So I basically added after if your not going to factor into the IMPS (which he won’t if he skips IM races for max points) then take the t100 contracted money and still race other non draft as you wanted. It would make no sense in his current capacity / ability to leave that type of money essentially on the table in 2025 for Long. Again I think this will be the last year he does t100 so you’ll get your wish of him racing for his bonuses likely starting next year.
Well since I am well old enough to remember when Bush actually said this, I also know how that turned out. LOL!
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Watched the race in Singapore from the sky bridge above and it was interesting to see that he really did just time trial the swim, not even attempting to get on anyone’s feet or pick up his “get out” stroke rate like everyone else. Was dropped and behind 50 meters in.
That makes sense. You don’t swim your fastest 2000 by sprinting the first 200, even with the drafting effect. Sam’s best tactic is just to solo TT the entire event (vs. someone like Jelle or MvR).
I think that’s a dumb analogy. Racing T100 has taken a toll on Sam L’s mental health as evidenced last year. Whereas a passive portfolio doesn’t stress anyone out. Maybe a bit this year, but it will get better. 
Then must what you think about the guy that got 8th from DFL!!(and twice DFL to 2nd too) And we saw much more of sam than we did of Lionel in the first two events, guys that come out so far behind in either series have trouble getting cameras until they factor.
In the end we will get to see him race the pro series events, so he is really having both cakes and hopefully eating them too…
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Agreed a TT is most likely the best course of action for Sam, but in this race if there would have been a way to grab Fred Funk’s feet off the start who slowly inched away from him, it could have been worth 2 minutes easily.
I’m not sure that you watched the swim that closely. No way he is sitting on Funk’s feet(he swam 25+), but there was a guy off the back of everyone that I thought would have been a great pack mule for Sam. Nicolas Mann swam all alone just a couple minutes in front of Sam, so there were getable feet for him. Not sure he realized this, but that would have been worth an effort early to latch onto. I remember watching the footage and wondering who was this guy? And I still dont know who he is, but he certainly would be great for Sam to swim with, anyone know if he is in other races?
Ya I mean just trying to stay with Funk for a few hundred meters before inevitably being dropped. Everyone gunned a 90+ stroke rate at the start and Sam just just looked like he was pushing off the wall for an easy warm up. Mann surprisingly terrible swim in hindsight would have been great feet for Sam to seek, yet he tried swimming with Leon Chevalier last year and was dropped soon after.
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this shows that the ironman pro series has an issue, Mann has won 2 pro series races last year and somebody who is reasonably well tuned into the sport, has no idea who the guy is.
Yep,and not just the Ironman Series…If you aren’t pushing yourself on social media you are nothing in triathlon it seems. There were around 40’ish Ironman’s and 100’ish 70.3’s raced last year but just how many of those winners get any kind of recognition or coverage from the Triathlon media or the fans.
Mann was close to last for a T100 contract offer - I note he DNF’s a high % of races.
One reason he’s not ‘recognised’ iyswim is that he doesn’t race full distance and though the two 70.3s he won in 2024 were excellent results he was not a ‘player’ in the IM Pro Series conversation.
#39 in Lahti and did not race Taupo: don’t know why: his #8 in T100 LLV suggests he’d have been in the top 10 mix there.
A realistic Long will expect to be swimming alone in every T100. His dead last to #2 in Miami and Singapore were both ‘special circumstances/environment’ races.
Apart from IMs and 70.3s in the IM Pro Series, all the others are B or C level races with a lower level of athlete (maybe after the first 3) and they got the recognition or coverage their performances merited, and the chance to win prize money without the top flight there.
OK I’ll give it a try.
If You Still Want to Indulge Me?
If you see what I mean 
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It’s still an issue if ironman has only 2x 70.3 races a year that people care about
Oceanside and the world’s .
Haha yea, it is a pretty dumb/silly analogy but it was mostly in jest. In fact, professional triathlon is way harder than investing and not a great career choice if all one cares about is money. It does work out for a select few, such as Taylor Knibb, but with her drive and intellect she probably still would be able to make more outside of Tri.
I’ll bet you 70.3 St George has more fireworks than Oceanside.
So many negative comments about Sam when he finished 8th in front of a bunch dudes who others thought would crush him. Kinda wild, but what you gonna do. I bet for a series of racing he is Mr. Consistent. Won’t win much at this level but be top 10 every time. I guess that makes him filler…or on the right day everyone blows up and he wins. But he’s doing pretty well.
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In the most recent video Long posted, he showed clips of the swim and the cadence every had in the group and then his was almost night and day. In general though he sounds pleased with his improvements. He’s still pretty cryptic about how he’s going about his swim training and who he swims with or gets coached by. But he seems like he’s adjusting as needed (wants to add more LC swimming vs SC).
@TheStroBro there isn’t that much negative comments, but more the reality imo. Watching his video, he pretty much aligns with most of the comments that T100 isn’t really going to be his jam, but taking this experience to other non-draft now and later in his career is where it will pay off.
I was reacting to the comments and hadn’t watched the video.
I think in thread or in the T100 one I said he should have gone for the IM Pro Series, and then folks said his results at IM level were meh. Not saying I told anyone so, but I’m not surprised. I think long term, his strengths mean longer distances. T100 is just too short for him with the swim to really contend. BUT, can he be top 6-8 and make a bunch of money? Yes he can!