It was shocking news when Frenchman Sam Laidlow announced last month that he could not sustain training longer than five minutes and had not trained seriously for several weeks. Things are still not going well for the former Ironman World Champion, as there was no improvement in the weeks that followed – that is, in February. “I’d love to say I’m back in full swing, but for some reason, my body still isn’t letting me train right now.”

“After months of trying to fight against it, these past few weeks have been more about accepting it and truly listening to my body—which isn’t easy when there’s no obvious, visible injury.

“Moments like these make me wish I had a job where I could still put in the work, even when I’m not 100% healthy. It’s incredibly frustrating to feel like I don’t have the tools to do what I love. Believe me, no one wants to be cranking out massive sessions and winning races more than I do right now.

“I put everything—time, effort, emotion—into Kona last year, and ever since, my body has been struggling to recover. But I also know the highs are always worth it. This challenge is forcing us to question a lot of things—especially the recurring issues I’ve faced in Ironman racing, where my body has just shut down, like in Lanzarote or Kona. Instead of simply covering up the cracks, I need to take the time to fix the foundation, and I know that investment will be worth it.”