Lucy Charles-Barclay has spoken of the ‘hurt’ and ‘embarrassment’ that continue to haunt her after a Kona collapse that once again scuppered her dreams of winning another IRONMAN World Championship.
For the second year running, the British athlete was forced to DNF on the Big Island, but unlike in 2025, when she was able to earn redemption by winning the 70.3 Worlds only a matter of weeks later, this year’s bitter disappointment is set to linger long into the winter months.
Charles-Barclay went into the race as one of the favourites. Her preparations had seemingly been meticulous, choosing not to race in this year’s 70.3 championships in Nice so that she could focus fully on her main goal of winning a second full-distance title.
‘I still don’t know what happened’
But, as happened 12 months earlier, her hopes were left crashed on the Kona curbside as TV footage showed her vomiting and then seeking solace in the arms of her husband and coach, Reece.
While the majority of athletes had posted their reactions to Hawaii within a matter of days after the event, it has taken LCB a little while longer to summon up the courage and words required to try and explain just how tough this latest blow has been for her to deal with.
“I’ve needed time before I could write this. Thank you for every message. I’ve read them all, even the ones I couldn’t bring myself to reply to. They’ve meant more than you know,” she wrote on her Instagram account.
“Honestly, I’m still hurting. I still don’t know what happened. I believed in the work. I believed in myself. I believed in my team. Maybe that’s the hardest part to accept. We prepared for so many scenarios. Not this one.
‘I’m slowly starting to accept that’
“Last year, Marbella gave us a shot at redemption. This year, there’s no quick way to make it right. Kona will sit with me through the winter, and I’m slowly starting to accept that.”
And the healing process, while it may take some time to complete, has at least started, with LCB already determined not only to find out what went wrong but also to address it.
“So I’m going to use it,” she added. “I’ll look honestly at everything, ask the hard questions and change what needs changing. I’ll remember exactly how this feels long after it stops hurting. I think I need to.
“It isn’t easy to admit this here. I’ve felt embarrassed. I’ve worried about being judged when I’m already down. But I’d rather be honest than pretend I’m fine. I’m not fine yet. I will be. Thank you for standing by me.”
Take heart from Taylor Knibbs win
LCB had been in a great position, having been first out of the water with a super-fast swim and entering T2 only three minutes behind eventual winner Taylor Knibb. But her world came crashing down around her once again on the harsh Hawaiian tarmac.
If she requires any further inspiration for fighting her way back, then she needs only to look at this year’s winner, Knibb. The American, who also collapsed on the roadside in 2025, reversed the roles this year and found the strength to pass Solveig Løvseth and take a thrilling title win.
It is the kind of fairytale turnaround Charles-Barclay will hope to write for herself. For now, though, the focus is on understanding what went wrong and making the changes she believes will help her come back stronger during what promises to be a long, cold winter of coming to terms with another Kona collapse.
