Having struggled to find his top form over the past few years, Patrick Lange looked close to his very best last season, as the 37-year-old produced some incredible results.
Second behind a record breaking Magnus Ditlev at Challenge Roth was eclipsed by a brilliant runner-up performance behind Sam Laidlow in Nice, but the German says he still wants more.
Chasing a third IRONMAN World Championship title in 2024, the PTO World #10 shared what’s driving him to get back on top and show the world how good he can still be.
“Nice and Roth were special”
In both Challenge Roth and the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, Lange was lightning quick on the run, clocking marathon times of 2:30:27 and 2:32:41 respectively.
Looking back on the season, the first athlete to break the eight hour mark in Kona said that both races meant a lot, as they proved to everyone he was still a force to be reckoned with.
He told TRI247: “The highlight of the season was showing the world that I will never give up and will keep improving to get back to the top.
“Nice and Roth were special. It was a good season with great memories! I trust the process and my team to continue the upward trend.”
“Room for improvement in the swim”
Identifying the key area that he can work on to close the gap to the top this season, Lange shared that he and his coach are placing a large emphasis on the swim.
“Looking back, my coach and I decided that there is room for improvement in the swim, so I am now working with a swim-specific squad and coach who are really pushing me in the water.”
On the bike, the German can hold his own and as the fastest runner in the sport, he can be confident that nobody can match him stride for stride on the marathon.
Asked if anyone would break the 2:30 marathon barrier off the bike this season, having come so close in Roth last year, Lange said he believed this would be the season we would see that mark fall.
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