North American champions crowned at Ironman 70.3 Happy Valley

Ironman 70.3 Pennsylvania Happy Valley returned for its fourth year on a cloudy and mostly comfortable Sunday, and for the first time the event served as both a Pro Series stop and the North American Championships .

Trevor Foley, of Florida, took the men’s title with a time of 3:42:25, while Paula Findlay, of Canada, was the women’s champion at 4:14:02.

More than 1,700 athletes from 44 states and 43 countries competed in this year’s Happy Valley half-Ironman (at 70.3 miles it is half the distance of a full Ironman). They started the day at 7 a.m. with a 1.2-mile, single loop in Sayers Lake at Bald Eagle State Park, then embarked on a 56-mile bike ride that swung into Clinton County before traveling over Hubler Ridge to Pleasant Gap, going over the mountain and descending to Centre Hall, then heading through Linden Hall and Lemont toward State College.