Coaching change for Sam Long as he takes destiny into own hands

Sam Long has revealed he has parted company with coach Ryan Bolton and is now coaching himself.

The 26-year-old has been working with Bolton for the last four years but decided that a “change of pace” was needed.

Long’s decision to train himself got off to a winning start at IRONMAN 70.3 Indian Wells earlier this month.

‘Less is more’ approach

Speaking in his post-race update on his YouTube channel (video embedded below), Long admitted he is taking the ‘less is more’ approach.

He explained: “The biggest change coming into this race after Arizona, I decided that I needed a change in my coaching.

“I have been trained by Ryan Bolton for the last four years, he has been a great coach for me, he helped my development massively.

“But I decided that I needed a new change, a change of pace, so I have been coaching myself for the last few weeks.

“And the goal of this race was to teach myself that I can do well with much less volume, so I did the least amount of training that I have done in a long time, and clearly it seemed to work out.

“So I am looking forward to continuing that development going down the road.”

Eventful season

Looking back at 2022, Long acknowledges that it has been a rollercoaster of a year for himself, mixed with a lot of highs and some lows.

But a period of rest and recuperation is now on the cards for him.

“It is great to put the last two months behind me in a way.

“It is off-season, me and Lara [girlfriend and fellow triathlete Lara Gruden] are probably going to Cabo at an all-inclusive resort next week, then going home for family over the holidays, a little ski trip, three weeks totally off.

“I am not sure that I will touch my bike, I am not sure that I’ll touch my running shoes, I am really going to enjoy this, it has been a long season for me.

“Twelve races, I kicked it off with the first race of the season there in Miami with a win.

“Four wins for the year, seven podiums for the year, hit by a car, multiple big controversies at the Collins Cup, at 70.3 Worlds, immense back-pain – I have overcome a lot and I could not be happier with my season as a whole.”