Alberta's Paula Findlay wins $100K US at pro triathlon in Florida
The triathlete says she is not in a rush to return to Olympic racing
It took Paula Findlay 3 hours, 24 minutes and 55 seconds to win $100,000 USD on Sunday.
The Edmonton-born triathlete crossed the finish line first at the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) 2020 Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The victory is the most lucrative of her career.
"This is not normal for triathlon races," she said Monday in an interview with CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.
The PTO put up the record-high prize purse after two other high-profile events — the Ironman 70.3 World Championships and the ITU Long Distance World Championships — were cancelled because of the pandemic.
Findlay, 31, said money was not the motivator going into the race, but the windfall "helps a lot" after a year of no racing opportunities.
Findlay and her boyfriend, fellow triathlete Eric Lagerstrom, normally split their time between Edmonton, Canmore and Portland, Ore. They spent the past year training in Canmore.
Findlay was one of the favourites heading into Sunday's 100-kilometre race.
She felt healthy and fit, but was unsure of how she would stack up against her competitors.
Lucy Hall of Great Britain was first out of the water, but Findlay rode well during the 80-kilometre bike portion, setting up a four-minute lead that would only diminish by about a minute during the 18-kilometre run.
"She knows what she's accomplished..."<br><br>Re-live the final moments as <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulaFindlay?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PaulaFindlay</a> makes a triumphant return to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChallengeDaytona?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChallengeDaytona</a> 🥇<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PTO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PTO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PTO2020Championship?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PTO2020Championship</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TriathletesUnite?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TriathletesUnite</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Triathlon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Triathlon</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xb3xBJ5jgA">pic.twitter.com/Xb3xBJ5jgA</a>
—@protriorgAnne Haug and Laura Philipp of Germany took home second and third place in the women's race.
How she trained to win
Instead of the usual cycle of race, taper and recover, Findlay maintained a base level of fitness all year and built up her training to peak in Florida. Icy conditions in Alberta have kept her indoors in recent months.
"I didn't do nearly as much training as I would have in a normal year, but I think that ultimately helped me to be ready for this," she said.
Stress fractures and other injuries have plagued the athlete over the years.
At times she even contemplated stopping racing, but instead decided to switch gears from Olympic-distance triathlons to longer-distance races.
She has shone in the longer events. About a year ago, she won gold at the Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells-La Quinta in California and in the Challenge Daytona event in Florida.
The Olympic question
Following this weekend's win, people are asking Findlay if she has hopes of competing at the Olympics again, but she said it is not an easy question to answer.
"I probably am the fastest female triathlete in the country right now and could qualify for Tokyo if we all lined up and did a race and it was whoever won got to go, but there's a lot more politics behind it," she said.
Canada's Olympic triathletes have to place well at International Triathlon Union (ITU) races, which Findlay has not been participating in for several years.
"It's not something I'm burning so badly to do that I want to change my direction completely," she said.