It’s been a little over a year since experienced Sarah True (40, USA) one of the most beautiful moments of her life: In July 2021 she became a mother. About a year later, also in July, the two-time Olympian (2012 in London and 2016 in Rio) beamed with joy and held the finish banner up at the Ironman Lake Placid. She had broken the course record by ten minutes and had a 16-minute lead over second-place Heather Jackson. Getting to the finish line wasn’t a given, however, and it was an arduous journey to get there that involved self-doubt and a new way of approaching triathlon training. Sarah True’s last race pictures, which many viewers probably remember, are of an athlete staggering, with no more than a kilometer to the finish, being pulled off the track by the paramedic at Ironman Frankfurt 2019. She was no longer master of herself. Heat stroke thwarted her plans, as it had in two other races the previous season. A medical analysis should provide information regarding why, but with the beginning of the corona pandemic, medical forces were directed towards fighting the pandemic and triathlon competitions were out of the question for a long time. That was the time when the 40-year-old stepped out of the triathlon hamster wheel and took her future more into her own hands. PhD program in clinical psychology, starting a family and training as she pleased. No compulsion in terms of training plans. No pressure. She found the balance between sport and other things in her life that brought her a triathlon comeback this year that she didn’t really believe in herself. The young mother works successfully with her coach Dan Lorang. She won her comeback race, the Ironman 70.3 Eagleman, in sweltering temperatures, only to secure victory and Hawaii qualification in Lake Placid a month later in the scorching sun. The signs are right: True apparently got the heat problems under control. That’s a crucial factor for the race in Kona. In two starts, the American finished fourth once on the island and dropped out on the bike course the last time. If she races on the Big Island with the joy and – as her trainer said – with the necessary enjoyment, she can finish in the top 10. Looking ahead. Number 14 in the PTO rankings will be able to swim out of the water in the first group and then be able to keep up on the bike. The marathon and the cooling during it will decide what it is good for in the end. A top 10 placement with a child, doctoral program and training will be a success.
