Ironman World Champion Sam Laidlow’s health issues threaten his season
Health struggles since Kona puts his season in jeopardy
The phoenix struggles to rise from the ashes on the lava fields of Kona, Hawaii.
Sam Laidlow had a stellar rise to fame winning the 2023 Ironman World Championships in Nice. Flying high, he was a favourite to win the following year. A meltdown on the run after a blazing, record setting bike at the 2024 championships in Kona saw him crash land over the finish line.
Mysterious illness sidelines training
He is now speaking out about how difficult it has been since Kona to get airborne. Plagued by unconfirmed health issues ever since, there is uncertain about if his 2025 season will even hatch. He revealed on social media that he has yet to return to full fitness. His training sessions have gone so far off the rails that he is regularly forced to stop after only a few minutes.
During one of those runs he recorded an update for his fans and shared the video on Instagram.
“This last month and a bit has been flipping terrible,” he shared. “Some illnesses and some health issues. It’s just been a really, really, bad start to the year. Hopefully we can turn it around and have a great season.”
View this post on Instagram
He elaborated that for the last month most days he goes for a run and has to stop about five minutes in. This experience has been the same for him in the pool and on the bike. So far he hasn’t gotten any answers as to what is causing the issue.
“We don’t really know what’s up. I’ve been trying to get to the bottom of it but in reality I haven’t really been myself since Kona.”
Still chasing another world champion title
A hamstring tear after Kona brought last year’s season to a premature end. He was forced to drop out of the T100 Grand Final in Dubai. Vowing to come back strong to reclaim the top step on the Ironman World Championship podium, he remains determined that his issues will be resolved.
“My goal isn’t to spread a load of negativity and tell you how bad my life is, because that’s not the case. I just feel that I owe some honesty to the people that follow me and to show that we’re all just human.
“This month has been pretty bad, but just like this climb, we’ll make it back to the top, baby!” he reassured his audience as he pointed the camera towards a hill ahead of him.
He is still expected to race at Ironman South Africa on March 30, as previously announced. There are no races currently listed on his website for the 2025 season.
With his daily posts his fans can expect to be kept in the loop on how he is recovering and any impacts to his racing schedule.