Not only would she be missing the record attempt, but she\u2019d also be missing the Ironman World Championship in Utah in May in what was set to be a bumper year for the British ace.<\/p>\n
But then something intriguing happened. Fellow Brit Kat Matthews, who\u2019s performances have been making many commentators take note in recent years, stepped into the vacant spot<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n And Matthews, who\u2019s part of the BMC Pro Triathlon Team<\/a><\/strong> and only took up triathlon in 2015, is certainly not shy of confidence, as she explained in a recent interview with 220<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> \u201cBasically, when it was first presented as an idea, me and my husband \u2013 who\u2019s really into triathlon \u2013 were both like, I reckon I could do that,\u201d Matthews admitted. \u201cAnd I reckon I\u2019d be better at it than Lucy because of my run and the ability to capitalise on my swim.<\/p>\n \u201cLucy can\u2019t capitalise on hers and then isn\u2019t as good a runner on paper perhaps, over the Ironman distance. So it was always like, \u2018oh yeah, I think I\u2019d be really good at that\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n There were rumours for a little while that Charles-Barclay wasn\u2019t 100%, which is why Matthews reached out to her agent and asked for them to throw her name into the ring as a potential competitor to race alongside Nicola Spirig<\/a><\/strong>, who\u2019s also taking on the challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they were going to run it without anybody. It was just going to be Nicola on her own. I don\u2019t know whether it was my Lanzarote performance [Matthews finished the 70.3 race in first, over three minutes ahead of Anne Haug] or whether it\u2019s something else, but, we somehow managed to convince them the I was well worth a shot.<\/p>\n \u201cI still think I can beat Nicola, mainly because I think my pacing team is much better. No part of me feels this pressure of, \u2018I\u2019ve said I can do it, oh my goodness\u2019. I know I can go sub-eight and I know I can give Nicola a really good race.\u201d<\/p>\n Matthews also admitted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to race Nicola, who\u2019s announced she\u2019ll retire at the end of 2022<\/a><\/strong>, and set a new record was a huge draw. \u201cI know there\u2019s a lot of scepticism about whether it\u2019s a real record,\u201d she said, \u201cbut it\u2019s a record in its own right.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, the performance excitement is knowing that if I can run a 2:40 off the bike at Sub8, I can take that on to my next standard Ironman and then try and replicate that with a slightly harder bike.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives me these performance markers that some people spend 10 years in the sport trying to get. Whereas I feel like I can really use this to create a \u2018what-is-possible\u2019 sort of scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n Sub8 is set to take place on Sunday 5 June in Germany, as Spirig and Matthews attempt to go under eight hours over an Iron-distance course. On the same day, Kristian Blummenfelt and Alistair Brownlee will be attempting to go under seven hours over the same distance.<\/p>\n Find out more about the Sub7\/Sub8 challenge on the official website and follow Kat Matthews on Instagram<\/a><\/strong> to stay up-to-date with her preparation.<\/p>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2022\/04\/kat-matthews-triathlete-lanzarote-6fad6b5.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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