Paula Findlay wins Ironman Lake Placid on her very first full distance triathlon attempt. Setting the bike course record, ringing the first-timer's bell, and crossing the tape after one of the most composed performances of the year. Nick and Eric were both on course for the day, and this week all three of us sit down to relive every moment: the cold non-wetsuit swim chasing Chelsea Sodaro, the wind-whipped bike ride where Paula refused to let the gusts derail nine months of preparation, the broken flask on the run, running a 1:24 half marathon split before her quads staged a full revolt, talking herself through lonely miles of River Road, and what it actually felt like to turn into the Olympic oval.

This week we discussed:

• Paula's full Ironman Lake Placid race recap: swim, bike, run, and every mental moment in between
• Racing without a wetsuit in cold windy weather — staying warm, not panicking off the bike, and why the cold nearly derailed the first 45 minutes
• Riding through 28mph gusts: how Paula stayed in her aerobars when everything in her said sit up
• The Marta Sanchez dynamic: running together through the first half, trusting her experience, and slowly stretching the gap
• Quad cramping from mile 13 of the marathon and choosing to keep running anyway
• Ringing the first-timer's bell
• The med tent, the wheelchair, and what "empty" actually feels like after an Ironman
• How Eric and Nick tracked splits all day: whiteboard shorthand, the Iron Man app, texts from people on course, and educated guesses
• What Paula discovered about herself: long activities are a mindset, not a personality type
• The timing chip chafe solution that actually worked (and the neck chafe that still didn't)
• TTL team finished 4th in the team competition — in their first year
• 150 people at the Lake Placid donut run and the volunteer team who drove 45 minutes for donuts
• Is it better to race a new distance naive, or knowing what's coming? Paula answers just days after finding out
• Long run advice for Ironman training: why 30K is probably enough, and why Paula wishes she'd run more pavement
• TTL Kona merch is happening, and so is Nice
• Samantha Skold qualifies for Kona off the back of a career-best run at Lake Placid

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We're recording in person in Lake Placid, two days before Paula toes the line at her first-ever Ironman. She's feeling good, she's excited, and she's ready. We get into all of it before diving into your questions. It's a full bag this week, from the science of optimal racing temperatures to the very real question of how big the jump from 70.3 to full distance actually is, timed perfectly with Paula about to find out for herself.

This week we discussed:

• Paula's first Ironman Lake Placid preview: how she's feeling, what's got her excited, and what it's actually like to prepare for your first full
• How big is the jump from 70.3 to full Ironman — physically, mentally, and nutritionally — and how much does long-term base carry through?
• Optimal racing temperatures for endurance performance: does the 40°F–55°F research match real-world experience?
• Switching from power meter pedals to a crank-based system, what road pedal systems we've tried and why we ride what we ride
• Renting a tri bike vs. flying with a bike box: which scenarios tip the scales either way, especially internationally
• Wahoo Kickr Bike Pro deep dive: aerobar options, dialing in fit, and how well the bike fitness transfers to race day
• What is Elise Lagerstrom's running Eddington number? Richard from the UK asked the question we all wanted answered
• How to buy a TT bike when no local shop carries them, a guide for making a big investment without being able to test ride first
• Draft-legal racing tactics for a first-timer heading to Age Group Worlds: the two or three things you actually need to know
• The Wahoo-Coros partnership: has anyone made the switch, and what do we think of Coros watches?
• Tubeless tire setup for racing: is it worth upgrading your wheelset, and what do you actually do if you flat during an Ironman?
• Current coaching setups across the TTL crew, is Paula still working with Carmen Small on the bike?
• Hill repeat steepness: what grade are you actually looking for and does it matter?

A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive! To submit a question for the podcast and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

Elise Lagerstrom — Eric's sister and two-time desert ultra champion — joins us to recount winning the Gobi March outright, becoming the first woman in the race's 20-year history to beat all men across a 250-kilometer, seven-day self-supported ultra through central Mongolia. We cover everything: the emergency electrolyte crisis at mile 12, how she managed a 52-minute buffer over second place through the legendary 80-kilometer Stage 4 long march, what carrying a 25-pound pack for 155 miles has to do with running ability, and why this kind of racing is so much more tactical than it looks. Then Paula emerges from a rough morning to join us for the second half.

This week we discussed:

• Elise Lagerstrom's Gobi March race recap: the first woman to win the 250K Mongolian desert ultra outright in 20 years of the event
• Self-supported racing explained: what you carry, what the race provides, and how the tent situation works
• Stage 4 long march — 80 kilometers in a single day and why Elise knew it was her moment
• The near-crisis at mile 12 and how she corrected her electrolyte strategy mid-race
• Why running ability matters less than you think in a 30-hour race
• Racing vs. surviving: how tactical the Gobi March actually gets, day by day
• The Roth swim controversy: how the men's field used a coordinated swim paceline to finally beat Christian
• Paula's take on Alanis Siffert's stunning Roth win — and her 2:45 marathon
• Should this new collegiate national champion race his first pro 70.3 on a road bike?
• Altitude racing tips for Leadville: heat training as the poor man's altitude prep, and the two-weeks-or-right-before rule
• When should you replace your running shoes — and the case for buying three pairs at once
• How motivation in triathlon evolves: from proving yourself to something harder to name
• Paula's first Iron Man in two weeks: wetsuit neck chafe solutions, and why Paula hates the words "Ironman training"
• Donut run at Lake Placid: Friday, 3 PM — come find us

A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive! To submit a question for the podcast and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast