Paula Findlay Claims Fourth Ironman 70.3 North American Championship
The Canadian middle-distance star captured her fourth Ironman 70.3 North American Championship title just one month before making her full-distance debut at Ironman Lake Placid.
Mel Sauve
Paula Findlay began racing in 2006, as she recently shared on The Women’s Race Podcast hosted by fellow professional triathlete Jackie Hering. Now in her 21st season of competition, the Canadian star continues to perform at the highest level, capturing her fourth Ironman 70.3 North American Championship title this weekend in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania.
The term “masterclass” may be overused, but it is difficult to find a better description of Findlay’s performance. She executed her race with precision from start to finish, building a decisive advantage and never giving her competitors an opportunity to challenge for the win.
The victory adds another impressive milestone to an already remarkable career and further fuels excitement ahead of her full-distance debut at Ironman Lake Placid next month.
Here’s how the race unfolded, along with a look at the other professional women who delivered an outstanding day of racing in Happy Valley, where we had the opportunity to watch the action live on the ground.
Women’s Race Recap
Jenna Campbell led the women out of the water in 25:52, with Grace Alexander and Emily Pincus close behind. Findlay exited in fourth, 1:11 back, leading a chase group that also included powerhouse athletes Hannah Berry and Grace Thek. Defending champion Lydia Russell exited 2:07 back.
In classic Findlay fashion, she quickly got to work on the bike, reaching the front of the race by the 15km mark after catching Alexander. (Of note, Alexander arrived in Happy Valley with a wave of momentum after back-to-back victories at Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast and Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga, making her one of the athletes we were watching most closely heading into the race.)
Berry, also known for her cycling, had moved into third place by the 20km mark.
For roughly 30km, Findlay and Alexander exchanged the lead. But midway through the ride, with the pair already holding a gap of more than two and a half minutes over the rest of the field, Findlay began to take control. She gradually distanced Alexander and continued extending her advantage for the remainder of the bike leg.
Unsurprisingly, Findlay arrived in T2 with the fastest bike split of the day, stopping the clock in 2:19:11. Alexander entered transition 3:16 later, followed by Berry (+5:38), Thek (+8:06), and Russell (+8:46).
Shortly before T2, we caught up with Findlay’s husband, Eric Lagerstrom. He said this kind of lead was exactly what they had hoped for and believed she would be able to run comfortably to the finish.
With Findlay holding a commanding lead, the biggest story on the run became the charge from defending champion Lydia Russell. Following a less-than-ideal swim – understandable given she underwent two surgeries for a broken collarbone and had only two weeks of swim training before this race – Russell steadily worked her way through the field.
She moved from fifth to fourth around the 4km mark, climbed into third by 8km, and then overtook Alexander for second at approximately 12km.
The other notable mover was Grace Thek. Sitting fifth at 17km, she closed strongly over the final stages of the race to run her way onto the podium.
Findlay crossed the line in 4:14:02 to secure her fourth Ironman 70.3 North American Championship title. Russell finished second and Thek third, while Alexander and Berry rounded out the top five. Completing the top 10 were Tamara Jewett, Jackie Hering, Danielle Lewis, Adele Likin, and Caroline Kaplan.
As for qualification slots to Nice, Berry claimed the first slot, Kristen Marchant secured the second after finishing 11th, and Campbell earned the third after placing 12th.
We caught up with Findlay after the race to celebrate her remarkable achievement. This marked her third consecutive (and fourth overall) win at this event, having taken the title in St. George in 2018, 2024, and 2025. Notably, Findlay and Lionel Sanders are the only athletes to have won the race four times.
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We also spoke with Russell, whose runner-up finish represents the best result of her career at a North American Championship and in any Ironman Pro Series event. After finishing sixth at last year’s championship in St. George, the result was significant.
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Following Challenge Roth, we’ll be on the ground in Lake Placid to follow Findlay’s highly anticipated debut over the full Ironman distance.