took a break at the refreshment station. A striking contrast with the freshness of Patrick Lange. Coming up from 13th to pole position, the 38-year-old German sped at 17km/h and overtook the Catalan at km 18. Lange literally flew to the finish, shattering the time. The Dane Magnus Ditlev (7:43) and the American Rudy Von Berg (7:46) complete the podium, at the foot of which an excellent Léon Chevalier finishes. These stratospheric times confirm that the Ironman title is being decided a few minutes below the 8 hour mark. The most Catalan of the Franco-British plunges into hell. Tested by gastric problems, bib 1 of 25 years old borders on discomfort. Powerless in the face of the passing competitors, he refused to give up and finished the race 18th in 8h02′. His dream still eludes him, however, Sam Laidlow gave him a lesson in courage. The French King collapsed at the finish but lost his title while holding his head high.