Latest news with #IronmanWorldChampionship
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Lucy Charles-Barclay's career was dogged by injuries until she discovered why. Now she's back for another shot at the Ironman world title
Lucy Charles-Barclay is not a household name, and yet she might be the most complete female athlete on the planet. There is no purer sporting test than a triathlon, which makes demands on every muscle in the body, and the Ironman distance takes those demands to ludicrous extremes: running a full marathon after a refreshing 2.4-mile swim and an invigorating 112-mile bike ride, covering the distance from London to Sheffield in eight-and-a-half hours. Charles-Barclay won the Ironman World Championship in 2023 and broke the record for the iconic Kona course in Hawaii, in which the best long-distance triathletes compete through crystal blue waters and black lava fields. She will be back at Kona in a few weeks' time to try to regain the title, and the 31-year-old is in the form of her life after an emotional win at her home race in the London T100 last weekend. Yet the road to this point has been a brutal one, after three years spent battling a series of mysterious injuries from rib fractures to muscle tears to a rip in her hip cartilage, after which she was told she might never race again. She embarked on an investigation into her own anatomy, travelling to Red Bull's high performance centre near Salzburg to undergo testing. 'We really couldn't find a reason,' she says. Finally, last year, she received an answer: a diagnosis for Celiac disease, the serious autoimmune condition triggered by gluten. 'It was a lightbulb moment. Before a race I would carb load, so I would just eat pizza, pasta, all these things. I was basically poisoning myself before going into a big event.' Charles-Barclay had often competed through the pain. She won the Ironman world title after tearing her calf muscle at the start of the marathon, which crept open like a zip so that by the time she finished 26 miles later, it was 14cm long. So when she came to a halt on London's Victoria Dock during last year's T100 race – part of triathlon's new F1-style championship at glamorous locations all over the world – it had to be bad. Her achilles had blown and she was wheeled away on a golf buggy, past the fans who had come out to see her compete in the flesh. 'It was devastating,' she says. It took nearly a year after her diagnosis to feel fully healthy, but a change in diet – swapping out gluten for rice, chicken and eggs – transformed her body's resilience. Last weekend, in almost exactly the same spot where she had broken down the year before, Charles-Barclay overtook her rival Kate Waugh to lead the London race. She reached the finish straight alone, with just enough time to hype a giddy crowd inside the ExCel Centre before lifting the finish tape over her head in triumph. Then she collapsed into the arms of her coach and husband Reece, and the tears flowed. 'It doesn't quite feel real,' Charles-Barclay says, watching back the footage of her winning moment. She is talking to The Independent after a hard morning's training at the London Aquatics Centre in Olympic Park, four days after that T100 victory. 'There's so much emotion in that video. It feels a little bit weird, like it was like a real 'moment', a turning point, proving to myself that I'm back to my old ways and feeling strong again.' There was a poignancy, too, after Charles-Barclay's grandfather died in December. 'He watched all my races, most of them online because I don't race in the UK, so London last year was the final race that he actually came to watch me, and obviously I had to pull out. So it was really, really sad. We had all the family there this year apart from him, but it definitely felt like he was there with me.' Triathlon remains a fringe sport outside of its place in the Olympic Games, but T100 is bidding to change that. Its world tour operates like a Formula One season, with 20 contracted triathletes competing for points and prize money at nine destinations around the world. Races are staged in Miami, San Francisco, Ibiza and Dubai, and the champion at the end of the season scoops £150,000. The 100km competition – somewhere between a regular triathlon and an Ironman – was launched last year as a ploy to build a more consistent narrative, with the best athletes regularly going head to head. The event has lured plenty of big names including Olympic champions Flora Duffy and Alistair Brownlee, while Alex Yee is considering joining the championship next year, which would be a major coup. Triathlon is increasingly attracting the executive class, usurping golf as the go-to hobby of the CEO, but it also has a growing grassroots following. Charles-Barclay has amassed a small army of fans with half a million followers on Instagram, and a line of mostly young girls queued up after her London win to get selfies with their hero. Quietly, she is blazing a trail. 'It makes it all feel so worth it,' she says. 'Sport at this level is incredibly tough, you make a lot of sacrifices, you often feel like it's quite a selfish pursuit training all the time and not seeing family and friends very often. So to feel like you're doing it more than just for yourself, you're inspiring others – hopefully those young kids will grow up and try triathlon or get into sport, so it feels a lot bigger than just swim, bike, run.' Many of her fans were sporting the familiar 'battle braids' hairstyle that has become an essential part of the Charles-Barclay image. 