New Ironman world champion Patrick Lange on his inspirational mum, dealing with panic attacks and silencing the haters

An emotional Patrick Lange believed it was as much his mental strength as physical prowess that led to him regaining his Ironman world title in Hawaii – six years after he last won on the Big Island.

Setting a new course record of 7:35:53, but also a record for the longest time between victories, the 38-year-old veteran said it was his ability to handle the nerves, focus on the wishes of his late mother, and shut out the haters that gave him the mindset to deliver arguably the most impressive performance of his stellar career.

“When I was running along Ali’i Drive, about 5km into the run, I got goosebumps all over my body,” he explained, having dismounted the bike in 13th place and quickly made his way towards the front of the race on the marathon.

“That was the moment I definitely felt [his mother Carmen]. She died in 2020 from cancer and when I was with her in the hospice and had that last talk to her, she said: ‘I really wish for you to be on that top step [of the podium] and kick butt one more time,’ and I’m really proud I did this for her.”

Lange admitted to suffering a panic attack before the Ironman European Championship in August that led to a renewed focus to calm his thoughts before the cannon sounded on the Pacific Ocean swim in Kailua Bay, a moment that he said pre-race would prove critical.

“The panic attack before the start [in Frankfurt] put me on the wrong foot to start the race, so my biggest goal was going into this race mentally well prepared, more relaxed and grateful to be here,” he continued. “Just take it as a chance to shine and don’t put too much pressure on myself.

“I chatted with Magnus [Ditlev] at the pre-race press conference and we talked about race nervousness. That helped me a little bit, as we’re all sitting in the same boat. Mental preparation is probably the most important thing.”

It might have also helped eventual second-place finisher Ditlev. The Dane admitted that he came into transition after suffering in the final stages of the bike, paying for trying to keep pace with leader, Sam Laidlow, and believing his race was over. 

“Yes, I was very certain my day was done when I entered T2,” Ditlev said. “I told myself to at least run out at an easy pace that I could sustain to the turnaround on Ali’i Drive.

“People came past me at the beginning, but I could see the gaps stabilised, then people were blowing up all over the place and I put one foot in front of the other and suddenly found myself close to the podium and found the motivation again.”

It seemed as if almost all the athletes had to cope with jellyfish stings before the start. Lange shouted to a media boat for some vinegar and fourth-place finisher Leon Chevalier even joked that initially he thought it might be a good omen after Daniela Ryf was stung and went on to win in 2018 – before finding out that just about the entire men’s field had been affected.  

The victory put Lange on top of the Ironman Pro Series standings and in line for the $200k first prize. He paid tribute to new coach Ben Reszel, who took over the reins from Bjorn Geesman earlier in the summer, particularly for some of the focused work on the swim and bike that allowed him to stay in contention throughout a tough day.

He also explained how he dealt with the doubters who thought that despite a second-place in Nice last year that there would be no repeat of the 2017 and 2018 success in Hawaii.

“I am an experienced athlete who has been at the top and DNF’d here and my one main takeaway is not to listen to the haters,” Lange continued. 

“Just ignore them. They don’t have anything better to do than throw out some random s*** comment on Instagram, so I couldn’t care less. It’s always really important to surround yourself with people who have good energy, so it’s one thing I learnt to ignore.

“I think we had a perfect time here. Lots of laughs and love. It’s been an amazing time on the island, and thanks to the island gods I’m sitting where I’m sitting now and my mind is blown by that.”