Van Riel breaks the Lake Placid course record

A full-distance weekend in the United States produced two very different stories. Marten Van Riel rode and ran IRONMAN Lake Placid fast enough to take several minutes off the course record. Paula Findlay won the first IRONMAN of her career and qualified for Kona in the process. Lake Placid, in New York State, was raced on 19 July.

Van Riel: from short course straight to a course record

The Belgian is best known for explosive T100 racing and the 70.3 circuit, and he showed the long stuff suits him too. Van Riel won in 7:41:57 and set a new Lake Placid course record, taking around eight minutes off the previous mark. He also posted the fastest run in the history of the course.

Lake Placid does not hand those times out. The course is known for a demanding profile and long climbs, so going under 7:42 on that terrain is a signal. Van Riel’s form this season has been unnervingly level, from 70.3 through to the full distance.

Matthew Marquardt was second in 7:46:11 and Ben Kanute third in 7:58:23.

Findlay: a debut that sticks

The women’s race produced something rarer still. Paula Findlay won the first full-distance IRONMAN of her career. The Canadian is known for strong riding and consistency in T100, and she stepped up to the longest distance and came off the course first, with close to four minutes on the runner-up.

With it came the thing that counts for most in this sport: a slot at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. A debut that ends in a win and a ticket to Hawaii is the scenario most athletes chase for years.

Findlay won in 8:47:43. Marta Sánchez was second in 8:51:30 and Rachel Zilinskas third in 9:04:13.

What it says about the season

Two things. The line between short course and long course is getting more and more notional: athletes raised on the speed of T100 and 70.3 move up to the full IRONMAN and set the bar high straight away. And course records are not falling because the courses got easier. The pace at the front of the sport has simply gone up.

There is one practical conclusion in that for an age-grouper building towards a first full distance. Speed does not have to wait until later. Work on pace over shorter races carries over to the long distance more than it looks like it should.