KAILUA-KONA — English triathlete Lucy Charles-Barclay had come close plenty of times.
The 2021 Half Ironman world champion finished second overall in the women’s full Ironman in 2022, 2019, 2018 and 2017. But following the 140.6-mile journey through water, bicycle and foot on Saturday on the west side of the island, Charles-Barclay finally broke through — winning the women’s 2023 VinFast Ironman World Championship in record-setting fashion with a time of 08:24:31. Her time eclipsed Switzerland’s Daniela Ryf’s 2018 course record of 08:26:18.
The 30-year-old superstar led the professional class from the opening cannon, finishing the 2.4-mile swim in Kailua Bay in 49:36, the 112-mile bike ride to Hawi and back in 04:32.29 and finishing the race with a 02:57:38 time in the 26.2-mile marathon run along Ali‘i Drive.
“It’s really hard to put into words,” Charles-Barclay said postrace. “I wanted this so badly when I started my career — it’ll take awhile to set in.”
Germany’s Anne Haug — the 2019 Ironman World Championship winner — finished behind Charles-Barclay with a 08:27:33 time. The time beat her gold-winning performance by almost 13 minutes. Haug ran the marathon in 02:48:23 with an impressive 06:22 pace.
“I was able to run at my own pace, and I’m very happy with that,” Haug said.
Laura Phillipp, another German triathlete, took third overall with a time of 08:32:55. Phillip owns the current women’s Ironman world record, set in 2022 in Hamburg, Germany, with an 08:18:20 time.
Phillipp admitted she started off slow in the swim (56:39), but liked how she made up ground in the bicycle and running race.
“It’s always a little bit tricky in the swim, because you don’t really know where you are (compared to the other racers) until you get out of the water,” she said. “I knew I really had to do some work on the bike and I rode a lot harder than I was planning to.
“While I was riding, I was thinking that the run could turn out slower than expected. But I stayed focused the whole time, and just tried to do my thing. When I saw Taylor (Knibb) was also struggling out of the Energy Lab, I tried to invest everything I could.”
United States Olympian and 2022 Half Ironman world champion Taylor Knibb finished right behind Phillipp to earn fourth place — swimming in 51:16, biking in 4:34.00 and running in 3:05:13 to cap her race. It was Knibb’s first time competing in a full Ironman.
Knibb was in second at the start of the last leg of the race, but the longer running time dropped her back a couple of spots.
Finishing behind Knibb in fifth was five-time world champion Ryf, who posted an 08:40:34 time. Ryf, winner of the 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021 world championships, noted that Saturday will be her last Ironman.
2022 champion Chelsea Sodaro of the United States placed sixth with an 08:42:25 finish. Sodaro, who was out of the top 10 for a majority of the race, made up ground in the marathon — running in 02:53:02 with a 06:32 pace.
History made
Saturday’s race additionally marked the first time Kailua-Kona hosted the Ironman World Championship for exclusively women. The men’s world championship was relocated to Nice, France, on Sept. 10.
Kailua-Kona mayor Mitch Roth lauded the success of the changes, noting that the event had “great energy.”
“The symbolism of where this race is run on Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway is pretty special,” he told West Hawaii Today. “If you think about Queen Ka‘ahumanu and all the things she did as a leader, I’d imagine she’d be pretty happy with all these women — and I’m sure she’s looking down with pride.
“It’s been a good reset for the community, as last year was a bit difficult (having both the men’s and women’s race). This time, everything has been going a lot smoother, and that’s a great thing.”
The race also featured over 1,600 of the 2,000-plus women participating in a full Ironman for the first time.
Big Island racers
Ten competitors from the Big Island competed, with Kailia-Kona’s Laura Birse (45-49 age group) leading the pack with a time of 11:32:26. The rest of the local athletes’ results can be found here:
• Melissa Schad (Papaaloa, 45-49 age group) — 11:52:43
• Brenda Avery (Kailua-Kona, 50-59 age group) — 11:54:03
• Skye Ombac (Kailua-Kona, 25-29 age group) — 12:23:40
• Lynn Mattix (Kailua-Kona, 40-44 age group) — 12:53:54
• Carleigh Rittel (Kailua-Kona, 35-39 age group) — 13:43:58
• Esra Lynch (Waimea, 55-59 age group) — 14:05:53
• Brenda Bettencourt (Kailua-Kona, 65-69 age group) — 15:22:09
• Greta Friesen (Honaunau, 30-39 age group) — 16:44:28
• Sonja Correa (Kailua-Kona, 40-44 age group) — N/A
See you next year
The men’s and women’s world championships will swap locations in 2024, with the men returning to Kailua-Kona on Oct. 26, 2024. The women will relocate to Nice, France, on Sept. 24, 2024. Ironman will continue to separate the groups for the forseeable future, due to crowd and traffic concerns.