Having won the IRONMAN North American title for the second successive season last month in Texas, Kat Matthews is looking to add the European crown to her collection this weekend.
Lining up at the IRONMAN European Championship in Hamburg on Sunday, Matthews will take on the likes of Fenella Langridge, Sara Svensk and Daniela Bleymehl in the North of Germany.
Originally scheduled to race the following weekend as well at the San Francisco T100, the Brit shared on Instagram late last week that she would no longer be completing the double header.
“Tough one to call”
As one of the contracted athletes on the T100 Tour, Matthews was announced earlier this month on the start list for the San Francisco race, which takes place alongside the iconic Escape from Alcatraz triathlon.
However, after a calf tear earlier in the season at the Miami T100, it appears that the 33-year-old is erring on the side of caution with her training and racing load at this moment in time.
Sharing the news of her withdrawal on social media, the former British Army physio admitted that it was a difficult but necessary choice to make.
“Tough one to call. I won’t be travelling to San Fransisco to race the T100 Triathlon World Tour after IRONMAN Hamburg. This is the right decision for my season.”
All eyes on London
After a DNF in Miami due to injury and the recent withdrawal from San Francisco, Matthews will now turn her attention to the London T100 at the end of July following the European Championship this weekend.
In the British capital, Matthews will be one of several home nation athletes hoping to take the tape, with Lucy Byram, India Lee, Lucy Charles-Barclay and Emma Pallant-Browne all contracted to compete.
The former IRONMAN World Championship runner-up has never finished on the podium over the 100km distance, and has a best finish of seventh from the PTO Tour US Open in Milwaukee last August.
Looking to improve on that showing, the PTO World #9 will hope to make an impact on home soil, before beginning preparations for the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, which will be held on September 22.
Big second half of the year incoming for Matthews
Having made it clear that she planned on pursuing both the IRONMAN Pro Series and the T100 Triathlon World Tour at the start of the season, Matthews will face a frantic final six months of the year.
With four races plus the Grand Final counting towards an athletes score in the T100 Tour standings, Matthews will have to race five times over the 100km distance over the second half of the season.
In addition to this, the Brit will need to complete the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice plus one more middle distance event, most likely the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in December, to be in with a chance of winning the Pro Series title.
This means that between June 2 (Hamburg) and December 14 (Taupo), Matthews could potentially race up to eight times, more than she has ever done in a single season so far in her career.
Will the racing take its toll? Only time will tell, but if there is anyone who can manage this incredible schedule, it will be Matthews, who has proven time and time again that she has the fortitude to achieve the impossible.
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