Lucy Bartholomew’s Journey From UTMB to Kona

This article originally appeared on Trail Runner

Lucy Bartholomew isn't your average endurance junkie. Sure, she loves a good grind. But that's not all that got her from a top-ten finish at UTMB to the IRONMAN World Championships within a matter of weeks. Humility, more so than hustle, made it possible for her to compete at the height of both ultra running and triathlon in the same season. Crossing the finish line in Kona made her the sixth person, and only the second female, to complete the combo back-to-back.

Bartholomew, 27, an Australian professional ultrarunner for Salomon, doesn't pretend to be an expert triathlete. She earned a spot in the Ironman World Championship after bagging fourth place in her age group at last year's Ironman Western Australia race in her debut triathlon. Despite her pro status in the ultrarunning sphere, Bartholomew is still green as far as triathlon goes, and that's what she loves.

"You can't slip into these sports as a pro in one and think that it will automatically transfer," Bartholomew says. "The skills and hours of dedicated training don't automatically translate. Some tactics do, but it's still so specialized. It's humbling to go from being a leader in one sport to just finishing in the other. I got a small sniff of what it really takes to thrive in another sport."

Racing Sustainably

Running remains Bartholomew's top priority. With another ambitious trail season ahead of her, starting with the Black Canyon 100K in February, she had no desire to dig herself into a hole by going too hard in Kona. She also knew going into such a stacked summer that UTMB deserved the best effort she could muster. "I wanted to race UTMB as if Ironman didn't exist. That was the main course, and Kona was more like dessert."

So Bartholomew and her new coach, Jason Koop, decided to treat the Ironman World Championships like an experience rather than a redline race. That meant draining the tank in Chamonix and then easing off the gas in the six short weeks separating the two events.

Bartholomew acknowledges that she could have trained harder for Kona specifically but that doing so wouldn't have aligned with her goals or her values as an athlete. "I could have come in more prepared," she remarks, "But I think I would have come out more broken. I opted for sustainability instead."

That's a hard decision for a professional athlete to make. Many athletes feel pressure to wow their fans with impressive times and earn kudos with heroic training volume. Those expectations make it difficult to enter any race--let alone a World Championship--without guns a-blazing. But the "go hard or go home" mentality isn't always realistic, even for the pros. Bartholomew aims to set a different precedent.

Such a reserved approach only makes Bartholomew's performance in Kona all the more impressive. That she finished 29th in her age group and a chip time of 10:43:41 is nothing to scoff at.

Ultrarunning Tactics

Ultrarunning experience may not guarantee anything in triathlon, but it certainly doesn't hurt. Bartholomew noticed a few key crossovers that gave her a leg up (sometimes literally) on the IRONMAN course.

Bartholomew excels in long distances with podium finishes at Western States, Tarawera, Ultra Trail Australia, and more to her name. So after a mechanical issue forced her to tackle the entire 114 miles of the bike segment without a functioning gear shifter, she was grateful for a strong running background. "I know how to suffer in running," Bartholomew laughs. "Not so much on the bike. All things considered, it was okay for me to be extra tired from the ride going into the run. I like that triathlons finish with my strong suit." She can manage the fatigue better toward the end that way, especially when unexpected challenges throw her off earlier in the race.

Mental similarities between ultramarathons and triathlons also supported Bartholomew throughout the race. She says, "A 10-hour day like this is a long time to stay focused, present, and motivated--so the ability to break down the day helps." Her familiarity with chunking down 100-mile runs into segments helped her do the same throughout the swim, bike, and run of the Ironman. Bartholomew finds that it's actually a little easier to digest the distance in triathlon because the different disciplines naturally change things up. Compared to her 26 hours on the UTMB course, 10 felt manageable.

But Bartholomew's mental toolkit extends beyond just breaking down the distance. From there, it all comes down to "attitude and effort": Bartholomew's favorite mantra when the going gets tough. "I know that there's an end to each challenging moment," she affirms. "You have to trust that it will get easier on the other side. Break it down into pieces, and then remember that no one piece defines the whole thing. I talked to some other women who got stuck in ruts and let the negativity spiral. But ultra has taught me that each mile is different. Think about it as opportunity after opportunity after opportunity. I'm always in control of my attitude and effort; I can use that to exercise control. Harnessing that good attitude makes it hard to lose out there."

Heather Jackson, a HOKA athlete who's also made the leap between triathlon and ultrarunning, agrees with Bartholomew. Jackson went in the opposite direction of Bartholomew, tackling her first ultramarathon at the 2022 Javelina Jundred just three weeks after retiring from triathlon with one final trip to Kona. She holds five top-five finishes at the IRONMAN World Championships, plus four more at the Half IRONMAN World Championships. She's already off to a similar start in ultrarunning with fifth place at the Javelina, second at the 2023 Black Canyons 100k, and first at the Canyons 50k. Jackson even logged her first DNF--a rite of passage for ultrarunners--on the big stage at the 2023 Western States 100. (Cue the chant: One of us, one of us!)

Training Like a Triathlete

Bartholomew isn't sure if she'll continue with triathlons. But the lessons she's learned from training for Ironman are here to stay.

"Whether or not I do this again, I will continue to train like a triathlete," she says with assurance. "The days of running doubles are old-school. You get the cardio and flushing on a bike or in the water without the impact. That's like saving years on your bones. My body has responded really well to adding biking and swimming into the mix."

Besides, Bartholomew believes that training like a triathlete gives her an edge in running--not just the other way around. She explains how in swimming, you learn to move with your breath. "Carrying that over to running and learning how to match my breath with my stride has been a game changer," Bartholomew exclaims. "I could find this new level of effort and keep it up for longer. Breath is such a superpower when you can harness it."

And speaking of superpowers, Bartholomew found out that the old adage "absence makes the heart grow fonder" might be onto something. "I stood on the start line for UTMB more excited to run than ever because I hadn't outrun my love of running in training," she says. The same thing happened after UTMB when tendonitis in her ankle kept her from running for a couple of weeks post-race. Bartholomew switched focus to cycling and swimming until the inflammation calmed down, leaving her feeling ready to rip on the Ironman marathon course. It's like how pulling back during a pre-race taper bottles up physical and mental energy for a boost on the big day...except there's no need to wait for taper time to start building those reserves.

Bartholomew made history in Kona last week. But the real win in her eyes was coming out on the other side of Ironman as a better, stronger, more intentional athlete. Her body and mind benefitted from the change of pace involved in training for the Ironman World Championship alongside UTMB. The similarities between ultra and tri prepared her well for the quick turnaround to a new challenge; the differences reminded her how valuable it is to tackle new challenges in the first place. Her future in triathlon might still be up for debate, but one thing's for sure: Bartholomew will be bringing a much wider perspective to her next racing season.

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