In a recent Instagram post, American triathlete Sam Long reflected on his decision to pursue the T100 series in 2025. At the time, he openly canvassed fan opinion – many of whom voted for Ironman – but ultimately chose to commit to T100 anyway.
Despite being labeled a “weaker swimmer” within the T100 field, Long has consistently rejected that framing. Across his YouTube content and interviews, he has positioned the swim not as a deterrent, but as a catalyst for growth. “Diamonds are made from pressure,” he has said – an ethos that has come to define his career trajectory. Indeed, this willingness to confront weaknesses head-on, while continuing to sharpen his strengths, has fueled Long’s rise from an age-group athlete inspired by Lionel Sanders to one of Sanders’ primary rivals, with 20 professional victories to his name and even a stretch ranked as PTO World #1.
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Why the Switch in 2026?
Long’s decision appears to be grounded less in abandonment of his T100 ambitions (he has been explicit about the growth that pursuit delivered), and more in a clear-eyed assessment of competitive fit. Reflecting on his 2025 season, he noted that across six Ironman-branded starts, he finished first or second in every race except for the Ironman World Championship. In contrast, four T100 starts produced just one top-ten finish – a performance gap he acknowledged directly.
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That disparity, however, may say more about race format and dynamics than raw capability. At the pointy end of professional triathlon, marginal strengths and weaknesses are magnified. Course distance, course profile, race dynamics, and drafting rules can substantially influence outcomes, often favouring specific athlete archetypes. What looks like underperformance in one series may reflect misalignment more than limitation.
A powerful example is Hayden Wilde. Wilde’s 2025 season was essentially flawless, marked by an unprecedented level of dominance. Yet that same dominance did not translate to the WTCS circuit. While his swim was impacted by recovery from a shoulder injury following a serious crash, the contrast reinforces a broader truth: that race format and dynamics can fundamentally reshape what is possible, even for the most complete athletes.
The Path Forward
For some, it may be tempting to reduce Long’s outlook going forward to swim deficits relative to today’s deepest fields. But doing so ignores what his career has already made clear. Without a traditional swim background, Long has demonstrated the scale of growth that is possible in the water – enough to be in contention for the top step of the podium – while simultaneously earning the nickname of “strongest legs in triathlon.”
Just as significant is the mental side of his development. Long has shown a year-over-year commitment to confronting his limitations directly. Rather than insulating himself within formats that flatter his strengths, he has consistently chosen environments that demand adaptation and accountability. Combined with the tenacity he has forged by repeatedly running his way through T100 fields, his psychological resilience has become as defining as his physical capacity.
Taken together – his mental strength, courage, and work ethic; a series more likely to reward his competitive strengths; and the potential shift from a 12m to 20m drafting rule that Long has said would further incentivize him – this move sets the stage for a compelling 2026 season.
The post Sam Long Announces Focus on the Ironman Pro Series in 2026 appeared first on Triathlon Magazine Canada.