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Paula Findlay takes 2nd in Ironman 70.3 debut

Findlay finishes 2nd behind fellow Olympian Sarah True at Ironman 70.3 Austin

October 30, 2017
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Olympian and former world no. 1 Paula Findlay has been having a breakout season in the non-drafting triathlon world this year, solidified with an impressive 2nd place finish at yesterday’s Ironman 70.3 Austin. The Edmonton native has tried her hand at a variety of new race formats this year including Mixed Relay, Olympic non-drafting and now 70.3s.

Findlay clocked a 26:03 swim, 2:33:22 bike and 1:20:19 run for a total time of 4:23:02 to take 2nd behind fellow Olympian Sarah True in her half distance debut.

“I’m very happy,” Findlay told TMC after her race. “There were so many unknowns because this was my first half, so I really had to pay attention to my nutrition, pacing, and not going out too hard on the run. The cold added an extra challenge (4C at the start), so it was hard to get moving on the bike. I felt great on the run, which is a confirmation that the consistent injury-free running I’ve been doing all year is paying off. I think I still have big improvements to make over this distance, and I learned a lot. Not sure when my next one will be, but I really enjoyed it.”

Canada’s Melanie McQuaid placed 6th in the pro women’s field. Taylor Reid and Mikael Staer Nathan took 5th and 9th, respectively, on the men’s side in Austin yesterday.

Full results are available here.