She’s one of the few professional triathletes with an ‘M-Dot’ tattoo, but what body art did Lucy Charles-Barclay choose to get done to celebrate her long-awaited first IRONMAN World Championship win?
All is revealed in her latest video which is embedded below!
‘It has to mean something’
Explaining the importance to her, she says: “I’m probably one of the only pros with an IRONMAN tattoo [which is on her left ankle].
“I got it after I did my first-ever IRONMAN event as an age-grouper back in 2014 when I was only 20 – I was like, ‘if I finish an IRONMAN, I’ll get the tattoo’.
“And it was the same when I was a swimmer when I said if I ever make the Olympics, then I’ll definitely get the Olympic rings.
“So it has to mean something pretty big for me to get a tattoo.”
And the idea for the latest tattoo came back in 2022 just before her fourth successive second place in Hawaii.
Taking up the story, the 30-year-old Brit says: “So in 2022 I had seen this car sticker and I said that if I win the race, that is the sort of tattoo I would like to get.
“Obviously I didn’t win the race that year so I came home and sort of forgot about it.
“But leading into the race this year I was looking at my photos on my phone and I had that car sticker in there.”
‘It reminds me never to give up’
After her return she wasted little time getting it inked onto her left arm and is delighted at the result, especially as it now acts as an added motivation going forward.
She explained: “Waiting so long to actually win the race, it means so much more.
And already when I’ve been training on the TT bars, I can see that tattoo on my arm and I’m like ‘wow, what a journey it’s been’.
“It’s almost motivating but also it reminds me just to never give up because you never know what’s just around the corner and how much your work will eventually pay off.
“I’m really, really happy with it – and I can understand now why people get addicted to getting tattoos. I already have a few ideas of other ones I would like!”
