Emotionally if understandably rocked by the incident, he eventually flew to Kona to finish 10th<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 respectable, but not the result the two-time Ironman world champion wanted.<\/span><\/p>\n In May 2021, Lange had taken the tape in Ironman Tulsa and dedicated the victory to his late mother, who died from cancer during the pandemic. Her passing words were that he should go on to win many more triathlons.<\/span><\/p>\n If some athletes race to cold, hard numbers, the 37-year-old knows that it\u2019s more than physical attributes he\u2019ll need to tap into for success in the south of France on Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo one talks a lot about it, but working on the mental side of things is really important and is getting more important in professional sports,\u201d Lange said, as he prepares to try and regain the title he last won in 2018<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have my help on that side. We\u2019ve worked on it ever since my mum died and it has made me a mentally a stronger athlete. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI can reflect differently on certain things that put me in a position where I was anxious or overly stressed before races. I\u2019m grateful to be here, and embraced the build-up with no bumps in the road.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Not that it will be all smooth rolling from here. Lange faces a loaded field including fellow German Jan Frodeno<\/a><\/strong>, last year\u2019s runner-up Sam Laidlow<\/a><\/strong> of France, and Denmark\u2019s much-fancied Magnus Ditlev<\/a><\/strong>, who he is yet to beat in five races and who he has previously termed his \u201ckryptonite\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n That losing streak includes their latest meeting in Challenge Roth in July<\/a><\/strong> where even Lange\u2019s 2:30:27 marathon and finish time of 7:30:04 (under Frodeno\u2019s existing course record), couldn\u2019t get him within 6min of the storming Dane. What will it take to turn the tables on Sunday?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, to have a good day,\u201d Lange said. \u201cEspecially in a sport where it comes down to this one particular day, it\u2019s kind of a lucky game as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut the work has been done over the last three months since Challenge Roth and I had a really good build-up.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf I look back I wouldn\u2019t do anything differently. I think that\u2019s the biggest confidence-booster you can get as an athlete.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With coach Bjorn Geesman\u2019s influence, Lange hasn\u2019t started a high profile race since that epic day in Roth, which looks to be a smart choice given how others who raced in Bavaria such as Ditlev, Laidlow, USA\u2019s Ben Kanute and even Switzerland\u2019s Daniela Ryf<\/a><\/strong> have misfired in events that followed.<\/span><\/p>\n Three German men on the Ironman 70.3 worlds podium<\/a><\/strong> a fortnight ago \u2013 the first time it had been achieved by a nation in Ironman world championship racing since Frodeno, Sebastian Kienle<\/a><\/strong> and Lange went 1-2-3 in Hawaii in 2016 \u2013 may also be a promising omen, but Lange also knows to expect the unexpected.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRacing at a world championship level is different from racing the normal Ironman France in Nice,\u201d he explained. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe first 200m-400m is going to be vital. We\u2019ve seen over recent years that the swim gets more and more important, so I\u2019m going to give everything to be in that front pack and if in contention on the first 15kms on the bike it makes life a lot easier to settle into the race.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n With the event likely to run over 8hrs, Lange will be faced with a constant choice on the 112-mile bike leg of whether to push harder or save his reserves for the marathon. How flexible his approach will be could be key.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf the bike course really starts after 15-20k [with the main climb] we segment the race into different parts,\u201d he continued. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe learnt that from the professional cyclists. If you look at their bikes when they have a hard stage in the Tour de France, they have stickers on the stems.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy coach tries to calculate the perfect range to have the fastest outcome, but it\u2019s not just dictated by my own numbers. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf Clement [Mignon, this year\u2019s Ironman France winner] goes, I have to go with him because he knows the course perfectly. If he attacks I have to respond for a certain amount of time and then reflect whether the pace is too high or too low.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
The mental side<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Time to shine<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2022\/04\/patrick-lange-wins-ironman-world-championship-2017-54ecc71.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"IRONMAN")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>Expecting the unexpected<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Is flexibility the key?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2023\/06\/Challenge-Roth-2023Racedayby-Lars-Pamler-46-0630cdb-e1687717241414.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C527\" "\\"Patrick")
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