The triathlon year of 2024 did not play out the way Lucy Charles-Barclay had envisaged, but the British superstar still ended it thankful for what it gave her.
The 31-year-old went into the year on top of the world after beating the best female long-distance athletes on the planet to finally claim the moniker of IRONMAN World Champion in Kona, Hawaii.
Initially Lucy had planned though not to defend her title in Nice in September, and instead focus on the newly-formed T100 World Series over middle distance. It did not pan out that way though.
The season started with much promise, as she claimed second-place T100 finishes in both Miami and Singapore, hinting at bigger things to come.
IRONMAN World Championship U-turn
It was after those races that Lucy’s plans changed when she fell in love with the challenges posed by the Cote d’Azur during a training block there, and made the decision to step up to full distance and IRONMAN France Nice in June. She aced that test to win in impressive fashion, and made the decision to defend her IMWC title at the same venue in September.
There was concern during her next outing though at T100 London, when Lucy was a DNF as she ‘felt something’ in her Achilles and decided to play safe rather than risk another major injury to the same leg she had hurt during that epic Kona victory in 2023.
Now it was all roads leading to Nice, and Lucy arrived in France in fantastic shape on the back of a terrific training camp in Lanzarote. But then things started to go wrong, starting with a bout of food poisoning which began on the Wednesday of race week. The plan was still to race, until disaster struck during a shakeout run on the Friday.
Nice dreams dashed
Lucy said afterwards “At about 2k into that run I felt something in my calf that felt a bit like cramp but it didn’t feel good. It tightened up and I was a bit concerned about it. This isn’t in the calf that I injured in Kona – it’s in the other leg. Again, came out of nowhere, I was like ‘doesn’t feel good, bit worried about it’.”
An ultrasound scan revealed that Charles-Barclay had a type 1C strain in the muscle, and now she faced the agonising decision of what to do next. The local medical advice was that she was heading into the unknown – things could turn out fine, or they might not. Ultimately, after the fallout from that injury sustained in Kona last year, it was a risk she was not willing to take and she make the hard decision to pull out of the race.
Despite the devastating disappointment of standing on the sidelines as Laura Philipp took her crown a couple of days later, and not racing again after London in July, Lucy ended the year thankful and taking the positives.
LCB reflects on her 2024
Writing in a heartfelt post on her Instagram account, she revealed: “2024 has been a year of significant tests and challenges, marked by few highs and many lows. Despite its difficulties, I’ve come to realize that it’s in the toughest times we experience the most growth, and for that, I am grateful for everything 2024 has thrown my way.
“Although my race results don’t reflect the immense effort I put in this year, my personal development has been more substantial than in my entire sporting career. One thing is for sure: despite the hard times, I love my job more than ever, and this leaves me optimistic and excited for what 2025 has in store. Thank you to everyone who stood by me this year—I couldn’t have done it without your support!??”
Now Lucy, and we, can look ahead to 2025 with excitement at what we hope is to come as she returns to the course.
