Outstanding Paula Findlay strikes at PTO 2020 Championship CHALLENGE Daytona

Sunday 06 December 2020

With a huge force majeure Paula Findlay just won the PTO 2020 Championship, bringing home an astronomical amount of $100,000. The Canadian, who also won CHALLENGE DAYTONA last year and thus prolonged her title, was on fire the whole day, leading the race almost completely. "I was so shocked. In a field like this I thought maybe a top ten would be great. I felt really good all day. It was one of those perfect days that you don't get very often." Behind Paula Findlay it was Anne Haug and Laura Philipp claiming second and third place.

It was the British Lucy Hall who started the race in front with a powerful swim. Hall came out of the water after 24:15 minutes and had a gap of eight seconds on Lauren Brandon (USA). Favourites like Fenella Langridge, Holly Lawrence, Jodie Stimpson, Nicola Spirig, Paula Findlay and Lisa Norden all followed within 45 seconds so at this point everything was still possible.

Hall initially controlled the race during the first kilometres on the bike as well, or at least did not relinquish her leading position. That changed after about twenty kilometres. That was the moment Findlay and Norden pushed up their pace and came alongside. It was Findlay who set the pace for the first few kilometres, but with about 35 kilometres to go, Norden started to take the lead. This didn't change anymore during the bike. In the meantime Laura Philipp and Anne Haug, both from Germany, were also working on a strong bike ride, moving up to eighth and ninth position.

It was Findlay who came out of the transition zone first, starting her 18km run very solid. Norden followed just a couple seconds after, but not much later she dropped off due to a calf injury. Also Haug wasn't lucky either, as she was immediately forced to go into the penalty box for violating a drafting rule. In the penalty box, however, she showed herself to be positive: "I'm going to run as fast as possible now. It would have been easier if I had 21 kilometres left instead of 18, but I'm trying. I've nothing to lose."

Haug kept promise and started to push the run, heading towards the second spot very soon. "I was even more motivated after the penalty. Paula had an amazing race, there was no chance to beat her today. I wanted to win here and everything you can cope for is putting your best performance out during the day and I really did." 

Also Laura Philipp was making a comeback during the day. After swimming outside the top ten, she moved forward in the field during the bike and run, eventually ending up on an amazing third place. "It was absolutely fantastic. I couldn’t believe I was able to make it to the top three. I'm so proud of myself and I'm trying to soak everything up now, because this event is so special for me. I expected to have a big gap after the swim and tried to be patient since I know 80km on the bike can be tough. This was my first Middle Distance and now I know how much it can hurt."  

1. Paula FINDLAY (CAN) 3:24:55
2. Anne HAUG (GER) 3:27:32 (+2:36)
3. Laura PHILIPP (GER) 3:30:00 (+5:05)
4. Holly Lawrence (UK) 3:31:09 (+6:14)
5. Amelia WATKINSON (NZ) 3:31:50 (+6:54)

CHALLENGE Family


Coming Triathlon Events View all

eagleXman

Assergi, Italy

TriBourne 226

Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Kaike triathlon

Yonago, Tottori, Japan

Outlaw Triathlon

Nottingham, United Kingdom

Wild Siberia Xtreme

Lake Cheybek-Kohl, Siberia, Russian Federation

Starvation Extreme

Starvation Reservoir, Utah, United States

Norseman Xtreme

Geilo, Norway

Ostseeman

Glucksburg, Germany

Slovakman 226

Pieštany, Slovakia

Greatman Kornik

Kornik, Poland

Ironman Lake Placid

Lake Placid, United States

Ironman Leeds

Leeds, United Kingdom

Ironman Canada Ottawa

Ottowa, Canada

Ironman Kalmar Sweden

Kalmar, Sweden

Ironman Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark

Ironman Tallinn

Tallinn, Estonia

Ironman Switzerland

Thun, Switzerland

Ironman Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin, United States

IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPS MEN

Nice, France

Ironman Japan South Hokkaido

Hokkaido, Japan

TRI Boulder

Boulder, CO, United States

Castle to Coast

Windsor to Brighton, United Kingdom

Sourdough Triathlon

Chatanika, Alaska, United States

Timisoara Triathlon

Timisoara, Romania

The Gauntlet Belvoir Castle Triathlon

Belvoir Castle, United Kingdom

Trumer Triathlon

Obertrum am See, Austria

Honeymoon Half Gravel Tri

Honeymoon Bay BC, Canada

TriBourne 113

Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Garmin Tri Tour Goldap

Goldap, Poland

Route 66 Half

Springfield, IL, United States

70.3 Ecuador

Manta, Ecuador

70.3 Oregon

Salem OR, United States

70.3 Ohio

Sandusky, United States

70.3 Boise

Boise Idaho, United States

70.3 Maine

Augusta, United States

70.3 Calgary

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

70.3 Krakow

Kraków, Poland

70.3 Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

70.3 Lapu Lapu

Cebu, Philippines

70.3 Hradec Kralove

Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

Triathlon News & Media Blogs View all

Little Elm, Texas to Host New IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon in 2026

Little Elm, Texas to Host New IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon in 2026

Monday 14 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

IRONMAN®, the global leader in long-distance triathlon, announced today that it will host the new IRONMAN® 70.3® Dallas-Little Elm triathlon in 2026. The new event is scheduled to make its debut on Sunday, March 15, 2026, beginning at Little Elm Park and traversing through the town of Little Elm and the North Texas countryside. General registration for the new event opens on July 23, 2025, more

Julie Derron Wins IRONMAN Vitoria Gasteiz 2025

Julie Derron Wins IRONMAN Vitoria Gasteiz 2025

Monday 14 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

The 2025 IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz, held on Sunday, July 13th in the Basque Country of Spain, saw a commanding victory in the women's professional race and some fierce competition in the age-group categories. more

Kat Matthews, Harry Palmer Crowned IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea Champions

Kat Matthews, Harry Palmer Crowned IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea Champions

Sunday 13 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

The South Coast of Wales was the sunny setting for this weekend’s race, as the IRONMAN Pro Series™ landed in the UK for the first time ever. Harry Palmer of Great Britain retained his IRONMAN® 70.3® Swansea title, while Kat Matthews claimed her second IRONMAN Pro Series win of the season. more

IRONMAN Pro Series 70.3 Swansea Start List

IRONMAN Pro Series 70.3 Swansea Start List

Friday 11 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

On Sunday, 13 July, nearly 60 professional triathletes will head to the south coast of Wales for the first time to compete in the IRONMAN®?70.3® Swansea triathlon, the 12th event in the 2025 IRONMAN® Pro Series. The event will offer a maximum of 2,500 points towards IRONMAN® Pro Series standings, a $50,000 USD?event total pro prize purse, and two slots per gender for the 2026 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon in Nice, France. more

IRONMAN Vitoria Gasteiz WPRO Start List

IRONMAN Vitoria Gasteiz WPRO Start List

Friday 11 Jul 2025 [Triathlon News]

IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz invites you to the spectacular cultural capital of northern Spain's Basque Country! With over a decade of triathlon heritage, Vitoria-Gasteiz is a well-known triathlon playground offering astonishing natural landscapes, rich culture, unforgettable Basque gastronomy, and the most passionate and vibrant fans that will encourage you until the finish line. more

Facebook


YouTube


Sign up for FREE NEWSLETTER:

We will never share your email address or spam you.