The last time we saw Lucy Charles-Barclay in triathlon action, she was forced to DNF at her home T100 race in London in July.
This Sunday the British superstar will defend her IRONMAN World Championship title on a challenging course in Nice – taking on a stellar field of rivals headed by German great Anne Haug.
Eleven months ago Lucy was simply sensational as she roared to a spectacular victory in Kona, she was an IRONMAN World Champion at last after four second-place finishes.
That victory in Hawaii did not come without pain though, as she had to fight through an Achilles injury on the run to claim that glorious victory.
Fast forward to July, and it was a holdover from that Achilles problem which forced Lucy to DNF in London, as she ended her day early with a nod to the bigger tests ahead – notably Sunday on Nice.
LCB on Achilles injury
This week Lucy spoke about the injury during an appearance on Breakfast With Bob (watch the full episode at the foot of this page), hosted by the ever excellent Bob Babbitt.
She explained: “Yeah it’s doing okay, I think it’s all linked to the injury I sustained in Kona last year so it’s been an ongoing process of keeping it strong, doing the right strength and conditioning, managing the running. It’s all a bit of a jigsaw puzzle and if I get it wrong it’s really unhappy, if I get it right then it’s great.
“So yeah, it’s just been managing that and it seems to be doing okay at the moment, touch wood, so hopefully it stays that way.”
When 2024 began Lucy did not even plan to be defending her title in Nice this weekend – instead her main focus would be on the new T100 series.
Nice title defence a change of plan
“I think the season definitely got off to a better start than I anticipated and I kind of had a little break and I was like ‘oh, there’s this perfect opportunity to go and race IRONMAN France on the same course as the World Championship and validate my slot’.
“So I was like ‘oh, maybe I’ll just do it’ – it was one of those things where I was like ‘I think I’m going to regret this if I don’t at least give myself the opportunity to be on the start line’.”
Now, just a few short days out from the day of reckoning on the French Riviera, Charles-Barclay believes she made the right call. Even if the course on Sunday will present a unique and daunting challenge.
“I think it was a really good decision and I think definitely as the reigning champ you feel like you need to be there, and it was definitely a course that scared me a little but I think you should do things that scare you – it pushes you out of your comfort zone, it makes you a better athlete. I think it’s gonna be a great race.”
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