Search
shop

Passing the torch: Lucy hopes Chrissie will be part of Sub8 bid

Lucy Charles-Barclay talks about her bid to go Sub8 in 2022.
Chief Correspondent
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Lucy Charles-Barclay has a fitting dream for her bid to go Sub8 in 2022 – she wants to share the moment with fellow British icon Chrissie Wellington.

Lucy, along with Swiss Superfrau Nicola Spirig, will bid to go under the eight-hour mark for the Ironman distance at a venue to be confirmed, likely next summer. The project is now very real with Zwift being confirmed last week as a presenting partner.

Wellington, who retired with a perfect 13-0 Ironman record (including four epic victories at Kona), still holds the fastest ever time by a woman for full distance – 8:18:13 set at Challenge Roth in 2011.

Lucy clearly has enormous respect for the athlete who was a British trailblazer before her, and now she hopes that Wellington will be on hand to be a part of that Sub8 bid.

Advertisement

Running with Chrissie?

“I think that I’d absolutely for love her to maybe be like, the final 10k on the run is me just running with Chrissie. Maybe then it’s like keeping it with her as well, she has the fastest time over that distance.

Chrissie Wellington IRONMAN World Championship
Chrissie Wellington – holds fastest Ironman distance time.

“If there’s anybody that’s got the personality and the charisma to keep me in a positive head place on that final part of the run I think it would be her. So yeah, I’ll probably have to have a chat with her, but I’m sure she’d absolutely love to be a part of it as well.”

If one thing is unquestionable about Charles-Barclay, it is her willingness to take on all challenges – whatever the distance, whatever the opposition. So when the opportunity to be a part of Sub8 came along, she did not need to be asked twice.

Lucy up for the challenge

“When I heard about the project I instantly wanted to be involved. Anybody who knows me knows I love a challenge so I was like ‘well this is probably the ultimate challenge for a long-distance athlete to try and break the 8-hour mark’, which obviously Chrissie is the one who has come closest to as a British athlete.

“So the fact that I’d be able to do this in a very unique format where I can draw on 10 other female athletes to help me achieve it, I was like this sounds like a project that I’d love to be a part of.”

While Charles-Barclay and Spirig will attempt to go Sub8 next summer, Kristian Blummenfelt and Alistair Brownlee will bid to go Sub7. Lucy says she has already spoken with the Norwegian Olympic Champion and his team about sharing knowledge.

“Since I’ve learned more about the project, spoken to other athletes. I’ve actually been speaking to KB and his team about almost going in with a joint approach to this, bringing in some more science, looking at maybe bringing in some riders from Tour teams, maybe athletes from individual sports to help me.”

Biggest challenge of Sub8?

As for the biggest challenge presented by the project, it comes from her own ability as an elite swimmer.

“I think one of the biggest challenges will be finding a female athlete to help me for the swim part of the race,” she reasoned.

“It would be really nice if I can find a swimmer that can almost tow me round for the swim so I don’t use any energy there. So we may be bringing out an Olympic swimmer but seeing who we can call up.”

John Levison
Written by
John Levison
TRI247's Chief Correspondent, John has been involved in triathlon for well over 30 years, 15 of those writing on these pages, whilst he can also be found commentating for events across the UK.
Discover more
Caroline Pohle Lena Meissner ironman 703 jonkoping sprint 2025
PremiumHow to pace a triathlon to leave it all out there WITHOUT blowing up
FORM Smart Swim 2 PRO lens close up
FORM Smart Swim Pro 2 Goggles review: can these high tech goggles actually help you to train smarter and swim faster?
Premium‘The difference from triathlon is so big – there’s no comparison’: Maya Kingma on life in the Women’s WorldTour peloton
Laura Siddall Challenge Roth 2025 finish line
PremiumLaura Siddall: 10 things I’ve learned from my professional triathlon career
TRIFIT VORTEX tri suit
The small but mighty tri brand you NEED to know about: Why TRI-FIT are on a mission to disrupt the triathlon apparel scene
latest News
Julia Skala end of Norseman 2025
“A fight for self-worth, strength and healing,” Julia Skala on world’s toughest triathlon
Steve McKenna got the win at the 40th edition of IRONMAN New Zealand.
Star IRONMAN athlete clocks a sub-2:20 marathon – and says there’s more to come
Sam Long St George 2024 photo credit Getty Images for IRONMAN
‘Yo Yo Yo – London is calling’ – Sam Long the latest big name added to stellar T100 start lists
Kristian Grue wins Norseman 2025
Norseman 2025: Grue and Skala conquer ‘Zombie Hill’ and the world’s TOUGHEST triathlon
Hayden Wilde happy T100 Singapore 2025
Hayden Wilde – is he BACK for T100 London after injury nightmare?
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...