LAKE PLACID — Canada’s Paula Findlay captured her first full-distance Ironman victory, and Belgium’s Marten Van Riel shattered the course time at the 2026 Athletic Brewing Ironman Lake Placid.
WOMEN’S PROFESSIONAL RACE
In the women’s professional race, the day belonged to Findlay, who turned years of anticipation into a historic breakthrough by winning in her first-ever full-distance Ironman race.
A two-time Olympian, 14-time Ironman 70.3 champion and multiple Ironman 70.3 World Championship podium finisher, she made the leap to 140.6 miles.
After exiting Mirror Lake in sixth position and over three minutes behind the leaders, Findlay worked her way through the field on the bike course. Once the climbing began on the second half of the ride, she showcased her strength, surging to the front alongside Spain’s Marta Sanchez before ultimately recording a 4:50:26 bike split, setting a new women’s bike course best time.
The race evolved into a duel between Findlay and Sanchez, with the pair separating themselves from the rest of the field into the marathon. Sanchez briefly challenged Findlay early on the run, but the Canadian responded and began to build her advantage around the 5-mile mark.
“That last 10K was so hard. I am really proud to finish, and it’s amazing to win, but that was so hard,” Findlay said after her victory. “The first half felt really good, and my cadence was up. I felt relaxed and I felt like I was running well, but it fell a bit apart in the last 10k, which I expected it would. So I just focused on getting from one aid station to the next.”
Halfway through the marathon, she had opened a lead of more than a minute and continued to extend it throughout the final miles despite navigating the unknown territory of her first marathon beyond 30 kilometers.
Findlay completed the marathon in 2:55:49 and crossed the line in 8:47:43, securing victory by nearly four minutes.
“It always feels great to win, but to win something this long is really incredible,” Findlay said. “When I woke up in the morning, I couldn’t even fathom getting to the end, so to get to the end pretty fast with the win is mind blowing.
“It is still sinking in. I absolutely love this course, and it was the perfect one for me to do for my first.”
Behind the lead duo, American Rachel Zilinskas put together a consistent all-around performance to earn the final spot on the podium in 9:04:13, holding off a late-race charge from Canada’s Tamara Jewett by just 40 seconds.
Jewett produced one of the day’s fastest runs with a 2:48:13, moving from eighth off the bike to fourth at the finish. Austria’s Lisa Perterer rounded out the top five after spending much of the day in contention.
Former Ironman World Champion Chelsea Sodaro made an emotional return to racing following surgery earlier this season, battling through adversity to finish and validate her qualification for the 2026 Ironman World Championship.
TOP FIVE WOMEN’S RESULTS
Postion Name Swim Bike Run Total Time
1 Paula Findlay (CAN) 55:43 4:50:26 2:55:49 8:47:43
2 Marta Sanchez (ESP) 53:28 4:52:26 2:59:33 8:51:30
3 Rachel Zilinskas (USA) 53:19 4:56:52 3:07:51 9:04:13
4 Tamara Jewett (CAN) 1:01:17 5:08:32 2:48:13 9:04:53
5 Lisa Perterer (AUT) 58:35 4:55:30 3:05:16 9:06:04
MEN’S PROFESSIONAL RACE
On the men’s side, Marten Van Riel produced a masterclass performance.
The Belgian controlled the race from the opening stages, quickly asserting himself on the bike before closing with a blistering 2:34:49 marathon to stop the clock in 7:41:57.
His performance broke the Ironman Lake Placid course best time, set a year earlier by American Matthew Marquardt, by more than eight minutes and secured the first full-distance Ironman victory of his career.
The race remained highly competitive throughout the day.
“Matthew really made me work for it,” Van Riel said at the finish line. “I had a really rough patch at the end of the bike and at the start of the run. I was running quite fast, but Matthew was catching me a bit and was thinking, ‘What am I going to have to do to beat this guy?’”
After staying within striking distance on the bike and trimming Van Riel’s lead late in the ride, Marquardt entered the marathon with hopes of mounting a challenge for the win.
Despite posting a time of 7:46:11, faster than his previous course-best winning performance, Marquardt was forced to settle for second after Van Riel extended his advantage during the second half of the run.
Meanwhile, American Ben Kanute delivered a breakthrough long-distance performance to secure third place after a battle with fellow American Jason West, who charged through the field on the run after starting the marathon in eighth position.
Several other contenders added drama to the day’s racing.
Trevor Foley, of the United States and winner of ANZCO Foods Ironman New Zealand earlier this season, overcame a difficult swim to move from 18th into podium contention during the bike before fading late in the marathon.
American Jason West posted one of the fastest runs of the day and briefly moved into podium position before battling through physical challenges over the closing miles.
Rudy Von Berg, also of the United States, put together another strong performance to finish fifth while Germany’s Frederic Funk overcame a quick turnaround to claim sixth and secure a valuable Kona qualification.
When asked if the course best meant anything, Van Riel said, “It’s always a nice bonus, but the most important thing was beating everyone on the day because even Matthew beat his own course record.
“But the most important thing is to do well in the (World) Championship, and with that will come a good Pro Series result, but I’m really happy to be so high in the standings right now.”
TOP FIVE MEN’S RESULTS
Postion Name Swim Bike Run Total Time
1 Marten Van Riel (Bel) 47:05 4:41:46 2:34:49 7:41.57
2 Mathew Marquadt (USA) 49:49:4 13.56 2:37:24 7:46.11
3 Ben Kanute (USA) 48:05 4:21:44 2:43:48 7:58.23
4 Jason West (USA) 50:11 4:28:11 2:37:19 8:00:44
5 Rudy Von Berg (USA) 50:10 4:22:51 2:44:54 8:03:02.
For a full list of results of all 2026 Ironman Lake Placid races, visit ironman.com/races/im-lake-placid/resultS