'In my first ever triathlon I just decided to braid my hair to keep it out of the way, and then it became a good luck charm and I would braid my hair before every race,' she says. 'It's like I'm going into battle every time that I'm going to line up for a competition, so it's almost like a confidence thing. It's inspired young girls to braid their hair, whether it's sports day at school, or I've had young women who sit exams and they'll braid their hair just to feel a bit more confident doing it. It's become a real movement that I didn't expect and every time someone shares it online, it's just so amazing to see that.' The Olympics remains triathlon's biggest stage, and there is talk of the 100km format making its debut at the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. That may come too late for Charles-Barclay, who has never competed at the Games, and she admits it is frustrating not to get the same recognition as those who race over the shorter Olympic distance. 'We deserve it, we work so hard,' she says. 'I definitely don't do it for [recognition] but I feel like if we were given the platform, with more mainstream media sharing that journey, we've got the capacity to inspire so many new people to get involved in this fantastic sport. That's one of the main reasons why I do it.' And, of course, to win. Charles-Barclay is heading to Lanzarote for a five-week training camp before returning to Kona in October, the scene of her greatest triumph. She is, technically, the defending champion on that particular course after the World Championship made an unpopular detour to France last year, when she was out injured. It will be back in Hawaii, and so will Charles-Barclay – somehow, after everything, feeling stronger than ever. Her course record – 8hr 24min 31sec – could even be under threat. 'Hawaii's all about the conditions, so if it's super windy it will be slow on the bike,' she says. 'But I managed to win there with a torn calf, so I do believe I can go faster. I just really want to go there and get the win again.'
Time of India
7 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
She fell in love with cycling at 50, now at 87, she has completed 200 triathlons and countless races. Here's her fitness secret
A Career Measured in Races, Not Years Training with Time as a Teammate You Might Also Like: She is 100 and still hitting the gym with 2 trainers: The fitness secrets behind a centenarian's strength and longevity When most people start thinking about slowing down, she was just getting started. At 50, Sheila Isaacs' daughter gifted her a bicycle to encourage some light exercise. That simple gesture sparked a passion that would change her life — and lead her to triathlons, marathons, and global competitions well into her late then, she had never worked out seriously. But cycling around her Long Island neighborhood quickly became a joy. Soon, she heard about a local triathlon. She didn't even know what the sport involved until she discovered it meant a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike ride, and 10 km run. Confident in her swimming and newly hooked on biking, she decided to teach herself to to Women's Health, by age 53, Isaacs had signed up for her first triathlon. She told everyone she knew, ensuring she couldn't back out. Months of training followed — joining a masters swim club, upgrading her bike, and gradually working up from barely running a lap to completing the full distance. On race day, she was the oldest woman competing. She finished with pride and even won first place in her age began as a single challenge became a lifelong pursuit. Now 87, Isaacs has raced in 200 triathlons, at least six marathons, countless half-marathons, six half-Ironmans, and the prestigious Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. She has competed in 25 national triathlon championships, winning eight, and has five world championship victories to her 67, she became the first known athlete to complete a triathlon in all 50 U.S. states. She's earned All-American status multiple times, but she insists her motivation was never medals — it was the thrill of the sport and the joy of workouts look different now than they did decades ago, but the dedication hasn't faded. She alternates swimming, cycling, walking, and weight training, never repeating the same workout two days in a row. She listens to her body, modifying routines when needed, and meticulously logs every session in a notebook she has kept for 30 is non-negotiable — 20 to 30 minutes every morning — and she credits it for her near-injury-free career. Most importantly, she keeps fun at the heart of her races, treating them as an opportunity to swim, bike, and walk alongside fellow athletes rather than a competition to beat she completed her 200th triathlon, joined by her daughter and granddaughter. Whether she races again or not, she trains daily because exercise makes her feel her best. Her story is a living reminder that it's never too late to begin something extraordinary. As she approaches 88, her message is simple: embrace the challenge, adapt with age, and find joy in every mile.
