LUCY’S IRONMAN TRAINING SECRETS
Ever wanted to tag along with a top pro triathlete for a day? To find out what really makes them so good at their day job? 220 sure did, so we jumped at the chance to join two-time Kona runner-up Lucy Charles-Barclay on her training camp in Lanzarote. Her
We join two-time Kona runner-up Lucy Charles-Barclay, on her training camp in Lanzarote for her top tips and tricks to conquer long-distance racing
Lucy Charles-Barclay laced up her trail shoes and headed out for a wintry 18-mile run through nearby Epping Forest. There’s little unusual about that for a professional triathlete, except just hours earlier, Lucy and her coach and training mate Reece were partying the night away having exchanged nuptials. “That was our honeymoon. That is us,” Lucy acknowledges cheerfully. Come October, when they take a more traditional getaway and explore the islands of the Pacific, they could be celebrating an Ironman World Championship victory, too.
220 has landed at Club La Santa, a haven for triathletes in Lanzarote, to train with Lucy. The weather changes by the hour on this volcanic isle, but the cloud cover rarely lasts, the sun burns through, and it’s a fitting metaphor for her effervescent character. “I’m generally an upbeat person,” she says. “As a swimmer from a young age, I had to find the fun in quite a monotonous sport and not take myself too seriously. That’s always been who I am.”
It helps when the family is onboard. New husband Reece both coaches Lucy and races professionally. His father’s annex has been transformed into an indoor gym back home in Essex, complete with his ’n’ hers turbo trainers, Wattbikes and treadmills for running – and biking – and even a giant fridge from prime sponsor Red Bull.
Last year, Lucy found time in her schedule to form a formidable relay team with her mum and dad for Ironman 70.3 in Staffordshire. To illustrate the strength of the gene pool, her mum, a recent convert to running, has already cut her 5km parkrun best to 23mins.
It’s proving a successful formula. Lucy has finished runner-up in the past two Ironman World Championships behind nemesis Daniela Ryf with the contests taking on a now familiar pattern. The Brit, as the foremost swimmer in the sport, builds a buffer and then tries to stave off the Swiss for the rest of the race.
BREAKING NEW BARRIERS
It hasn’t happened yet, but both are still improving, breaking new barriers and building legacies. Ryf set the Kona bike and overall record in 2018; Lucy beat the 19-year-old swim course best. Does she obsess about defeating her foe? “Daniela is my main motivator and I think I’m probably hers,” she admits. “We can take positives that we’re both boosting each other’s performance, but the whole women’s field is also progressing at a massive rate. It’s exciting and it’s getting more coverage for the women’s races.”
It’s easy to overlook that Lucy has been a professional triathlete for just three seasons having switched from openwater swimming. Still just 25 years old, she could also be forgiven for being sucked into an online world showcasing her rivals’ training exploits.
“With social media being so in your face, it can be hard,” she says. “I know I
should be having a rest day, yet you see someone post some epic session and think: ‘Maybe I should do that?’ But I’m lucky I have Reece, and we generally stick to the plan, making changes according to how we feel, not what is going on outside of that.”
So far it hasn’t worked out too badly, and wisely this season will see tinkering to the schedule, but no wholesale changes. Lucy will start by attempting to defend her Ironman South Africa title in April, validating her Hawaii spot in the process and clearing the path to race the non-M-dot Challenge Roth in July, a race that draws the biggest crowd in the sport. It will be supplemented by a return to the Challenge Championship race in Slovakia looking for a third straight success. But the Ironman 70.3 Worlds in Nice might be sacrificed in favour of additional Kona prep, depending on how she feels.
TOKYO SHELVED
What it does mean is that Olympic ambitions for Tokyo 2020 will be shelved. British Triathlon, the governing body, had offered her a spring race to try and stage a late bid for selection, but there remains too much “unfinished business” at Ironman.
“It was a difficult decision,” she admits. “As a swimmer, I was always gunning for the Olympics and I feel the potential could still be there. I wouldn’t rule out 2024, though, in Paris. By then I might have achieved everything I want in Ironman and I still think I’d be young enough, so I don’t want to say it’s dream over.”
With the lure of Ironman still strong, where does she feel the improvement will come from to topple the seemingly indomitable Ryf?
“I hope there’s still natural physical progression,” Lucy says. “And I feel I can improve my bike both aerodynamically and technically. On the run, I’m getting strong enough to run more miles without getting injured. In the early stages, I learnt the hard way of doing too much too soon and became injured. Now I’m more robust.”
As for Lucy’s long-term commitment to the sport? “I’ve always said, I’ll keep going as long as I enjoy it,” she smiles. If that’s the gauge, then don’t expect her to quit any time soon.