After a stress fracture in autumn, Paula Findlay bounced back with two first-place finishes in December.
Triathlete Paula Findlay ends 2019 on a high, taking first place honors two weekends in a row.
On December 7, she reigned in Indian Wells, California at their 70.3 IronMan. Findlay came out of the water first, extended her lead to seven minutes by the end of the bike, and no one caught her after that.
Photo: Eric Lagerstrom
On December 14, she cranked out another win across the country in Ohio at Challenge Daytona. It was an unusual course that looped around the Daytona International Speedway for both the bike and run.
“It was a very dynamic race and it was great to be competing alongside Lucy Charles,” Findlay said. Charles, who was runner-up at IronMan Worlds in October, kept pace with Findlay until the final 3 miles of the run.
Photo: Eric Lagerstrom
The back-to-back wins put a bow on a season that could’ve remained mired in Findlay’s October stress fracture in her foot.
“If I had to end my season after IronMan Worlds, it would’ve been a long stretch til April to not be racing,” Findlay said. So she tacked a couple races on to her calendar and ended on a high note.
Findlay chose a special color combination for her Speed Concept frames this year. Her design’s marquee color was Project One’s Miami Green. The blue-hued green reminds her of the bold depictions of the Rocky Mountains painted by Jason Carter, one of her favorite artists.
Photo: Eric Lagerstrom
“I love the Rocky Mountains and spend a lot of my winter offseason there so the color reminds me of home,” said Findlay whose hometown is Edmonton in Alberta, Canada.
Findlay is looking ahead to 2020 and her big goal is to peak late in the year at the 70.3 Ironman World Championships in Great Lake Taupō, New Zealand.
