Marten van Riel, Paula Findlay Win IRONMAN Pro Series Lake Placid

The 2026 Athletic Brewing IRONMAN^® Lake Placid triathlon delivered another set of unforgettable performances, historic firsts, and extraordinary community spirit on Sunday as Canada's Paula Findlay captured her first full-distance IRONMAN victory in spectacular fashion, while Belgium's Marten Van Riel shattered the course best time to claim his first IRONMAN win at one of the sport's most legendary venues.
 
Women’s Race
In the women's professional race, the day's defining performance belonged to Canada's Paula Findlay, who turned years of anticipation into a historic breakthrough by winning Athletic Brewing IRONMAN Lake Placid 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, Findlay successfully made the leap to 140.6 miles with a composed and commanding effort across all three disciplines.
 
After exiting Mirror Lake in sixth position and more than three minutes behind the leaders, Findlay methodically worked her way through the field on the bike course. Once the climbing began on the second half of the ride, the Canadian showcased her trademark 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 captivating duel between Findlay and Sanchez, with the pair separating themselves from the rest of the field throughout the bike and into the marathon. Sanchez briefly challenged Findlay early on the run, but the Canadian responded confidently and began to build her advantage around the five-mile mark. By 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. Showing remarkable resilience in the closing stages, Findlay completed the marathon in 2:55:49 and crossed the line in 8:47:43, securing victory by nearly four minutes.

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 remarkable 2:48:13 marathon, 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, while 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.
 
“That last 10K was so hard. I am really proud to finish and it’s amazing to win, but that was so hard,” said Findlay 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.
 
Findlay added: “It always feels great to win, but to win something this long is really incredible. When I woke up 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 (IRONMAN).”
 
Men’s Race
On the men's side, Marten Van Riel produced a dominant, masterclass, performance. The Belgian powerhouse 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 just a year about by 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, led by American Matthew Marquardt, who produced one of the strongest performances of his career. 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 an outstanding 7:46:11, faster than his own previous course-best-winning performance from a year ago, 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 hard-fought 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 (USA), winner of ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand earlier this season, overcame a difficult swim to move from 18th place 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 (USA) quietly put together another strong performance to finish fifth, while Germany's Frederic Funk overcame a quick turnaround from Challenge Roth to claim sixth and secure a valuable Kona qualification. The depth of the professional field, combined with Van Riel's record-setting performance, produced one of the most competitive and memorable men's races in Lake Placid's storied history.
 
“Matthew really made me work for it,” said Van Riel 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?’”
 
When asked if the course best meant anything, Van Riel added. “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 Male Professional Results
 

 
 
 
Top Five Female Professional Results
 

 
 
While the professional fields delivered memorable performances, the heart of Athletic Brewing IRONMAN Lake Placid once again belonged to the Lake Placid community. Now in its 27th year and the longest-running IRONMAN race in the United States, the event continues to thrive thanks to the unwavering support of local residents, volunteers, businesses, and spectators who line the streets from Mirror Lake to the Olympic Oval finish line. Their energy, hospitality, and passion helped create an unforgettable race atmosphere, reinforcing why Lake Placid remains one of the most iconic and beloved destinations in endurance sports and a treasured home of IRONMAN since 1999.
 
Full results for the 2026 Athletic Brewing IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon can be found at www.ironman.com/races/im-lake-placid/results.
 
IRONMAN Pro Series Standings    
The Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series is a year-long performance-based triathlon race series with professional triathletes being able to earn points at 16 races globally. Open to approximately 1,000 eligible professional triathletes worldwide, the Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series ushers in a new era of IRONMAN racing where Every Second Matters with every second behind the race winner equating to a point earned or lost. For any athlete, only their top five event results count towards their overall Pro Series points and standing, of which a maximum of three IRONMAN results can be counted. How it works can be found here: www.ironman.com/proseries/about-ironman-pro-series
 
Following today’s race, the biggest movers in the men’s standings are Van Riel, who moved up 19 spots to sit in second, while Rudy Von Berg and Ben Kanute jump 11 spots to third and fifth respectively. In the women’s standings, Grace Thek sixth-place finish moves her into the top spot, while Marta Sanchez moves up eight spots into second and Tamara Jewett moves four spots up into fourth.
 
Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five Male (After Eleven Events)     
 

 
 
Overall IRONMAN Pro Series Standings – Top Five Female (After Eleven Events)     
 

 
 
Next Events Coming Up
The Experience Oman IRONMAN Pro Series heads to Idaho for the first time with the IRONMAN 70.3 Boise on July 21.
 
A free replay of the 2026 Athletic Brewing IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon is available to international audiences via www.ironman.com/proseries or IRONMAN’s YouTube Page, and on Outside+ for those watching from the United States and Canada.
 
For more information on the IRONMAN Pro Series, visit www.ironman.com/proseries