Anne Haug<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>In 2019, the German overtook Charles-Barclay in the second-half of the marathon to take the title, and last year, she was again in hot pursuit but didn\u2019t make the catch as the pair joined winner Chelsea Sodaro on the podium. This year, the 40-year old was setting a new run course record of 2:48:23 as she ran through for second place and closed the gap to 3min.<\/p>
\u201cI had to hold off Anne last year, and this year I told myself I had to do it even more because it was for the win,\u201d Charles-Barclay explained. \u201cI know how strong she is and from mile one I was just digging into the depths of my soul to get through that marathon.\u201d<\/p>
It was testament to the training that despite the late injury scare had put her in race winning shape for a title she has been hunting for seven years.<\/p>
\u201cThe block that we did leading into this we saw the best ever running I\u2019ve done, and I don\u2019t think that marathon reflects it because of this issue. On the flipside, I feel like I could have run faster but how can I complain when I\u2019ve just won the world championship!\u201d<\/p>
Having joined Lucy for their first Ironman together in the UK almost a decade ago when they both worked as personal trainers, and now having put his own pro career on hold, Reece was equally ecstatic with the outcome.<\/p>
\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time coming and we\u2019ve felt pressure to do this for a long time. Even though coming second is something to be very proud of, it happened so many times it was becoming a burden.<\/p>
\u201cI could tell coming into this race that she was extremely fired up and ready. A few years ago at the 70.3 worlds we saw what Lucy is capable of when she has a good day, and since then she hasn\u2019t been able to show that through injury. It\u2019s been a difficult two years but to do what she did today, one of the only people ever to win gun-to-tape, and set the course record, it\u2019s a dream come true. Literally mind-blowing.\u201d<\/p>
The couple had switched from their usual preparation base of Lanzarote to train at home in the UK in the build-up in their \u201cpain cave\u201d, where they could use heaters to turn up the temperatures and try to acclimate for the heat and humidity of Hawaii.\u00a0<\/p>
\u201cOne of the things with Ironman is that as much as it\u2019s physical, it\u2019s mental,\u201d Reece continued. \u201cShe\u2019s done a huge amount of her training indoors and I don’t advocate that all year round, but I\u2019d say it definitely makes you a mentally tougher athlete.<\/p>
\u201cShe also had a very controlled environment. I could set the temperature exactly and make sure she was having the right nutrition and hydration\u00a0 every hour. It was like being in a lab for six weeks rather, but on the flipside as soon as it was finished for the day we could put our feet up and have home comforts which you miss when you are on the road for so long.\u201d<\/p>
Reece also felt that even though she is the No 1 swimmer in the sport, focusing even more on that strength paid dividends. \u201cLucy always responds well to going back to her roots and a big swim block.\u00a0<\/p>
\u201cShe doesn\u2019t necessarily gain a lot of time in the water, but she gains a lot of aerobic fitness in a safe manner. She\u2019s not from a run background and can\u2019t do crazy high run mileage, but she\u2019s been in the pool a lot and sometimes swimming 40km a week which she hasn\u2019t done for years. It\u2019s clear paid off.\u201d<\/p>
Having lived a spartan existence in the build-up, it was now time to let their hair down. \u201cI had my 30th birthday leading into this and I didn\u2019t celebrate whatsoever,\u201d Lucy added. \u201cWe\u2019re definitely going to be celebrating now.\u201d<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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