Lucy Charles-Barclay’s Road to Kona 2019

“I want to win it so bad…”

(Header image photo credit: Red Bull Content Pool)

Could this be the year that Lucy Charles-Barclay (www.lucycharles.com) finally knocks Daniela Ryf from the top step of the IRONMAN World Championship podium?

Until a month ago, Lucy’s 2019 season had been perfect, with a series of victories:

• IRONMAN African Championship
• Volcano Triathlon
• The Championship, Samorin
• IRONMAN 70.3 Staffordshire
• Challenge Roth

That run ended at the IRONMAN 70.3 Championships in Nice, France, when a five-minute penalty left her out of contention for the win, but she still raced on to fifth place. Could that prove to be a blessing in disguise for Kona?

“The day after Nice I came on to Zwift and did a 90km ride… I’m going to win Kona, that’s what was going through my head!“

More video insight into her motivations, competition with Daniela Ryf and desire to win in Hawaii here, courtesy of Zwift:

From parkrun to IRONMAN World Champion?

If Lucy is to win, she will certainly need a strong marathon. If you are looking for signs of improvement in her running, then take a look at this extract from Lucy’s results history at her local Gunpowder parkrun event. A lifetime best for 5km achieved on the 21st September 2019 (peak Ironman training volume) suggests that Lucy’s improvement is far from over.