COMPLETE guide to TRAINING TRAINING

However new you are to triathlon, you’ve probably heard the name Lucy Charles-Barclay. Perhaps as the three-times runner-up in the Ironman World Championship or the ‘fastest swimmer in tri.’

For 2021, we can add the most versatile triathlete, competing from super-sprint to long- course racing, and becoming the Ironman 70.3 world champion after a fairy tale performance in Utah, where, as they say in the States, she was in a different zip code.

Plus, there was a memorable Leeds World Series debut, an impressive hit out at the 1,500m GB Olympic trials in the pool, and some explosive Super League action – both indoors and out.

Fans of the sport might also know that the 28-year-old narrowly missed Olympic selection for 2012 as an open-water swimmer, but might be less aware that post those Games, Lucy and her then boyfriend, now husband and fellow pro triathlete, Reece, were both personal trainers for four years – giving them an understanding of the importance of strength and conditioning