On Sunday, 14 June, the IRONMAN 70.3 North American Championship was held in Pennsylvania. Trevor Foley beat compatriot Sam Long for the first time in his career, on the 14th attempt, and claimed his second win of the season. In the women’s race, Paula Findlay left no doubt.
Both favourites trailed after the swim
The swim course on Foster Joseph Sayers Lake was set by Morgan Pearson, first out of the water in 23:15, just ahead of Ben Kanute (23:17) and Marc Dubrick (23:19). Matthew Marquardt was fifth (24:14), and eventual podium finisher Jason West exited in 24:20.
Foley? Nineteenth, 25:42. Long, who spent the past year working on his swim, exited 28th in 26:23, more than three minutes behind the leaders. On paper, both had plenty to make up.
The bike: two engines join the race
On the bike, the script was predictable. Long and Foley surged forward with the power that has long been their signature. Pearson’s hopes ended within the first kilometre: an equipment failure dropped him to 31st, more than five minutes behind the leaders.
Marquardt, Kanute and Dubrick held the front for a while, but the two favourites steadily closed the gap. By the 68th kilometre they were second and third, under a minute behind Marquardt. Six athletes entered the second transition within 40 seconds of each other. The fastest bike splits belonged to the chasers: Long 2:02:57, Foley 2:03:26.
The run: Long attacks, Foley waits
Long had said during the week that his plan was “attack, attack, attack”, and that is exactly what he did. Not even stopping to put on socks, he left T2 fastest and immediately went after Marquardt, passing him with a long, strong stride.
But Foley did not let go. He caught his rival, they exchanged a high five, and ran together at the front. Meanwhile Jason West, a Penn State alum racing at the school that hosted the event, was coming from behind, moving from 8th off the bike to third, a minute behind the leaders.
The race was decided about 5 km from the finish. Long tried to break away, but it was Foley whose legs were stronger, and he was the one who pulled clear. Long counterattacked but had nothing left in the tank, focused mainly on not blowing up the way he had at Oceanside.
Results, men
Foley stopped the clock at 3:42:25 (run 1:09:50). Long was second in 3:43:35 (1:11:14). West took an emotional third on home turf, 3:44:38 (1:10:11). Marquardt, who took a fall at an aid station along the way, finished fourth (3:46:02), and Dubrick was fifth (3:47:02).
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trevor Foley (USA) | 3:42:25 |
| 2 | Sam Long (USA) | 3:43:35 |
| 3 | Jason West (USA) | 3:44:38 |
| 4 | Matthew Marquardt (USA) | 3:46:02 |
| 5 | Marc Dubrick (USA) | 3:47:02 |
Women: Findlay in a class of her own
The women’s race had no real contest. Paula Findlay took the lead on the bike and never gave it up, winning comfortably in 4:14:02, more than four minutes ahead of runner-up Lydia Russell (4:18:10). Third place went to Australian Grace Thek (4:20:36), who caught and passed a fading Grace Alexander on the run.
| Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paula Findlay (CAN) | 4:14:02 |
| 2 | Lydia Russell (USA) | 4:18:10 |
| 3 | Grace Thek (AUS) | 4:20:36 |
For Foley, this was his second win of the season and a symbolic breakthrough: his first victory over Long after 13 losses. For Long, it was further proof that the form is there, but the last percent is still missing at the finish. The 70.3 season is picking up pace.
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