Kat Matthews

Katrina Matthews (born 13 March 1991, née Rye) is an English professional triathlete who races in non-drafting, long-distance events. Her career includes a second place finish at the 2021 Ironman World Championship and second in the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. She was a member of the BMC Pro triathlon team 2020–2022 and is also a physiotherapist working for the British Army.

Triathlon career
In 2018, as an amateur, Matthews won Ironman 70.3 Calgary as well as the UK National Championships later on in the year. The next year, Matthews won Challenge Gran Canaria as an amateur securing her pro licence. She would then go on to podium at four middle distance events including winning the ETU European Championships. This was also the year of her first Ironman, IM Western Australia. She came 4th with a debut time of 8:53:58.

In 2020 Matthews won Ironman Florida with a time of 8:40:50 – the 3rd fastest ever British woman. In that autumn, post pandemic, she also won the Outlaw X and IM 70.3 Tallinn. Notably she also won the UK national 100-mile cycling TT in 3 hours and 55 minutes.

In 2021, Matthews finished fourth at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St George. In the inaugural PTO Collins Cup she had the 4th fastest time, winning her match. She also won IM UK in Bolton and came 2nd to Daniela Ryf at IM Tulsa.

In 2022, Matthews won Ironman Lanzarote 70.3 beating the reigning Ironman world champion Anne Haug by over 3 minutes. Racing in her first Ironman World Championships in St George, Utah in May 2022 she was second to Daniela Ryf. She had been invited to participate in the Sub7Sub8 challenge racing against Nicola Spirig. Matthews smashed the 8-hour 'barrier' finishing ahead of Spirig with a time of 7:31:57, the fastest ever Ironman distance time. While acclimatizing in Texas for the 2022 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, a driver drove into her resulting in very serious injuries. Once sufficiently recovered her structured rehabilitation moved to an active return to training in December. She was ranked ninth in the Professional Triathletes Organisation 2022 ranking list. Matthews was named British Army Sportswoman of the Year 2022.

In 2023, recovered and rehabilitated, Matthews returned to racing 'grateful' to finish a remarkable third at IM 70.3 Oceanside behind Tamara Jewett and the current world champion Chelsea Sodaro. She followed this 3 weeks later with a win at Ironman Texas in a new best Ironman time for a British woman of 8:32:51. In the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland, Matthews finished second to Taylor Knibb. With a win in the IM 70.3 Bahrain Matthews was ranked sixth in the Professional Triathletes Organisation 2023 world ranking list.

In 2024 she won Ironman Texas again, notably the first full distance race in the new Ironman Pro Series.

Notable results
Some of Matthews' notable achievements include:

Competitions
Matthews’ race results are: