CURRANZ triathlon ambassadors proved themselves among the best in the world at the weekend, with Lucy Charles and Reece Barclay delivering power-packed performances at the iconic World IronMan Championships at Kona, Hawaii.

Here’s an interview with the pair.

Lucy maintained her unbeaten 2015 record to become the second British woman to win two world titles in one season - the two events only a month apart.

Lucy recorded the fastest swim split of all the females in the event, and was a massive 2mins 40 secs faster than the top-placed pro Jodie Swallow. She also outswam the professional men too accept for Jan Frodeno and Andy Potts.

This confirmed the British champion as one of the most exciting newcomers to triathlon in recent years.

Lucy’s fiance Reece Barclay, the reigning British champion for his age group, also podiumed in the 18-24 category. His top-five finish in Hawaii goes some way to making up for the disappointment of crashing out due to brake problems at the World Champs in Zell Am See.

Below is an interview originally published on the CURRANZ website with Lucy Charles and Reece Barclay.

What does this result mean to you?

Reece: This means so much, I had a spell of bad luck in the 70.3 World championships at Zell am See with brake problems, which left me feeling deflated.

However I turned that negativity into fuel going into Kona and it paid off. I’m glad that I’ve reached - and indeed exceeded - my expectations.

Lucy: This result means a huge amount to me. After winning the 70.3 World Champs I wanted to prove it wasn’t a one-off and replicate my performance here in Kona. I’m absolutely delighted to be the only British female athlete to win the double.

What difference did CurraNZ make at Kona and overall this season?

Reece: CurraNZ has helped us get the most out of our hard sessions and races. We take a double dose before races which really helps us to get the most out of ourselves.

I really started to see the benefits after a month of using CurraNZ at the beginning of the year. I didn’t get any symptoms of colds or flu despite a drastic increase in training volume. I constantly observe my data and had a 5-10BPM decrease in heart rate for the same power output and these results have been consistent.

We also used CurraNZ to stay fit and well on the long-haul flight to Kona. This really helped as I spoke to lots of people who had ended up with a cold after the flight.

Lucy: CurraNZ has played a major part in all of training, races and recovery. I’ve felt a massive difference in what I am able to achieve in every single training session and the results I’ve had speak for themselves.

Leading to Kona I doubled up on CurraNZ and this stopped me from getting ill traveling and allowed me to adjust quickly to a new environment. Reece and I were able to get straight into training upon arrival in Kona which many thought was ridiculous.

A lot of athletes struggled with staying healthy with the travelling but I believe CurraNZ made all the difference for us. I used CurraNZ before and during the race in Kona and my endurance lasted, even giving me a sprint finish for the final mile and a half.

What are your plans for turning professional?

Reece: I’m going to bide my time with the transition, my rate of progress has been fast and the potential is there for sure. However, I’m under no illusions that there still is a big gap to make up before I can compete with the likes of the top ten pros at Kona. It’s nice knowing they’re five-ten years older than me and if I continue to work hard I will be at that level within a few years.

Lucy: Although I’m still undecided, it is likely I will stay as an Age Group athlete for at least one more year. I already have automatic qualification for next year’s 70.3 and Ironman world championships. So I have a great season lined up - regardless.

Did you expect to figure so highly in the 2015 AG world rankings when embarking on the season?

Reece: Honestly, no! It was only one year ago I had finished eighth in my Age Group at the Ironman UK in a time of 11:45.

From there, all I wanted was to qualify for Kona 2015 and knew I needed a sub-11. A 45-minute improvement in a year seemed a lot but manageable. At Ironman UK this year I smashed my expectations with 10:20, qualifying for Kona and first in my age group.

Going into Kona I had no expectations, I’d achieve my goal for the year and felt relaxed, however after Zell am See 70.3 I knew I was in the top five in my age group until a crash derailed my race.

After that I began to wonder if I could make the top five in Kona. I realised that goal and bagged a sub-10 hours in the process. I could not be happier with an end to what has been an amazing season with plenty of ups and downs.

Lucy: At the start of the 2015 season my target was just to qualify for Kona and take part. I had no expectations of becoming World Champion. If somebody had said to me at the then what I would achieve I would have laughed at them.

What is the next big goal?

Reece : Yet to decide! So far I have no races lined up, the decisions will be made over the next couple of weeks.

Lucy: I’m still undecided, but attempting to retain my world titles will certainly be something I want to do.

Find out more, and purchase CURRANZ here www.healthcurrancy.co.uk