Two-time Ironman World Champion Patrick Lange: "I was afraid of the competition"

Created: 05/06/2022Updated: 05/06/2022 17:32

By: Nico-Marius Schmitz

Patrick Lange at the Ironman World Champion in Hawaii.

© Photo: imago

Patrick Lange has already won the legendary Ironman in Hawaii twice.

But the triathlete had to face the toughest battles with himself.

Mental problems accompanied her for a long time.

Munich – Patrick Lange is one of the most successful triathletes of all time.

In 2017 and 2018, the 35-year-old won the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.

After crossing the finish line, he proposes marriage to his wife Julia.

Everything seemed perfect.

But in the spring of 2019, a friend of Lange had an accident, and in 2020 the mother died of cancer.

, the exceptional athlete writes about the downsides of being a professional athlete and mental problems.

A week before last year's World Championships are rescheduled in Utah, Lange speaks to our newspaper about the progress of his recovery from his shoulder injury, training as a torture and life as an inspiration.

Patrick Lange, how is your rehab going?

The rehab is going much faster than we all expected.

And also much faster than the textbook predicts.

In the next few weeks, full-throttle training can start again.

I am very happy.

I used to be a physio too, and I know how long an acromioclavicular joint rupture usually causes problems.

You will miss the World Cup in Utah due to injury.

The highlight this year is Hawaii in October anyway, right?

I would sign that as well.

If you listen to the triathlon scene, that's the unanimous opinion.

Still, it's obviously a shame that I'll miss the event in Utah.

But Hawaii is our place of longing.

You want to start at the Challenge in Roth in July.

Will you be able to compete in top form?

There's still a hard road ahead of me.

Before that, I still have to invest a fair amount of time in training so that I can compete in top form.

It's a challenge I gladly accept.

I'm really keen on it.

I use this motivation and pull through.

You're 35. Is it harder to take an injury than when you were younger?

I'm amazed at my body's ability to heal.

A few days after the injury, I also said to my wife: "Oh dear, I'm not that young anymore either.

Let's see how the healing goes.” I didn't expect to put it away like that.

The doctors and physios were also amazed.

That gives me the feeling that even at 35 my body is still fit enough to achieve great things in the years to come.

Weakness is still a taboo subject in sport.

In your book you write about mental problems and personal setbacks.

Did it take courage?

It definitely takes a good deal of courage.

It was important to me to address topics that have long belonged in social discourse.

As a two-time world champion, I have the standing to simply address these issues openly.

It was important to me to give a look behind the hotel room door.

I've had the idea of ​​disclosing all of this for a long time.

Above all, my bad year 2019 and the subsequent process of gathering the mental strength again gave me the ability to speak about it in public without breaking it.

It was not an easy step, but the response is overwhelming.

It's nice to just be yourself.

I also get feedback that I have helped other people with my reflection.

I'm proud of that.

You write that you were partially burned out.

How did that make itself felt?

The radiant world of Instagram is rarely the reality

Patrick Long

That's easy to explain.

I'm doing what I've always dreamed of.

I deeply love my sport.

But especially in 2019, every training session was difficult for me.

It was always the case that I had to torture myself out.

When I got up in the morning I asked myself: Why am I doing this now?

It was always an overcoming.

I always had the feeling that I wasn't really recovering anymore.

The joy of sport was no longer there.

With my book I wanted to give a look behind the scenes.

The radiant world of Instagram is rarely the reality.

What was the reality like for you in 2019?

I was afraid of the competition.

If the competition was on Sunday, the negative whirlpool started on Friday.

I didn't feel like participating in competitions anymore and thought to myself: How do I get out of this act?

How did you get out of the number?

I think you always need outside help.

I worked on it with my mental trainer for two years.

We have developed strategies on how I can steer the negative thoughts back in the right direction.

I don't know how to get out of a hole like that without outside help.

In Germany we still have the mentality that everyone who goes to a psychologist has a screw loose.

It was also one of my concerns to make this step more socially acceptable.

It is a sign of strength to talk about your fears and seek help.

To conclude, let's look ahead.

In five years you will be sitting in a beautiful place with your family celebrating your 40th birthday.

What has to happen before then for you to be satisfied?

Another title in Hawaii?

Happiness and contentment always comes from within.

Of course, my realization is largely sporting success.

And my daily drive is to become world champion again, to win in Roth, maybe win again in Frankfurt.

I still have many sporting goals.

But I don't think I'll be unhappy in five years if I haven't won the World Cup again by then.

It is much more important that I have a good time with my family and that I can share experiences with my friends.

I want to leave a footprint.

Ideally, my career should serve as an inspiration.

If I can inspire kids to lead more athletic lives or get people to be more concerned with mental health - that would make me very happy.

Interview: Nico Marius Schmitz