Conventional wisdom holds that finishing an iron distance triathlon in under 8 hours for female athletes is a matter of when, not if. Finish times have steadily fallen, and the current record is less than 20 minutes away from the 8-hour mark.
But going Sub8 is not a fait accompli. Any athlete attempting it would still have to train perfectly, perfect their strategies, and then execute perfectly on the day. Why would anyone put that immense pressure on themselves to perform?
For Lucy Charles-Barclay and Nicola Spirig, signing on to the Sub8 Project is all about taking the opportunity presented to push limits, show what is humanly possible, and inspire generations.