TIPS FROM THE ELITE

Triathlete Lucy Charles-Barclay is on the form of her life right now, and thanks to Red Bull Project Pro, she can inspire you to reach your peak too

At 25, Lucy Charles-Barclay has the world at her feet; runner up in the IRONMAN Worlds last year and winner of IRONMAN Africa this year. But it might surprise you to know that she only learnt to ride a bike in 2014. She originally had designs on a swimming career, and narrowly missed out on a spot in the water for the 2012 Olympics in London, before turning to triathlon. She excelled in the junior categories, winning the under-25 age group at both Kona and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, turning pro in 2016.

And now Lucy is ramping up her training regime as she strives to go one better at the 2019 IRONMAN World Championship in Kona in October. Lucy’s punishing schedule constantly demands her A game, so let’s take a look at a typical day in her life.

05:30 Lucy’s day starts like all her triathlons – in the water. Despite the full day that lies ahead of her, she maintains that “the hardest part of my day is getting up!” Lucy will usually swim for about two hours.

08:00 Lucy heads home for her second breakfast – maintaining regular calorie intake is vital – before a gruelling two to five hours on the bike, which is when she also has a Red Bull. She typically does this session indoors to avoid the busy streets of London.

13:00 It’s then straight onto the treadmill or out into the forest for up to 90 minutes for the all-important running section.

16:00 Now it’s all about recovery for the next strenuous day’s training. Lucy says: “After a late lunch, I’ll do a strength or rehab session, to make sure everything’s good and to prevent any injuries coming on board.”

As someone who began as an amateur and had to learn two new disciplines, Lucy is the perfect inspiration for anyone who wants to learn more about triathlons. A lot of it is about time management, as she explains: “We all have limited time, so it’s about making the most of the time that you’ve got and being really organised. If you can get up early and train before work, that makes a big difference, because you can go to work already feeling pretty positive that you’ve ticked off a session.”

And for those turning to triathlon for the first time, Lucy’s advice as a former swimmer is make sure you get that part nailed: “Swim is the most technical aspect, if you haven’t had much experience then I’d definitely recommend some one-to-one swim sessions”, she says.