The way Matthews bounced back from that challenge, though, pretty much personifies her season – she got on a plane and flew to San Francisco, where she took second to Taylor Knibb at the T100 event the following weekend. She followed that up with yet another IRONMAN win at Vitoria-Gasteiz, then bounced back two weeks later to take third at T100 London.

Racing well week in and week out is one thing, but Matthews also proved to be at her very best when it counted, taking second at both the IRONMAN world championship events. So, while she is thrilled to have taken the Pro Series title (along with fourth in the T100 Triathlon World Tour), she was rightfully proud of her ability to race well when it really counted.

“This is the first year that the (Pro) series has been running,” she said. “I think in future years it will just grow and grow and grow and it will really draw people into this sort of multirace series. “I think to get second here (in Taupo) and second at the full IRONMAN (Nice), I think that’s what I’m really proud of.”

“I think consistency isn’t always super sexy, but … I’ve really peaked for the big races,” she continued, referring to her runner-up finish to Laura Philipp in Nice and then her second-place finish behind Taylor Knibb in Taupo. “So this race I really trained for and to come 1:15 behind Taylor, that’s a sort of PB for me, so it’s not just the consistency. I’ve been able to see those significant, key races as my pinnacle, key races.”

Comeback

It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago we were all wondering if Matthews would ever return to the highest levels of the sport. Just 10 days before the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Matthews was hit by a car.

“She fractured her skull, two vertebrae in her neck, her sternum, a rib and she recently also discovered she’d fractured her hip socket,” the Daily Mirror reported as she prepared to return to racing in April, 2023. “By her own admission she could have died in that crash.”

While we might all be amazed at her impressive return to the highest levels of the sport, she has very much moved on.

“You know, the first six months of recovery was more about getting back to professional racing,” she said. “Now I’m better than I ever have been. That was a PB run, you know, this year I’ve put down PB bike power, PB swim, so it’s not about getting back.  It’s more about genuine gratitude for being able to race and to have this as my job, and to be around so many people who love the sport – this is literally my dream.

Second Career

Matthews has surged to the top of the triathlon world after having served in the British Armed Forces for many years. It remains a key part of what drives her in triathlon.

“That community, and the support from the British army, it is fundamental and it makes me really believe I’m not just fighting for myself as an individual, I’m fighting for for everybody to get behind that ethos of trying to be your best,” she said. “It really motivates me. And we even have people here who are posted from the British army overseas in New Zealand coming to support the race. So it really fills my heart.” 

2025 Racing

At the post-race press conference, Matthews made reference to trying to figure out what changes needed to be made in order to beat Knibb. I couldn’t help but ask if she thought that a reduced race schedule might help.

“To be honest, I actually feel like I’ve got fitter after every race,” Matthews said. “For this race, I don’t think I was disadvantaged by a busy racing schedule. Perhaps you could say for the full IRONMAN I need to commit to slightly different training or, you know, change something up in terms of my preparation, especially for Kona, so that’s definitely something I’m going to take into 2025, but for this specific race, no, I don’t feel like my schedule impacted it.”

All of which means we’re likely to see Matthews at a lot of races again next year. Consistency might not be sexy, but it sure can make for an impressive, and it sure doesn’t hurt the bank account.

The post Kat Matthews: Consistency Might Not Be “Super Sexy,” but it Pays Off in the End first appeared on Slowtwitch News.

Matthews’ dual second place performances at IRONMAN World Championship events propelled her past long-time series leader Jackie Hering to the top spot on the podium.

Following her performance at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship this weekend, Matthews commented: “I’m really proud to finish the year with the goal that we set out at the start and I think…pulling that together with everything else going on has been a real logistical challenge, as well as a physical one. The funding behind it [IRONMAN Pro Series] and our reward, really enables us to travel to places like New Zealand, and do these races properly, with professionalism and considering our health and performance on race day… Hopefully I’ve set a good benchline for the future years of the IRONMAN Pro Series.” 

Barnaby, however, had to take a different road to the title. He came into the weekend with the IRONMAN Pro Series lead, in part because he had scored already in the maximum five events. The most likely scenario for him to hold onto the lead was to beat Matthew Marquardt to the finish line. Barnaby did just that as Marquardt struggled with cramping.

Barnaby said after clinching his title: “I’ve been doing triathlon for 20 years now and I’ve never earned in 20 years what I earned today, it’s amazing. It’s been an amazing year for me, a really long season, it was amazing to take the win in Western Australia [at the IRONMAN 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship Western Australia triathlon], it wouldn’t have been the same to take the Series without taking a win in an actual race in the Pro Series so I’m really happy.”

Matthews’ Road to Victory

Matthews had remarkable consistency throughout the year, with five podium finishes to her name at IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events.

Matthews started her Pro Series campaign with a victory at IRONMAN Texas. She followed that by another victory at IRONMAN Vitoria-Gastiez, where she won with a comfortable eight minute margin, thanks to a dominating 2:54 marathon

Next came a second-place finish at 70.3 Tallin. But it was her remarkable duel with eventual IRONMAN World Champion Laura Philipp that saw Matthews rocket up the Pro Series leaderboard. That second place gave Matthews a firm grasp on second place, and with an open score available to her at 70.3 Worlds, any finish would see Matthews wrest the title from long-time leader Hering.

Hering, who had held first since a second-place at this summer’s IRONMAN Lake Placid, did not improve upon her score this weekend. Still, with over 18,000 points, Hering was able to take second place and the $130,000 check associated with it.

Lotte Wilms rounded out the podium, moving past Hannah Berry with her effort at 70.3 Worlds.

The top 10 finishers in the 2024 Pro Series are as follows:

Barnaby’s Title Journey

Barnaby came into the Series-deciding race having scored in five races this season, including an excellent sixth-place at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona and his first IRONMAN 70.3 victory at Western Australia. That win propelled him past IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange into the lead of the Series.

It set the stage for a one-on-one battle between Barnaby and Matthew Marquardt for the lead in the series. Marquardt, like Matthews, had only scored in four events coming into the finale in Taupō. It meant whoever came to the finish line first between those two, so long as they were within 8:46 of the winner, would wind up Pro Series champion.

Unfortunately for Marquardt, it was not to be; he struggled mightily with cramping as soon as the race hit the bike and would finish in 36th place. That would still be enough to move him into fourth place in the Series standings and to take home a $70,000 check.

Marquardt’s misfortune solidified Barnaby’s and Lange’s 1-2 finish. Kristian Høgenhaug, who led the chase group on the bike during 70.3 Worlds, finished 17th on Sunday and earned enough points for the final podium spot.

The final top 10 standings:

The 2025 Pro Series will kick off in three months, with IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong and spanning until next year’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Marbella, Spain in November.

The post Matthews and Barnaby Take Inaugural IM Pro Series Crowns first appeared on Slowtwitch News.