Paula wins the 70.3 North American Championship, gravel vs. road bikes, Ironman race swag, and more!
Podcast: That Triathlon Life PodcastPublished On: Thu Jun 18 2026
Description: Paula wins the 70.3 North American Championship in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania. Her fourth North American title. We do a full race recap covering Paula's pre-race warmup adjustments, the bike leg where she went full throttle up a climb, fueling breakthroughs, timing chip chafe as a legitimate race threat, and shoutout to Lindee Kent for delivering the best aid station splits anyone has ever heard. Then we get into your questions.This week we discussed:Paula's 70.3 North American Championship race recap: swim warmup changes, crushing the bike climb, and why fueling more actually workedIs Happy Valley the best riding location of any North American 70.3?Paula is a four-time North American champion, most wins of any pro female ever.Front and rear hydration setups explained: torpedo bottles, bento boxes, behind-the-seat cages, and how to actually refill on courseGravel bike vs. road bike as a do-it-all rig, especially for New Zealand chip seal roads (via a hilarious poem)When to switch to race tires before Ironman Lake PlacidIs a swim skin worth it for a 300-meter pool swim sprint triathlon?Pull buoy preferences and swim run buoy sizing for open water racingWhat to actually do with all your Ironman finisher t-shirts and medalsEric's "pro athlete vs. former pro triathlete" status, officially addressedElectric bike pumps for disc wheels: what actually worksA 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
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