Since the Brexit – Jan. 31, 2020 – Britons are only allowed to stay in Schengen countries for 90 days (per an ever-shifting 180-day period). That rule is now proving very troublesome for Lucy Charles, because as a result she cannot race this coming weekend at Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau (Germany) or The Championship (Slovakia) and possible participations in other races – such as Challenge Roth, for example – also seem uncertain.
“I have been working with top British & German immigration lawyers to try and obtain a vista to travel to Germany. I have used 88 of my 90 days allowed in the Schengen region. So, for now I will be training hard at home and my next race will most likely be U.K. based.” Charles was at the start of the PTO European Open in Ibiza just last week, where she finished third. She also stayed mainly for a long time in Lanzarote, where she did a training camp.
The countries in the Schengen area are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
