In two short seasons, Britain’s Lucy Byram has made super-quick progress through the long-course ranks, but she still has plenty of time to turn herself into one of the most feared athletes on the circuit.
Here's everything you need to know about the British long-course star-in-waiting…
Who is Lucy Byram?
Having taken up triathlon at the age of eight alongside her twin sister Erica (who herself would later become a national champion), Lucy Byram turned her back on short-course racing after graduating from her law degree in Leeds.
Remaining in the UK’s triathlon capital, she then switched focus, now dedicated to long-distance competition. It proved to be an extremely wise decision.
Since turning pro at the start of the 2022 season, Lucy has yet to cross the line outside the top 10 in any elite race.
More often than not, she’s found herself at the pointy end of the standings, boasting a number of Challenge and Ironman 70.3 victories to her name, including Challenge Wales (twice), Challenge Puerto Varas and Ironman 70.3 Jesolo.
In several of these successes, a dominant bike leg set up the surge to the line.
Lucy’s most impressive performance, though, saw her finish off the podium. For her final race of 2023, she travelled to the Midwest where, at the PTO US Open in Milwaukee, she gate-crashed the show, finishing a highly unexpected fourth among long-course royalty.
Notably younger than those finishing around her, it was a statement of intent for seasons to come. A chance to show that her placing in Milwaukee wasn’t a fluke – by putting in another sterling performance at the Ironman 70.3 world championships in Finland later that month – was denied Lucy, who was obliged to attend her brother’s wedding instead.
Schedule clashes with familial nuptials aside, expect Lucy Byram to be a leading light in long-course racing for many seasons to come. Both talent and time are very much on her side.
How old is Lucy Byram?
Lucy Byram was born on 1 August 1999, making her 24 years of age.
Lucy Byram’s career highlights
May 2022: IM 70.3 top 10 at first time of asking
Having recorded a top-10 finish in her first half-distance triathlon outside the UK at the end of the previous season at Challenge Peguera Mallorca, Lucy repeats the trick five months later in her maiden Ironman 70.3 race in Dubai, finishing eighth.
May 2022: Silver lining in Italy
After finishing just outside the top five at Challenge Salou in Spain four weeks earlier, Lucy takes her first podium as a long-distance elite at Challenge Riccione on Italy’s Adriatic Coast.
Coming second behind her vastly experienced fellow Brit Emma Pallant-Browne, Lucy does beat another compatriot home, fourth-placed India Lee.
June 2022: A first elite long-course victory
Lucy takes a first win in elite long-course racing when she comfortably triumphs at Challenge Wales in Fishguard.
Her margin of victory in north Pembrokeshire is impressive; she finishes 19 minutes ahead, despite stopping en route to come to the aid of a heavily bleeding male competitor who had ridden into a telegraph pole.
August 2023: 70.3 silver in central France
The fine form of Lucy’s first full season in long-distance competition continues when she returns to Ironman 70.3 racing. She takes silver in the French city of Vichy, finishing less than half a minute behind compatriot Lydia Dant.
October 2022: Maiden 70.3 triumph
Lucy gets her hands on 70.3 gold for the first time when she takes victory in the resort town of Jesolo near Venice. Second out of the water, an imperious bike leg sets up the victory, coming home a comfortable two and a half minutes ahead of the field.
March 2023: Numbero uno in Miami
If 2022 was an impressive season, Lucy goes even better in 2023. The new campaign starts in excellent fashion in Florida where she breaks the tape at Clash Miami as the only competitor to dip under the three-hour barrier.
March 2023: A taste for South American gold
The gold won in Florida is still shining brightly when, just nine days later, Lucy adds another to her trophy cabinet when she triumphs at Puerto Varas in Chile. Not for the first time, her superior speed on two wheels is telling. She also records the fastest run split.
June 2023: Still the queen of Wales
Lucy’s return to Fishguard is a happy one as she retains her Challenge Wales crown, in the process improving her winning time from 12 months earlier by almost two minutes.
July 2023: Bronze for buoyant Byram
Another podium in the Challenge series beckons, this time at Walchsee in the Austrian Tyrol, where Lucy secures bronze behind Switzerland’s Imogen Simmonds and fellow Brit Lucy Buckingham.
August 2023: Just outside the US Open medals
Although finishing outside the medals, this final race of Lucy’s exceptional season arguably represents the finest performance of her career to date. At the PTO US Open in Milwaukee, she proves she can mix it with the sport’s very best long-distance stars.
In second coming out of T2, Lucy’s fourth place finds her behind the A-grade likes of Taylor Knibb, Ashleigh Gentle and Paula Findlay, but she’s the first Brit home, leading out seasoned compatriots Holly Lawrence and Kat Matthews – and this is despite a hip injury curtailing her pre-race run training.
Still only 23 at this point, the future for Lucy Byram looks blindingly bright.
Lucy Byram in quotes
On being part of the Leeds conveyor belt of triathlon excellence, surrounded by high-level squad members: “They always turn up. They always go for a run after swimming. You’ve always got someone to train with. The consistency is always there.”
On her surprise fourth place in her maiden PTO race at the US Open in Miami in 2023: “I didn’t think I’d beat the people ranked above me, but I did. So just because they are ranked higher doesn’t mean I won’t be able to do it again.”
On the prospect of the PTO T100 series, new for 2024: “It gives many opportunities throughout the year for the very best to race against each other, which will make for a very exciting season.”
What’s next for Lucy Byram?
Lucy has enthusiastically signed up for the new PTO T100 series where, across three continents, each athlete will compete in a minimum of five races, plus a Grand Final.
The London event will very much be in Lucy’s crosshairs. “My targets for the tour will be to get my best six scoring races, therefore trying to race all eight would be beneficial.”
Whether this busy schedule can also allow Lucy to qualify for, and race in, the Ironman 70.3 world championships (which she missed in 2023 due to a clash with her brother’s wedding) remains to be seen.
Top image credit: That Cameraman/PTO
