KAILUA-KONA – For the first time in 26 years, an American woman has earned the title of Ironman World Champion.
33-year old Chelsea Sodaro claimed the women’s title in a time of 8:33:46 in her Kona debut Thursday, becoming the first American woman to win in Kona since Paula Newby-Fraser’s final victory – running under the American flag – in 1996.
Sodaro earned the victory thanks in part to a scorching marathon finish of 2:51:45. The Davis, California native entered the run portion of the race in fourth place, nearly three and a half minutes behind leader Daniela Ryf.
It didn’t take long for Sodaro to seize the lead for herself. Lucy Charles-Barclay had taken the lead from Ryf less than a mile into the run, but couldn’t fend off Sodaro, who found herself in the lead at the nine-mile mark.
“I just had one of those magical days, which is really fortunate with it being my first time out here,” said Sodaro, noting how much her training on the Big Island for two weeks in September helped to prepare for Thursday’s race. “I did some hard running; I knew what that felt like here.
“I kept on trying to slow down the first 10K; my coach told me to go out at 3:55 per K pace. I did not follow that direction very well. I just really trusted in my training.”
Waiting for Sodaro at the finish line was her 18-month-old daughter Skylar; Sodaro is only the second mother to win an Ironman World Championship. Six-time champion Natascha Badmann is the lone other woman to win a World Championship after becoming a mother.
Sodaro’s journey to the top of the Ironman world so soon after having a child is a story she feels needs told; she hopes more women in sports can become comfortable being a professional athlete and a mother at the same time.
“I’m not going to stop talking about it until things are more equitable: until women feel confident and comfortable that they can choose both family and sport at the highest level,” she said. “Training since having my daughter has been very, very challenging. It’s taken a massive team effort and investment from my family so I can train like a professional athlete.”
Sodaro was not the only athlete to have overcome adversity to compete in Kona this year. Second-place finisher Lucy Charles-Barclay of Great Britain made a phenomenal return to Ironman’s biggest stage after suffering a fracture in her hip earlier this year.
Charles-Barclay was the fastest swimmer, exiting Kailua Bay in just 50:57. After being passed by Sodaro early in the run stage, Charles-Barclay fended off Germany’s Anne Haug – who won the last Ironman World Championship held in Kona in 2019 – by 45 seconds to cross the line in a time of 8:42:22.
“Today definitely exceeded my expectations,” said Charles-Barclay, who added a fourth runner-up finish in Kona to her resume, in addition to her second-place finishes in 2017, 2018 and 2019. “At the beginning of the year, when we found out I had a fracture in my hip, we were told to write off the year by the specialists.
“A small part of me really wanted to be here; we haven’t been here in three years, so the island was calling me back… To actually come away with second place today, I think it means a lot more than any of the other second places I’ve had. It definitely feels like a win.”
Third and fourth-place finishers Anne Haug and Laura Philipp of Germany each credited Sodaro for her strong finish after the 112-mile bike left many athletes lower on energy than they would have liked.
“I think I burned my candle a little too much on the bike,” said Haug.
Rounding out the podium finishers on the top five was Sweden’s Lisa Norden. Both Norden and Philipp were hit with rare drafting penalties during the biking portion of the race, adding five minutes to their total.
For Sodaro, the victory in her debut at Kona caps a remarkable rise to the top of the sport, having only competed in one full-length Ironman prior to Thursday.
After falling short at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, Sodaro began running triathlons in 2017.
“I had a really disappointing day at the Olympic Trials in 2016,” said Sodaro. “I was following triathlon just as a fan; the American women were so strong.
“I was injured sitting on the couch, and my husband said, ‘I think you could do that; I think you could be really good at triathlon.’ I just laughed. He got me a bike, and we started riding together. I got obsessed, like I think most of us can relate to; you just fixate on what might be possible in this sport… It’s been quite an adventure.”