Today in Kona, at Canyon’s morning press conference with Sam Laidlow, we had the opportunity to hear the standard interview questions as well as put forward a few of our own. And we absolutely had questions for Sam Laidlow.

The man has captured our attention for quite some time now, not just for his incredible results, including the 2023 Ironman World Championship title and the fastest-ever time of 7:21:04 recorded in Roth this year, but also for something else: his mindset. His ability to push himself and to suffer, perhaps more than any of his rivals.

This has led to spectacular victories, as well as spectacular blow-ups, one might say. But for us, it has led to one thing consistently, and that is admiration.

Where Did This Mindset Come From?

Our first question to Laidlow was: Where did this mindset come from? Is it something he was taught by his father or other athletic coaches along the way? Or is it something innate to his personality?

Either way, it strikes us as so unique that we genuinely wanted to know what is behind the performances that have undeniably left a mark on modern triathlon history.

Laidlow took us back to a time after swim practice when there had been a challenge to see how far swimmers could go underwater without breathing. At the time, he could barely make it 25m. But his “main rival” made it past 50m, and Laidlow internally decided he was going to double that. (Sound audacious and familiar?)

He shared a deal he’d made with himself: in his words, “I convinced my brain that every time I pushed off the wall it was as if I started fresh.” This approach propelled him past the 100m mark, to about 108m, where he eventually surfaced having nearly lost consciousness.

Reflecting back, this seems to be the first time Laidlow can recall deciding in his mind that something was possible – and realizing just how far he could take his body to make it so.

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It was also clear, however, that he balances this ability to push with a passion for intelligent execution. (Spend even a little time with Laidlow and you’ll see he pays far more attention to the small details than most.)

Looking back on Kona 2024, as an example, he shared that, in his view, the “blow-up” was related to key nutritional errors, rather than an overly audacious or unrealistic bike split. “I’m not here in Kona – or on any other start line – for a bike course record,” he shared with a laugh, clarifying that the win is what he’s after.

He rides at a pace he genuinely believes he can hold and, looking back, wouldn’t change anything about his 2024 pacing. Instead, his advice to himself would have been to spend longer at the aid stations addressing his nutritional needs after missing several bottles, before things became too far gone.

Overcoming “UU”

Our second question brought that mindset into a very different context. In early 2025, following his Kona “blow-up,” Laidlow spent roughly four months physically compromised, eventually receiving a diagnosis he jokingly shortened to “UU”: unexplained underperformance.

“I knew that’s what was happening,” he said with a laugh.

But this time, pushing harder wasn’t the answer. Laidlow spoke about holding onto the belief that he would eventually “get back,” while being candid about just how difficult that period was, including the mental health impact of struggling to exercise at all.

Perhaps tellingly, other pros dealing with their own health challenges have since approached him for guidance on how he made it through.

It offered another side of the mindset we so often see from Laidlow on race day. Sometimes it drives him to push further than seems possible. Other times, it means believing you’ll get back there when pushing simply isn’t an option.

And with that, we can’t wait to see what Laidlow puts together on the Big Island this weekend.