Sam Long welcomes arrival of ‘Little Unit’ just days before PTO Tour US Open

American long-course star Sam Long has welcome the birth of his first child with partner Lara Gruden, just days before the PTO Tour US Open in Milwaukee.

Sharing the good news on his Instagram, Long revealed that their baby boy was born on August 1, but shared no details yet on whether or not he will travel out to Wisconsin to compete in the PTO Tour on Friday.

Having won three domestic middle-distance races on the trot, with victories at IRONMAN 70.3 St George, IRONMAN 70.3 Gulf Coast and IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder, Long has widely been considered a dark horse for the podium in Milwaukee if he makes the trip out.

His participation though always depended on something far more important – what he described as “truly the most rewarding day”.

Sam Long and Lara Gruden on baby joy

Sharing the details about baby Leo on his social media, Sam and the expanding Long family celebrated adding another member.

“Lara showed absolute strength and courage today. With a labor that started at 12:30 in the morning—determination to do it without an epidural—she succeeded. On 11:14 pm on August 1st Leonardo Franko Long was born at 7 lbs 7 ounces.

“Sam never left her side and it was truly the most rewarding day. The full story is for another day.”

If Long decides to make the trip out to Milwaukee, he will face off against some of the best in the sport, including Kristian Blummenfelt, Jan Frodeno and Magnus Ditlev. Third in last year’s edition, Long will be chasing back-to-back podiums if he makes the start line.