A 2k swim, 80km bike and 18k run. Doable? Maybe after a year’s hard training. Now times it by eight. Yeah…I know…

The T100 consists of eight 100km races across the globe and sees 20 of the world’s best triathletes, men and women, battle it out in the harshest fitness test you could possibly imagine.

Sam Long is one of them. At 28, he’s won two Ironmans and taken silver at the 70.3 Worlds. With the T100 win at the top of his list, he took second in Miami and Singapore, despite being in last place after the swim. Quite incredibly, Long’s legs pedalled and pounded him all the way into a second place finish. 

”When I was 18, I tore my MCL in my right knee during a skiing trip,” says Sam. “My dad said to me, “Why don't you do an Ironman triathlon as rehab?” I loved the idea, so I committed to it.

“I started swimming with a pool buoy, biking with a knee brace and then I slowly built in the running. And then boom, five months later, I completed my first Ironman in 9 hours and 27 minutes.”

Sam’s dad gifted him $3,000 for his graduation. He flew to Australia and immersed himself in the deep end, swimming with world champs and setting his sights on global glory. Now, he’s up there, but says it’s no thanks to talent. 

“My dream ever since I can remember was to be a professional athlete,” he says. “I’m not the most talented guy, so when I found something I didn’t get bored doing that I actually like I just poured all my energy into it. I have a lot of energy and I'm very resilient and that supports triathlon. Having three sports is good for me.”

Since he’s known as having “the best legs in triathlon” Sam hopes they will soon power him to the T100 top spot on the podium.

“You know, hard work wins, right, so you got to chisel those legs,” he says. “They were not the best legs but I’ve worked on them over months and years. I’m the hustler. I'm the guy who works hard and just has to grind and grind to get to where I am. 

“My biggest ambition is to win the T100 Tour. There are world titles, which mean you're the best triathlete on one day of the year, and then there's the T100, which means you’re the best triathlete over a full year-long period.”

New dad Sam is currently self-coaching. “I've loved coaching myself,” he says. “I’m still very open to working with a coach, but, you know, you don't fix what's not broken, and everything's going so well. I keep getting my best results so I don't see any reason to change yet. If the baby didn't sleep or some things come up that are stressful, then I just kind of move things around a little bit.”

Sam reckons anyone who fancies taking on a triathlon could complete a T100 with enough enthusiasm. Erhhh, we’ll leave that one to you, Long! 

How the new 8-leg T100 Triathlon World Tour Works: 

• World’s top 20 male and top 20 female triathletes racing each other head-to-head over a season-long schedule in the sport for the first time. 
• The eight T100 races during 2024 that will be competed over a made-for-tv 100km distance that fits in a 3 hr to 3 hr 30 mins broadcast window (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run) and visits Miami, Singapore, San Francisco, London, Ibiza, Lake Las Vegas, Dubai and at the Grand Final (29-30 November) in the middle east (venue not named yet). 
• World Triathlon have sanctioned the T100 Series so its winners will become official World Champions. 
• Each contracted athlete must complete a minimum of 5 races plus the Grand Final.
• Each athlete’s best three T100 race scores plus the Grand Final will count towards the the inaugural women’s and men’s T100 World Championship
• $250,000 USD prize fund at each T100, totalling $2,000,000 across the eight races (1st place – $25,000k; 2nd – $16,000; 3rd – $12,000 at each race)
• The series winners following the Grand Final will be crowned T100 Triathlon World Champion and will win $210,000 USD from an additional total prize pool of $2,000,000

Prep like Sam… (and maybe finish that park run this weekend)

Best running shoes?

Asics. 

Best swimwear?

Aquasphere. (But if you're looking to look nice at the at the beach, then I'd find some, you know, fancy board shorts from somewhere).

Best cycling gear?

I've actually got a Yo Yo Yo^∗ custom line from Duke. And, you know, it's definitely for not for the faint hearted. If you're going to wear that, you're going to stand out and you're going to stand out in any crowd.

Best accessories

Apple Air Pods and a ton of water bottles! 

To sign up for a 100km in Ibiza or perhaps just a swim in the Med, click here: https://t100triathlon.com/ibiza/participate/100km-open/ 

https://www.instagram.com/samgolong/ 

http://www.samgolong.com