Great Britain’s Kat Matthews claimed silver at the World Ironman Championship in Kona, Hawaii after Lucy Charles-Barclay was forced to pull out while she attempted to close in on a second world title.
Charles-Barclay, the champion in 2023, was leading after 10 miles of the marathon but began to struggle in the brutal conditions, with temperatures of 28C and 70 per cent humidity.
Charles-Barclay, who was in a battle with the American Taylor Knibb, attempted to take on ice at the aid stations but started to alternate between walking and running.
With nine miles to go, Charles-Barclay’s husband Reece pulled the 32-year-old to the side of the course, where they decided to drop out of the race. Charles-Barclay looked to be wobbling on her feet and was emotional after taking the decision to DNF from the race, with nothing else left to give.
“Yesterday, I raced with my heart. I stuck to my plan, nailed my nutrition, and used all of my usual cooling strategies. It was all going so well… until it wasn’t.,” Charles-Barclay said in an Instagram post.
“I’m endlessly grateful for the love and care my husband showed in stepping in and taking me off the course. Health will always come first.
“As special as this race is, there will always be another start line, another chance, another year for the history books.”
Knibb appeared on course for victory but was also forced to drop out, with the American sitting down on the road with just four kilometres to go as Norway’s Solveig Lovseth took the lead.
Matthews closed in on Lovseth and cut her lead to just 35 seconds in a dramatic conclusion, with the Briton completing the marathon in a course record time of two hours and 47 minutes.
“I worked really hard and I’m very proud of my finish,” Matthews said. “I’m happy for Solveig, she was incredible to watch. I had a very up and down day.”
Charles-Barclay added: “Congratulations to the incredible women on the podium, and a special thank you to [Taylor Knibb] for an epic battle out there, may we both recover well and come back stronger for the next one.”
The Ironman World Championship course consists of a 2.4-mile (3.8 km) swim, 112 mile (180 km) cycle and the final marathon, which is 26.2 miles (42.2 km).
Ironman World Championship 2025 Results – Pro Women
1. Solveig Lovseth (NOR) – 8:28:27
2. Kat Matthews (GBR) – 8:29:02
3. Laura Philipp (GER)- 8:37:28
4. Hannah Berry (NZL) – 8:46:25
5. Lisa Perterer (AUT)- 8:48:08
6. Holly Lawrence (GBR)- 8:52:40
7. Jocelyn McCauley (USA)- 8:59:33
8. Sara Svensk (SWE) – 8:59:58
9. Leonie Konczalla (GER) – 9:00:04
10. Marlene de Boer (NED) – 9:00:20
