Jackson Laundry and Paula Findlay earn podium finishes at 70.3 Chattanooga
Laundry and Findlay finish on the podium in Chattanooga, and Angela Naeth continues to improve following a flare-up with Lyme Disease.
On Sunday, May 19th, Heather Jackson (USA) defended her Ironman 70.3 title in Chattanooga, Tennesse. On the bike, Jackson was able to overcome a two-minute deficit and join the leaders heading into T2. Thanks to a 1:22:15 half-marathon, Jackson was able to pull out the win, 48-seconds ahead of Skye Moench (USA). Canada’s Paula Findlay finished third.
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The Canadian posted the fastest swim of the day but was later joined on the bike by Jackson and Moench. “I was initially disappointed because I wanted to win one of these so badly, but looking back, I’m proud of my effort,” wrote Findlay on her Instagram account. “The heat and humidity was intense, and it took every ounce of my willpower to get to the finish line. The depth of field at these races keeps getting stronger and faster, so you have to be firing on all cylinders to be on top. Congrats to Heather and Skye who were the best today, and all the women who kept me honest to the finish line. ”
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Canadian Angela Naeth, who made her 2019 season debut just a week ago, was also in attendance at Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga. After having to postpone her training and racing this season due to a Lyme Disease flare-up, Naeth improved upon her season debut with a sixth-place finish.
Related: Angela Naeth’s battle with Lyme Disease and return to racing
On the men’s side, Canadian Antoine Jolicoeur Desroches took the lead out of the water. On the 90K bike, Sam Long (USA) was able to overcome a three-minute deficit to Jolicoeur-Desroches, thanks to the fastest bike split of the day (2:04:06). On the run, the American was able to hold off a charging Jackson Laundry (CAN) and Matt Hanson (USA) to take his first Ironman 70.3 victory. Laundry and Hanson finished second and third. Jolicoeur-Desroches finished just off the podium in fourth. American Matt Russell rounded out the top five.
