FEATURE TRAIN LIKE A KONA CHAMP
“I've always felt like the bridesmaid at the world championship,” Lucy CharlesBarclay reflected after her Kona victory. And with good multisport matrimonial reason, finishing second in Kona in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
Those near-misses were left in the past on the Kona lava fields this year as she stormed to a new course record of 8:24:31. An incredible performance that planted the ceremonial cranial garland upon a British triathlete's head for the first time in 12 years, after Leanda Cave's win in 2011.
But what had changed to send the Hertfordshire Ironwoman to the peak of the podium? Experience helps, of course. But what specifically? It's clear that remaining cool in the hot and humid environs of Hawaii played an integral role in the masterplan. So here's how Charles-Barclay simulated the heat of Hawaii… and what it feels like for a recreational athlete (your humble writer) to do similar…
THE HOT PAIN CAVE
Click on the Charles-Barclay vlog that went live a day before Ironman Hawaii and you'll be greeted by a sweltering Lucy turbo training against the backdrop of an empty washing
