Lucy Charles-Barclay delivered a statement performance at Ironman 70.3 Eagleman today, taking the win in dominant style from start to finish. While the British star appeared in control throughout, she was forced to dig deep during the run as American Chelsea Sodaro mounted a fierce challenge in the closing stages.
Charles-Barclay immediately set the tone with a blistering swim split of 25:10. Only American Margarita Ryan was able to stay on her feet, while the rest of the field, including Chelsea Sodaro (+1:59) and Grace Alexander (+1:56), found themselves chasing from early on.
Once onto the bike, Charles-Barclay showed her intent by quickly dropping Ryan and pushing solo off the front. Behind her, Sodaro and Alexander rode strongly together, holding the gap to Charles-Barclay steady at around two to two and a half minutes. Lisa Becharas and Alice Alberts also worked their way into contention, but as the race transitioned into the run, all four chasers were nearly three minutes behind the leader.
The run brought drama, as it so often does. Sodaro, known for her lethal running legs, immediately began to chip away at the deficit. By the 5K mark, she had cut the gap to 1:52, and by 7K, she had clawed back another 20 seconds. At the halfway point, the difference had narrowed to just 1:20, and it looked like the race might tip in the American’s favor.
But Charles-Barclay had other ideas.
Showing her trademark composure and grit, she managed to steady the pace and hold firm. As Sodaro’s tempo began to waver slightly, Charles-Barclay held strong, maintaining her lead and ultimately sealing the win in a remarkable 3:58:10.
Sodaro crossed the line 72 seconds later in 3:59:22, with Alexander rounding out the podium in 4:06:05.