Economic Times
11-08-2025
- Sport
- Economic Times
She fell in love with cycling at 50, now at 87, she has completed 200 triathlons and countless races. Here's her fitness secret
Synopsis At 50, Sheila Isaacs' life transformed when a bicycle gift ignited a passion for triathlons. She defied age, completing 200 triathlons, marathons, and even the Ironman World Championship. Now 87, she emphasizes the joy of movement, adapting her training, and inspiring others to embrace challenges at any age, proving it's never too late to start something extraordinary. At 50, Sheila Isaacs began her athletic journey with a bicycle. She soon embraced triathlons and marathons. She competed globally into her late 80s. She completed 200 triathlons, six marathons, and an Ironman World Championship. (Screenshots: Facebook/Triathlete Magazine) When most people start thinking about slowing down, she was just getting started. At 50, Sheila Isaacs' daughter gifted her a bicycle to encourage some light exercise. That simple gesture sparked a passion that would change her life — and lead her to triathlons, marathons, and global competitions well into her late 80s. Back then, she had never worked out seriously. But cycling around her Long Island neighborhood quickly became a joy. Soon, she heard about a local triathlon. She didn't even know what the sport involved until she discovered it meant a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike ride, and 10 km run. Confident in her swimming and newly hooked on biking, she decided to teach herself to run. According to Women's Health, by age 53, Isaacs had signed up for her first triathlon. She told everyone she knew, ensuring she couldn't back out. Months of training followed — joining a masters swim club, upgrading her bike, and gradually working up from barely running a lap to completing the full distance. On race day, she was the oldest woman competing. She finished with pride and even won first place in her age group. What began as a single challenge became a lifelong pursuit. Now 87, Isaacs has raced in 200 triathlons, at least six marathons, countless half-marathons, six half-Ironmans, and the prestigious Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. She has competed in 25 national triathlon championships, winning eight, and has five world championship victories to her name. At 67, she became the first known athlete to complete a triathlon in all 50 U.S. states. She's earned All-American status multiple times, but she insists her motivation was never medals — it was the thrill of the sport and the joy of movement. Her workouts look different now than they did decades ago, but the dedication hasn't faded. She alternates swimming, cycling, walking, and weight training, never repeating the same workout two days in a row. She listens to her body, modifying routines when needed, and meticulously logs every session in a notebook she has kept for 30 years. Stretching is non-negotiable — 20 to 30 minutes every morning — and she credits it for her near-injury-free career. Most importantly, she keeps fun at the heart of her races, treating them as an opportunity to swim, bike, and walk alongside fellow athletes rather than a competition to beat records. Recently, she completed her 200th triathlon, joined by her daughter and granddaughter. Whether she races again or not, she trains daily because exercise makes her feel her best. Her story is a living reminder that it's never too late to begin something extraordinary. As she approaches 88, her message is simple: embrace the challenge, adapt with age, and find joy in every mile.
The Star
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Shio Yuan's Desaru win a boost for her world c'ships' preparation
KOTA TINGGI: Chia Shio Yuan's (pic) feat of becoming the fastest Malaysian female athlete at the Ironman 70.3 Desaru Coast on Sunday has given her a timely boost as she gears up for her biggest challenge of the year, the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, on Oct 11. The result could not have come at a better time for the 34-year-old, as she now has just five months left to prepare for the gruelling race in Hawaii, a course twice the distance of the one she just completed in Johor.
National News
05-04-2025
- Sport
- National News
Lebanon's Tonya Makary first Lebanese lady to qualify for 'Ironman World Championship' in Kona, Hawaii
NNA - Lebanese athlete Tonya Makary has officially qualified for the prestigious Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, which will take place on October 11, 2025. Ehden native Tonya's triathlon journey began in 2020 after undergoing knee surgery. Driven by a strong desire to come back stronger, she began training with coach Joao Arteche in May of that year, with the ultimate goal in mind: Kona. On March 30, 2025, Tonya competed in the Ironman South Africa Championship in Port Elizabeth, her second full Ironman competition (3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km run), thus securing her place at the starting point in Kona.
