Search
shop

Harnessing his ‘superpower’: Sam Holness starts special 2022 at 70.3 Lanzarote

An exciting year ahead for 28-year-old who continues to break down barriers
News Director
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Sam Holness ticks off the first of a number of high-profile races in 2022 when he races at IRONMAN 70.3 Lanzarote this weekend.

He’s a triathlete with autism – and one with big ambitions, both on the racing front and also in showing just what is possible.

Sam’s disability “has become his superpower” and we’ll be following his journey throughout 2022.

First Ironman race beckons

We first caught up with him last year – and the recent film (below) from his sponsors HOKA brings everyone right up to date and is well worth a watch to learn more about his incredibly positive attitude and ability to inspire.

Sam Holness – The Trailblazer (courtesy of HOKA)

Those will be key themes in our pieces with him over the coming months – everything from the way father and coach Tony adapts his training, through to raising awareness, breaking down barriers and setting lofty goals.

In 2021 he became the first openly autistic triathlete to compete at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in St George.

One of the key targets this year will be his first Ironman race, the European Championships in Frankfurt in June but, before then, the half distance beckons in the Canary Islands on Saturday.

Weather watch

Unusually the weather has been less than settled this week, as Sam acknowledged when we caught up with him to find out how the build-up was going.

“I thought that I would arrive a week early to do a recce and get some warm-weather training in the bag. What I couldn’t plan for was the 40mph winds, the rain and a maximum day time temperature of 18-20 degrees.

“Oh, how I long for the warm weather of St George, Utah last year. Even though I haven’t been out on the bike yet, tapering is going well, and I have found a great running circuit of about 400m where I have been doing eight reps of three laps with a 90 second recovery.

“In addition, I am also trying out a new portable turbo trainer that I got to work with Zwift after a lot of trial and error and am putting in a 90-minute interval session every day.

“I went swimming today and the wind kept pushing me out to sea. So aside from recovering from a cold and the lousy weather, I am happy and can’t wait to race. The other great news is that the weather is predicted have settled by race day and it should be a great event.”

Jonathan Turner
Written by
Jonathan Turner
Jonathan Turner is News Director for both TRI247 and RUN247, and is accustomed to big-name interviews, breaking news stories and providing unrivalled coverage for endurance sports.  
Discover more
TRI247 podcast p/b Challenge Family episode 2
Go behind the scenes at Challenge Roth with the latest episode of the TRI247 podcast
Cadomotus Chronos triathlon cycling shoes
The triathlon cycling shoe that promises a 10-watt saving: Cadomotus Chronos Aero triathlon cycling shoes review
Challenge Family Roth
Five things you need to know about the Challenge Roth bike course
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
latest News
Joe Skipper finished fifth at Challenge Roth 2023
Challenge Roth 2025: Triathlon star Joe Skipper comes back from the brink for another shot at iconic race
ironman hamburg 2025 podium laura philipp kat matthews solveig lovseth beer
Challenge Roth 2025: Laura Philipp backed to make triathlon history by crashing through magical time barrier
Challenge Roth press conference 2025
Challenge Roth 2025: Date, start times, how to watch live and who’s racing
Georgia Taylor Brown wins supertri Toulouse 2024
British Olympic legend Georgia Taylor-Brown to make triathlon return
Gwen Jorgensen reflective World Triathlon Cup Vina del Mer 2023
‘Unbreakable’ Gwen Jorgensen ‘bruised’ after bike crash but vows to bounce back
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...