Lucy Charles turning pro is one of the most eagerly anticipated age-group to pro moments in recent times (well as recent as Catherine Faux!) and today is the day we find out she is making the leap.

Charles had conquered it all in 2o15 - not only is an age group Ironman and Ironman 70.3 World Champion, but she also showed that she can be a well known name in the sport on her swim alone - having come out of the water at Kona almost 4 minutes quicker than Jodie Swallow, who led the pro women out!

We caught up with Lucy to find out a bit more.

Hi Lucy, congratulations on being nominated for Triathlete of the Year. How did it feel to find out and what are your memories of your past year?

Hi Richard, thank you so much. I am honored to have been nominated, especially with the other female athletes who have been shortlisted. I was delighted when I found out and it certainly got me reflecting on the year I’d had. A bit of a whirlwind year to say the least; jumping from 2nd place at the National sprint distance triathlon champs, to English middle distance champion, to double age group World champion in the Ironman 70.3 and Ironman.

My goal at the start of the year was to qualify for Kona, I far surpassed my expectations

How aware were you of the interest that your Kona swim leg might (and did) cause?

I had absolutely no idea! For me my swim is a long way off where it used to be when I was just a swimmer. That’s not to say I wasn’t happy with my swim split out in Kona, but next time I will be gunning for the swim course record.

However it did not cause a big of a stir as everyone might think as I am still yet to secure a proper sponsorship deal with a swim brand!

Your big news is that you are turning pro this year - tell us a bit about how that changes things for you and your approach and set up?

It’s not going to change a huge amount, I already have a very good set up and my rate of progression reflects that. My fiance Reece (5th place Kona finisher) and I run our own Personal Training and Coaching business. To tell the truth I won’t be dropping back on work too much until Triathlon can pay the bills.

Reece and I are a brilliant team, we do most of our training together and push each other in the right way… maybe a little too competitive in pool, this comes from us both being ex - swimmers. Moving forward Reece is going to continue his role of being my coach whilst also coaching himself.

What races and goals do you have in 2016?

Ironman Lanzarote will be my first major race as a Pro, it’s a tough course but that’s what I like. I then plan to stick to local Ironman races, mainly to save on costs for my first year. Ironman UK is a definite contender as I’ve already done the course in Bolton two years in a row.

In terms of goals I just plan to enjoy what I’m doing and race hard. Making podiums is always great but you can’t control who you’ll be racing against.

Tell us a bit about the support you have and any sponsors who are supporting you…

I have a fantastic support network from my family, friends and Hoddesdon Tri Club. Reece and I also work closely with the Bedfordshire University Sport Science Department who’s help has been exceptional. Greater London Leisure have played a big part in providing complimentary training venues, my home and favorite facility being the London Aquatic Center, which if you haven’t swam there, you really must!

I have some fantastic Sponsors who have made the journey to where I now a lot easier; Compressport, Moonlight Design, Active Training World and IPrintStuff. A big thank you must go to all these people for their ongoing support! I’m still very much looking for sponsorship and have far less support than most other pro’s so if anyone wants to support me please get in touch!