On Saturday, October 11, the heat at the women’s Ironman World Championship in Kona was brutal. The swim had huge swells. The wind, as always, blew hard. But that didn’t keep more than 1500 women from showing up and giving everything to the race, in the most exciting and heartbreaking women’s World Championship we’ve ever seen.
THE SWIM
After leading the entire swim, Lucy Charles-Barclay came out of the water 1:30 ahead of her nearest competitors. The 2023 Kona Champion did what she does best: raced fearlessly off the front, pushing the pace from the cannon blast without looking back. (OK, she did look back once to eye the gap she’d put on the chase pack during the swim.)
THE BIKE
About halfway through the bike, a bottle that popped out of a rear cage landed Lucy in a penalty tent for 1 minute for unintentional littering. While she was stopped, 70.3 World Champ, Taylor Knibb, made the pass then pushed the pace to try to open up a gap.
THE RUN
Taylor came off the bike with a 3-minute lead on Lucy, and started running hard, flying away from T2, set on racing boldly off the front. But Lucy was determined to reel her in. She quickly chipped away at Taylor’s lead, setting the stage for a head-to-head battle reminiscent of the historic 1989 Iron War, when Dave Scott and Mark Allen raced beside each other for nearly the entire event.
Lucy overtook Taylor within 7 miles and the two would battle it out together for another 6, before Taylor started to pull away. The two women kept pushing themselves and each other, giving everything they had in an immensely gutsy and thrilling race. And in the end, they pushed themselves to the absolute limit.
In an utterly heartbreaking moment, Lucy faltered in mile 17, her body unable to go on. She left everything on the race course and could not continue.
Taylor carried on, 4 minutes ahead of her nearest competitor. She ran courageously, maintaining a sizable lead all the way through mile 24. Then came the second heartbreak of the day: Taylor swayed. She swerved. Taylor pushed her body to the brink, and it was no longer responding.
Just like 8x Kona winner Paula Newby-Frasier did when she had a big lead in 1995, Taylor collapsed on the road. She’d poured her heart and soul into a fearless race. But her body could not go on.
THE FINISH LINE
After PNF hit the wall in 1995, her nearest competitor patiently made up time, shocked to see the leader stumbling. Solveig Løvseth had a similar experience, as she closed the gap to find Taylor was no longer running. Solveig took the lead, then ran in for the win in her first attempt at Kona, with Kat Matthews only 35 seconds behind in second place.
Then came Laura Philipp, the reigning world champ. She put her resilience and anti-quit on full display, gutting out one of the most challenging days in race history to earn the third podium spot.
Close behind, in her Ironman World Championship debut—and second Ironman ever—came Holly Lawrence. Just a year after giving birth to daughter, Skye, Holly showed the world what a smashingly world-class athlete she is. She came in sixth place, earning the title of Fastest Mom in Kona.
In the end, two of the past three Ironman world champs would not cross the finish line. Chelsea Sodaro couldn’t hold down her nutrition and made the gut-wrenching (literally) decision to pull out on the first half of the bike.
HISTORY, MADE
These weren’t the results these women wanted. But their bravery made for the most thrilling women’s race we’ve ever seen. When they had nothing left to give, Lucy and Taylor ran on pure heart. That’s what makes history.
To every woman who toed the line in this year’s merciless conditions, we are in awe of you. Of your grit, your determination, and your resilience.
Congratulations to everyone who refused to hold back, bravely leaving it all out there on the course.
