Canada's Paula Findlay headlines Vancouver T100 triathlon world tour stop

When the start gun goes off Saturday for the Vancouver stop of the T100 Triathlon world tour, Canada's Paula Findlay will be focused on being in the moment.

That's because the veteran racer has learned, over a long career, that a take-it-as-it comes mentality is best in a grueling three-sport race that lasts almost four hours. 

"There is a lot of pressure, especially as a Canadian racing in Canada — you can get really overwhelmed by that," Findlay said. "And of course there's going to be adversity and obstacles that come up. But dealing with those and not getting stressed, that's the best way to get through these things." 

The 36-year-old, who represented Canada in the 2012 Olympics and the 2015 Pan Am Games, is the headliner of a three-day multi-sport spectacular. Alongside the featured women's and men's pro races, another 3,000 amateurs will line up for a slate of races running Friday through Sunday.

For the 100-kilometre distance, competitors swim two kilometres in English Bay starting and ending at Locarno Beach, cycle 80 kilometres over six loops on Marine Drive around the University of British Columbia campus, and then finish with an 18-kilometre run over four loops on the gravel foot path along the beach out to Spanish Banks and back.

The goal for Findlay is to move into the medals after a fourth place finish in San Francisco two weeks ago. 

"I think I have a shot at being on the podium and that would obviously be a dream. But I could also have a great race and come fifth or sixth," she said. "It is really crazy, these races are so competitive...so you really can't predict the outcome."

With two decades of international racing under her belt, Findlay probably would have called it quits by now had the T100 world tour not launched last year. 

The former Olympian is one of 32 international triathletes — 16 women and 16 men — who are under contract to the Professional Triathlon Organization (PTO), the company that runs the tour. This year alone, PTO will payout salaries, prize money and ranking bonuses of over $7 million dollars across nine international T100 events. 

"The biggest difference is that they were offering a lot more money to professionals, a lot more races with giant prize purses where you really could feel like you could make a living at this sport," she said. "Prior to the PTO coming along, it was really just the pointy end —  the top four or five in the world — that could make a living." 

Boosting female participation

There's also motivation to get more females into the sport, which has historically seen a higher rate of male participation.

At 34 per cent female, the Vancouver races boast the highest rate ever of girls' and women's participation in a T100 event. 

"That's the goal not just for T100, but for me personally, just encouraging women to get into the sport, to be active," Findlay said. "There's a lot that the sport offers [and] it's really cool Vancouver is doing that."

Helping the cause is Vancouver amateur Bronwyn Davies, who's racing this weekend in the 30 to 34 age group. Davies used to watch her boyfriend compete in triathlons until three years ago when she decided to get off the sidelines. 

The triathlon bug has bitten so hard Davies is now an age-group ambassador for the tour, helping organize the Women in Triathlon forum held Wednesday night in Vancouver, spreading the gospel that triathlon is for everyone.

"Community is the backbone of triathlon. It's what makes it fun — everyone's so supportive and really encouraging to each other," she said. "And having people that I can swim, bike and run with, and stop at cafes halfway through [our training], that really is what makes all the difference," she laughed.

The pro men's race is Saturday at 9:30 a.m., and the pro women's starts at noon. 

A list of road closures can be found here.