Kona Age Group Excellence: Returning for redemption in the Energy Lab

For Zwift Academy Triathlon Team member Stephanie Clutterbuck this weekend’s Ironman World Championship is both a step on her way to becoming a pro triathlete, and a chance to gain some redemption. Clutterbuck’s one DNF in her short Ironman career came last year here in Kona.

“I got heat stroke in the Energy Lab,” Clutterbuck said of last year’s race. “I’m excited to go back and take a step further than I did last year.”

It’s hard to imagine Clutterbuck won’t get a few more steps along the way at this year’s race. Clutterbuck took some important lessons from last year’s race – “I learned so much about hydrating properly and taking a bit more salt than I’ve ever done before,” she said.

This year Clutterbuck has been on fire, winning Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire overall, winning the amateur race and finishing fourth overall at Ironman Vitoria Gasteiz, then winning her age group at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland in August.

Clutterbuck, who was a swimmer and rower before turning her sights on multisport racing, started her race week here in Kona with a fantastic performance at the Hoala Practice Swim, where she finished as the third-fastest age-grouper in her new Deboer Tsunami 3.0 SwimSkin.