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US triathlon superstar Sam Long says “you’re really soft” taunt from an Age Grouper transformed him

The Big Unit turned jeers to cheers at IRONMAN Eagleman 70.3 to silence a mystery critic.
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Sam Long says his victory at IRONMAN Eagleman 70.3 earlier this month transformed him as a triathlete.

The Big Unit made it two wins on the bounce on June 8 after his victory at 70.3 Chattanooga, and has since raced the Vancouver T100 as well, finishing 11th.

But in a new YouTube Video looking back at his Eagleman triumph, Long says being branded “really soft” by a mystery fellow runner in Maryland could be a defining moment in his career.

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An ‘intense moment’ for the ‘Big Unit’

He said: “The defining moment of the race. The moment I mentally found myself, was on the run. I had completed one lap. It was an intense moment. I was actually getting some negative cheers.

“It was my first instance of getting negative cheers in the sport of triathlon. It was actually kinda cool. Like back to being a football player and things are being said to you.

“Anyways, at this moment I was told by another athlete in the race, an Age Grouper we were passing: ‘You’re really soft’. That ignited my brain. This was the defining moment of the whole race and woke me up to my senses.

Sam Long IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman 2025 Finish Line
American Sam Long wins IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman 2025 in a new course record time (Photo – Getty Images for IRONMAN).

“I know it’s just a comment someone says but I think I use these things in a race to get any edge I can get. I found my belief as a runner.”

Long was going toe-to-toe with fellow American Trevor Foley at the time – and admits he was suffering from a weird inferiority complex before hitting top gear to finish 26 seconds ahead of his rival and secure the win.

Long suffered from self-doubt

He said: “The first 10k of that run I was having self-doubt. I was running with a guy who got a full scholarship in college, when I wasn’t able to. I tore my MCL in a ski accident and wasn’t able to hit the time.

“All this time I’ve had to balance this weight of thinking I wasn’t good enough to run in college, maybe therefore I’m not a true runner.

Sam Long celebrates at the San Francisco T100.
[Photo Credit – PTO]

“I was going up against that in the first lap. This was a defining experience that I needed to continue my transformation as a triathlete. Now I realise these run battles are pretty fun and what it’s all about. What you want to live for.”

Long, who also says his family played a big part in his Eagleman win, is actually the number one-ranked US triathlete in the world. And he continues to show up regularly on what is a brutal race schedule.

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“Build the house”

He said: “Durability is probably the most important but most under-considered thing in triathlon. Because we have single-day events we tend to look at just a single day performance.

“But with our expanding calendar and schedule, being durable and being able to race week after week at a high level is incredibly valuable. It’s such a skill. And it’s something you can train. You can train for this.

“You can build the house the proper way. I did four races in five weeks and in all of them I put out a high-quality effort. That’s what I take from this block of races. That’s a real skill.”

Paul Brown
Written by
Paul Brown
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