Early on in the race, it became clear that Ironman Lake Placid would essentially be a two-way battle between Canada’s Paula Findlay and Spain’s Marta Sanchez. Ultimately, it was Findlay who came out on top, winning the race and confirming her excellent form.
After the swim, there was no sign of the duel between Findlay and Sanchez just yet. It was the American Lara Hernandez-Tome who exited the water first in 52:13 minutes, followed 1:06 minutes later by fellow American Rachel Zilinskas. A few seconds later, Sanchez also climbed back onto dry land, while a minute after that, Emily Pincus and Chelsea Sodaro headed toward T1. The wait for Findlay was a minute longer; she lay in sixth place with a deficit of 3:30 minutes.
During the first fifty kilometers on the bike, Zilinskas, Sanchez, Sodaro, and Findlay drew closer and closer together. Not long after, Sodaro was the first to drop off the pace at the front. After a hundred kilometers, Zilinskas was also definitively dropped, while Findlay and Sanchez rode closely together all the way into T2. By that point, Zilinskas’ deficit had grown to over four minutes, and Sodaro, riding in fourth position, followed five minutes behind.
It was Sanchez who took the initiative during the run; this came as no surprise, as the Spaniard is known for her rock-solid running ability. Findlay, however, did not let herself get rattled. She followed seemingly comfortably and took over the lead after eight kilometers. Second by second, she pulled away from her Spanish rival, and her lead continued to grow over the remaining thirty kilometers.
Findlay won in a time of 8:47:43, Sanchez finished second in 8:51:30, and Zilinskas took third in 9:04:13.
