Heather Paul’s sixth Ironman race was her most successful yet.
The Westhampton resident competed in the Lake Placid Ironman race last weekend, a triathlon that includes a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run.
Paul crossed the finish line in front of family and friends in a time of 12 hours, 52 minutes and 55 seconds, smashing her previous best of 13 hours and 13 minutes which she set in the first Ironman race she ever competed in.
“I felt stronger, I felt much calmer for the swim…. I think I (performed) better because it was warmer. But it was really a glorious day,” Paul said. “I was just in my element for the whole bike part, I loved it. It went by so fast for me…It’s just an amazing, amazing place to do the Ironman.”
Paul had two goals heading into Saturday’s race – break the 13-hour barrier and finish in the top-five of the bike portion for her age group. She accomplished both of those goals, finishing fourth in her age group in the bike ride and setting a new personal best by over 20 minutes.
“It was wonderful because it’s such a grueling event that when you think you don’t have any gas left in your tank, you see your family, you see your friends, and they’re encouraging you and they’re cheering for you – I’m going to cry right now just talking about it,” Paul said. “I knew that they were running all around the course and tracking me all day long. Just knowing that, it helped to push me on because I knew that they were following me and cheering me on every step of the way.”
Paul said she’s now taking some time to recover from her most recent race, but is already looking ahead to her next competition. In order to accomplish her long-term goal of completing 10 Ironman races by the time she turns 50, Paul is planning on competing in two Ironman races each in 2023 and 2024. She hopes to run her 10th and final Ironman with her daughter, 16-year-old Ava Gaida, in 2024.