Familiar faces lead the way as professional triathletes are back in St. George for Ironman 70.3 World Championship

Sam Long (left) and Gustav Iden at the finish line of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship last September, St. George, Utah, Oct. 26, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Sam Long and St. George share a common path to Ironman success.

The top three men finishers at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, St. George, Utah, Sept. 18, 2021 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

“You know, I could almost compare my career to the town of St. George,” Long told St. George News outside a press conference at the Electric Theater Wednesday morning.

“I started coming here in 2016, and St. George felt like a small town, very much a little community. At the time I was completely unknown,” he added. “And now I’m relatively known in the Tri world and St. George is a booming – I wouldn’t even call it a town – I’d call it a small city at this point.”

Local fans remember Long’s gutsy performances in St. George when he finished second to Lionel Sanders in a sprint to the finish at the Ironman 70.3 North American Championship in May 2021.

Then he finished second again at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in September 2021, this time just behind Gustav Iden.

And then Long finished 15th overall in the full (140.6) Ironman World Championship last May, a showing that actually might be more impressive than the other two, considering he had to recover after being hit by a car while training 10 days before the race

Long is nicknamed “The Big Unit” and is known for his famous “Yo! Yo! Yo!” greetings to fans. He never refuses a picture with fans and buzzes with energy even when he’s not racing.

The Ironman 70.3 World Championship gets underway with the women’s event Friday and men’s race Saturday at Sand Hollow Reservoir, where the professional classes will dive into the water at 7:30 a.m. 

“I really feel like this community has 100 percent embraced me and loves to cheer me on,” Long said. “And of course then I want to perform for them. And as an American I think of course people from St. George want to cheer for an American.

“I hope to put on a show and give the people of St. George what they want,” he added.

Also at the press conference were Norway’s Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt, who are dominating Ironman courses right now.

Iden is the reigning Ironman 70.3 World Champion and Ironman World Champion while Blummenfelt won the Ironman World Championship in St. George last May.

“They’ve been at it a long long time, and they’re talented and hardworking,” Long said. “They’re also human beings, so they’re beatable.”

Joining those three were the other two professional men expected to finish on the podium, American Eric Lagerstrom and German Frederic Funk.

Also at the press conference were the top five women expected to have strong races Friday. Great Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay is a local favorite and she returns to defend her 70.3 World Championship, won in St. George in September 2021. 

Ironman 70.3 World Champion women’s winner Lucy Charles-Barclay of Great Britain leaves the transition zone at the beginning of her run, St. George, Utah, Sept. 18, 2021 | Photo by E. George Goold

Two other racers from Great Britain, Emma Pallant-Browne and Holly Lawrence, will compete for top spots on the women’s podium.

American Taylor Knibb is sure to make her presence known and Flora Duffy from Bermuda rounded out the group of five pre-race favorites in the women’s division.

St. George News will be on the course Friday and Saturday to provide up-to-the-moment coverage of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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