Paula Findlay wins Ironman Lake Placid on her very first full distance triathlon attempt. Setting the bike course record, ringing the first-timer's bell, and crossing the tape after one of the most composed performances of the year. Nick and Eric were both on course for the day, and this week all three of us sit down to relive every moment: the cold non-wetsuit swim chasing Chelsea Sodaro, the wind-whipped bike ride where Paula refused to let the gusts derail nine months of preparation, the broken flask on the run, running a 1:24 half marathon split before her quads staged a full revolt, talking herself through lonely miles of River Road, and what it actually felt like to turn into the Olympic oval.

This week we discussed:

  • Paula's full Ironman Lake Placid race recap: swim, bike, run, and every mental moment in between
  • Racing without a wetsuit in cold windy weather — staying warm, not panicking off the bike, and why the cold nearly derailed the first 45 minutes
  • Riding through 28mph gusts: how Paula stayed in her aerobars when everything in her said sit up
  • The Marta Sanchez dynamic: running together through the first half, trusting her experience, and slowly stretching the gap
  • Quad cramping from mile 13 of the marathon and choosing to keep running anyway
  • Ringing the first-timer's bell
  • The med tent, the wheelchair, and what "empty" actually feels like after an Ironman
  • How Eric and Nick tracked splits all day: whiteboard shorthand, the Iron Man app, texts from people on course, and educated guesses
  • What Paula discovered about herself: long activities are a mindset, not a personality type
  • The timing chip chafe solution that actually worked (and the neck chafe that still didn't)
  • TTL team finished 4th in the team competition — in their first year
  • 150 people at the Lake Placid donut run and the volunteer team who drove 45 minutes for donuts
  • Is it better to race a new distance naive, or knowing what's coming? Paula answers just days after finding out
  • Long run advice for Ironman training: why 30K is probably enough, and why Paula wishes she'd run more pavement
  • TTL Kona merch is happening, and so is Nice
  • Samantha Skold qualifies for Kona off the back of a career-best run at Lake Placid

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