Cameron Main is facing a battle to be ready for IRONMAN Frankfurt after revealing that he is struggling with back and hip injury concerns.
The British competitor impressed on his last outing at a stacked Texas by finishing tenth and is looking to finalise his preparations for Kona later this year with next month’s outing in Germany.
Having booked his spot on the Big Island via his victory at IRONMAN Western Australia last December, he was looking forward to a strong training block ahead of the Frankfurt race, which takes place on June 28.
‘Another flare-up in my right hip’
However, his plans have been somewhat scuppered by injury issues that first reared up in the weeks before Texas and which have now meant a change in schedule as he looks to get his body into good enough shape to compete.
“Unfortunately, it’s not been the start of the Ironman Frankfurt training block that I’d hoped for,” he announced on his Instagram page. “I’ve had another flare-up in my right hip (same issue pre-Ironman Texas).
“Thankfully, the MRI scan showed nothing serious, just inflammation and fluid buildup within my hip joints. Alongside this, my lower back has still been causing me some problems when training on the bike, but this is something we are addressing with consistent strength work in the gym.”
While clearly not ideal, he is working through the issues with his team and is not losing focus on the race that really matters when he gets the opportunity to go up against the best in the world at Kona come October 10.
‘It’s still a long season’
“It’s frustrating to adjust training at this point in the season,” he adds. “But staying healthy is the main priority. Getting my body back to a strong, healthy place comes first, and then the training will come.
“It’s still a long season ahead and several months until the big one in Kona. 🌴 I’m so grateful to have the incredible support from @bianchiprotri, my coach @bexmilnescoaching and the rest of my team back home to help through periods like this.
“Another small step back to take a few steps forward. 🫱🏻🫲🏼”
The 26-year-old is very much seen as a rising star of the long-distance field, having progressed from his early years as a short-course racer, where he represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 – his mixed relay team of Beth Potter, Sophia Green and Grant Sheldon finishing in fifth place.
His win at Western Australia last December was made all the more impressive due to the fact that it was his competitive debut at the full distance, recording both the fastest swim (46:15) and run (2:43:57) times on his way to a time of 7:38:26.
