A PENZANCE woman has been named the Ironman Bolton 70.3 women’s champion for the second year running.

Trainee accountant Katie Walker, 26, completed a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run, all in four hours, 31 minutes and 39 seconds.

In the last three years, Katie has won British and European Ironman 70.3 age group titles and achieved ninth place at the 2025 World Championships. Sport has always played a significant role in her life, but she only stepped up from triathlons to Ironman racing in May 2024 after deciding to challenge herself over longer distances.

This year marks Katie’s second year as a GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) athlete – the organisation provides her with free training access to any Better leisure centre in Cornwall – including her mainstay in St Ives - and throughout the UK.

“Triathlon is an expensive sport and GSF help makes a real difference,” said Katie. “The funding has made swimming and gym sessions far more accessible, and as essential components of my weekly training programme, that’s very important.”

Katie expressed her gratitude for the support of her partner, family and coach Mark King, and for the additional sponsorship of local businesses including Whirlwind Sports, Giant Helston and Born Bound.

“Their encouragement, combined with the dedication and commitment I bring to my training each week, has enabled me to make rapid progress within the sport in a relatively short period of time,” she said. “I’m excited to continue building on these achievements and see what the future holds.”

GLL is the not-for-profit social enterprise that runs nine leisure centres under the Better brand on behalf of Cornwall Council. GSF was launched in 2008, and 178 Cornwall-based athletes have been selected for funding in 2026.

Community sport manager Karen Edmond congratulated Katie, adding: “She’s a real inspiration and we’ll be following her progress with keen interest in the months and years to come.”